KeyCruncher.com

As featured in the Central Penn Business Journal:

We all know that keeping in contact with customers and prospects, helping them to better understand your value, is essential to long-term growth and success. Unfortunately, there are only so many hours in a day that you can use to carry out your marketing and justify your value to consumers. Let me introduce you to technology that will allow you to automatically deliver consistent and valuable information to target clientele.

AWeber Communications, based in Luzerne County, empowers entrepreneurs to deliver e-mail-based marketing messages on any schedule desired via automated follow-up (autoresponder) technology. The service facilitates delivery of consistent, timely and personalized e-mail messages that are already a part of your sales cycle and handles all of the messy details like subscription verification, unsubscribe requests, regulatory compliance and guaranteed e-mail deliverability.

As a customer, what I really like about AWeber is how the company charges for services. Your bill is based on the number of subscribers you enlist, with pricing starting at $19 monthly for as many as 500 subscribers. A subscription affords unlimited mailing lists and unlimited messages to those lists of subscribers.

Some other great features of the service include:

• Personalization – Mail-merge functionality allows messages to be addressed specifically to subscribers and automated algorithms can pick out first or last name, as well as correct text that has been entered in all uppercase or all lowercase letters.
• Point and click ease of use – Only basic knowledge is needed to use the service, but AWeber also offers fine-grain control for advanced users, if desired.
• Statistics – Track message opens, link clicks, list growth rates and demographics (i.e.: ZIP code, area code, state of subscribers) automatically
• Schedule as many deliveries as needed – For instance, a campaign can send message one on the first day, message two on day three and message three one week later, in any combination you desire
• Split testing – Absolutely essential to improving acceptance, this capability allows you to test versions of a signup form to see which ones work best. AWeber’s split tests can be configured in any way (i.e.: show one form 70 percent of the time and another 30 percent) and multiple split tests can be utilized simultaneously.
• Rich and plaintext e-mails supported – Send either HTML or plaintext e-mails.
• Automatic verified opt-in and unsubscribe processing maintain legal compliance with anti-spam regulations.

What impresses me most about AWeber’s services though is the level of customer service they deliver. The morning after I subscribed to AWeber, I received a courtesy call from a company representative, offering to help with my setup and reminding me of the many ways I can get help if needed. A variety of support resources are available, including a Web-based knowledge repository, online video tutorials, live seminars and, of course, telephone and e-mail support.

If you are searching for a way to deliver your established message in a more timely and consistent manner, be sure to give AWeber your consideration.

Dennis Little is a technology adviser based in Richmond, Va. He counsels clients nationwide.

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As featured on the Central Penn Business Journal:

About three weeks ago, I started receiving bank letters at my home for someone named Tom. That seemed odd since nobody by that name lives at my address the last time I checked, and the last resident was not named Tom either. I figured that perhaps the first letter was just a fluke, but I tucked it away in a safe place anyway.

To my surprise, I received two new debit cards and the associated PIN numbers several days later. I was now a bit concerned that the real Tom might have had his identity stolen, so I decided to call his bank and report the situation.

When I called Tom’s bank, Bank of America, they did not seem too interested in the story and the representative that answered the fraud hotline just patched me to an automated message. The recorded message instructed me to cut the cards and mail them back to the bank. I guess what really annoyed me though was the fact that this behemoth bank (it reported nearly $15M in profits last year) expected me to pick up the tab to correct their mistake.

Fast forward three weeks and Bank of America has continued to send me a wealth of personal and incredibly sensitive information about this man. Figuring that this madness was not going to stop, I resolved to track down Tom and make him aware of the situation. Maybe he could straighten things out with his incompetent bank.

As I looked more closely at the letters, I began to realize just how much information this incredibly careless institution had unwittingly given to me. I knew that Tom had just opened two new accounts. I knew Tom’s full Social Security Number and the address of his primary residence in Oklahoma. The letters had his checking, savings and money market account numbers. Incredibly, I even had Tom’s full driver’s license number thanks to the misdirected mail. Why in the world would all of this information be needed in a confirmation letter in the first place? Moreover, why would any reputable financial institution be so careless with a customer’s data?

Through sheer circumstance, I had every piece of information I would ever need to steal Tom’s identity, and possibly even all of his money. Sadly, when I finally reached Tom this past Saturday, he was none the wiser because his bank had never notified him of the situation. It turns out that he lived at my address 13 years ago and apparently Bank of America thinks he still lives here.

Where am I going with all of this? If your organization records personally identifiable information, you have a duty to protect that data. If you compromise that information, either directly or otherwise, you have a responsibility to let your customers know and remedy the situation quickly and completely.

• Take stock of the customer information your organization stores and how that information is transmitted or accessed.
• Minimize liability by not requesting or storing personally identifiable information that is not absolutely necessary.
• Regularly purge old information that is no longer used.
• Insure that your organization has tools to proactively prevent and detect compromise, as well as a plan to minimize impact in case a compromise does happen.

At the end of day, put yourself in the shoes of those you serve. If you would not want your own information handled in the same way that of your clients is, you need to improve the situation before it is too late for both you and them.

Dennis Little is a technology adviser based in Richmond, Va. He counsels clients nationwide.

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As featured on the Central Penn Business Journal:

Take a look at the most successful people in life and business and you will probably find that they all have something in common: a firm grasp on the power of saying ‘no’.

Knowing what to focus on to make the most of each day is crucial to your success, and so is mastering the power of ‘no’.

When I think of business people that thrive versus those that barely survive, the difference is clear: Those that thrive are keenly aware of what they do best and that is their sole focus. Ask those business people to do something that takes them off-task and they will readily tell you, ‘no thanks.’

Especially when you are a small-business owner struggling to get by, it is incredibly easy to say ‘yes’ to the wrong jobs, the wrong people and the wrong strategies. Keep in mind that you cannot be a solution for every problem and remain effective or competitive. When you take your business off-track, even for a small moment, things can quickly snowball to create low morale and lost opportunity. Your employees may well feel that you are unfocused or they may become bored because they are not applying their talents.

You may have to turn down the jobs that you are really good at because your resources are tied up in a side project you never should have taken on in the first place.

Take stock of what really makes you successful and maintain focus on those select areas. Make a short list of the six or less most important things you must do today and stick to it. Start saying ‘no’ to the distractions that serve only to derail your mission. At the end of each day, evaluate what distracted you and resolve not to make the same mistakes tomorrow. Each day that you renew this commitment, you will find that saying ‘yes’ is so much more productive and rewarding.

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What is the word on the street about your business? Have you taken the time to find out and to foster a good word-of-mouth reputation? The fact is that people are talking about your business and they are more likely to talk about their negative experience than the positive ones. Accordingly, it is vitally important that you understand and positively respond to what customers are saying about your service or products.

READ THE FULL CENTRAL PENN BUSINESS JOURNAL BLOG…

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With the presidential campaigns in full swing, I have been thinking about the qualities that I often recognize in great leaders.

To me, a superior leader uses the word “we” appropriately. How many of us have had bosses who use the word “we” when they really mean “you?” The people I recognize as great leaders are willing to get in the trenches and do the same work as everyone else, leading by example and carrying equal burden. These leaders give credit where it is due… READ THE FULL BLOG

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My favorite grocery store company has a very strong and captivating brand. No, I am not talking about the company’s logo or the type of advertisements the business runs in the Sunday newspaper. When I say brand, I mean that the company has so many unique and desirable attributes that I want to shop there.

Read the full story…

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The following was published in the July 7 edition of the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

Each year I get to celebrate Independence Day twice. On June 30 I celebrate my independence day and on July 4 I celebrate America’s. This year is special, because it marks the 40th anniversary of my independence.

On June 30, 1968, I escaped Communist Cuba and a few months later I was in the United States to stay. That I happened to arrive in Richmond on Thanksgiving Day is just part of the story, but I digress.

I’ve thought a lot about the anniversary this year. The election-year rhetoric has made me think a lot about Cuba and what transpired there. In the late 1950s, most Cubans thought Cuba needed a change, and they were right. So when a young leader came along, every Cuban was at least receptive.

When the young leader spoke eloquently and passionately and denounced the old system, the press fell in love with him. They never questioned who his friends were or what he really believed in. When he said he would help the farmers and the poor and bring free medical care and education to all, everyone followed. When he said he would bring justice and equality to all, everyone said “Praise the Lord.” And when the young leader said, “I will be for change and I’ll bring you change,” everyone yelled, “Viva Fidel!”

But nobody asked about the change, so by the time the executioner’s guns went silent the people’s guns had been taken away. By the time everyone was equal, they were equally poor, hungry, and oppressed. By the time everyone received their free education it was worth nothing. By the time the press noticed, it was too late, because they were now working for him. By the time the change was finally implemented Cuba had been knocked down a couple of notches to Third-World status. By the time the change was over more than a million people had taken to boats, rafts, and inner tubes. You can call those who made it ashore anywhere else in the world the most fortunate Cubans. And now I’m back to the beginning of my story.

Luckily, we would never fall in America for a young leader who promised change without asking, what change? How will you carry it out? What will it cost America?

Would we?

Manuel Alvarez Jr. Sandy Hook.

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If you are struggling to figure out your customers, perhaps you should consider asking them some questions.

Surveying your clientele on a regular basis, even in an informal way, can accomplish a number of important goals and provide your business with much-needed credibility in the marketplace.

Read the full article

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No contract!? That is crazy.

You should always start with a written agreement. Read my article at the Central Penn Business Journal to learn more.

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Think about it: How many times have you almost placed an order, almost made an impulse buy or almost responded to a survey, but then realized that it would just take too much effort? Have you ever considered how many of your prospects made that same decision today?

Read the rest of my article at the Central Penn Business Journal.

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