Book Review: CrushIt!

Lot's of people have written reviews of CrushIt! by Gary Vaynerchuk. Here is mine.

This is an easy read. What I mean by that is the book is somewhat short, and Gary does a great job of explaining himself and his ideas. this book could have easily been two or three times as big.

If the first chapter was the only one in this book, it would be worth it. Passion. You gotta have it. Without it, there's little point.

If you're a Vayniak, someone who is a a Garyvee fan, you've probably heard a lot of what's in this book. But even so, now you have everything at your fingertips. I also recommend you get the Vook; a digital enhanced version of the book including videos.

I like how he talks about a few tools, but mostly, find what your passion is and talk about it, through audio, video or blogging.

Have you read it? Tell us what you thought.

*Disclaimer: I didn't receive any compensation for this review.

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8 Great Tips On Marketing For The New Year

Today Laura Beulke (@VPG_Printing) on Twitter, zinged out 8 great marketing ideas for the new year. I wanted to share them with you. I'm not a marketing expert, but these are pretty good.

1. Update your image with a new business card
Funny, I just did that a few weeks ago. I added some social links like my Twitter name and LinkedIn profile URL.

2. Send out your new business card to potential clients or customers
This is a great idea. I'm adding it to my marketing plan.

3. Hold a weekly drawing on your blog or website
Hmm, this one may be a challenge. I will have to take some time to thing about what to offer. Maybe partner with another site or company.

4. Refresh your website by adding a special area for first time visitors
Doing this too. Great idea Laura. People are always interested in learning more about you and your company, make sure you have a place to blow your horn.

5. Reward return business
I really need to do this. As I looked back on 2009 that is one area I failed miserably. I really need to treat my customers and partners much better. And I will.

6. Launch a new direct marketing campaign
Since I'm not a marketing guru, I'm not sure how to implement this, or if it's even an avenue for my business. I think it could be, but I need to map it out better.

7. Help your customers with their resolutions
Another great idea. Giving before getting. There will be plenty of karma left over after you have helped others to succeed. My friend Donny Biorge is all about that. I've never met a person who has been so concerned about those around him succeeding. He lives what he preaches.

8. Expand your reach; look for clients in places you didn't think you could find them
This is on my list of things to do for 2010. Try to expand my customer base while streamlining my focus.

These are all great ideas, thank you for sharing them Laura. In full disclosure, I did win a contest Laura had a few months ago. I would have shared these tips in any event.

What are your unique marketing ideas for 2010?

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My 3 Words For 2010

I like Chris Brogan. I tend to agree with most of what he writes. I like that he's authentic, and tries new things. So this year, I want to try a few things that are new to me.

First are three words that will help guide my efforts for the coming year. My words are Write, Engage, and Streamline.

1. Write
I have said this the past few years, but I want to write more; more blog posts, more articles, more ebooks, and more fiction. I love to write. The act of writing is thrilling. I have hundreds of stories in my head (and in my stories to write file). My work tends to get in the way of writing. This year I want to write more. Here is what I want to write more about:

• Science Fiction. I have a bunch of stories that I need to be written. I want to take one story and actually finish the entire thing.


• I want to more about SaaS (Software as a Service). Services include backing up to an off site server. Running your corporate applications on an off site server that you lease or share. And I want to discover more services that improve mobile devices, like better streaming of you video and audio.


• I want to write more about Podcasting. I know a lot of people think Podcasting is a washed up technology. And I've even doubted Podcasting in the past. But I would like to discover other ways of using digital media (audio and video) to improve education, improve sales and marketing, and service.

2. Engage
I want to engage with my family more. I want to spend more face to face time with them. Having older children gives us the opportunity to do things that we all enjoy. I'd love to travel with them more, even if it's weekend getaways.

I want to engage people about my business more. I will spend more time building a more visible brand through event sponsorship, speaking engagements, and writing books that relate to my business.

3. Streamline
This year I want to streamline my life more. When you run a small business, especially a tech business, you tend to become the jack of all trades. Meaning, I try and take on all sorts of projects. That was a goal last year, to try learn new skills, and take on more complex projects that required me to stretch.

This year however, I'm going to back off on that goal, and streamline. I'm going to focus more on the two or three things I know I best. I'm going to write more about those topics, and focus my business in those directions.

I also want to spend less time working. People in the technology field are on 24/7. If someone tells you otherwise they aren't very truthful. We all take on extra projects, moonlight for extra cash or improve skill set. I have yet to find a better way to improve a technical skill set without actually building stuff.

But I want to do less of that. I want to be able to turn it off. I want to lose weight. I've let my professional life distract me long enough. This is the year I want to change the way I live my life.

OK, so now I've written the New Years Post. It gives me some things to look at, and gives me some sort of measuring tool for the future. Love to hear your thoughts, encouragements, and ideas.

Sorry, the previous video was broken on YouTube. I had to upload a new version. Hope this works.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X5jbPQwNoY

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Elevator Pitch 1.0

In a post from yesterday, I talked about my lack of an elevator pitch. I also admitted that I have a really hard time conveying what I actually do. This post is a simple explanation. It’s a work in progress. But here is the short direct answer:

I’m a programmer, and I run a company called PressDev. We are web designers and developers. We also build iPhone and social network applications, and create customized WordPress sites. This is what I do. And I do it really well.

If you don’t read any further, I’ve shared with you what I do. Without sounding like a resume, I’ll share some details, if you please.

Yes, I’ve done a lot of things. So far I’ve led a diverse life. I’ve traveled the world. I’ve worked for very small companies and very large companies. I spent four years in the United States Marine Corps in the mid eighties. Honestly, that experience shaped who I am today. It’s where I learned to lead by example, work in a team environment, and make decisions quickly.

I’ve spent over 20 years writing computer software. Yes, I write computer code. Most of the time in Microsoft C# and PHP, and even sometimes in Python. I’ve managed small and large teams. I’ve managed offshore development teams. I’ve architected complete software solutions.

In order to be an expert at something, I believe you must immerse yourself in it. Personally I’ve spent years building a career network. I think that’s why I find so much value in services like Twitter, Facebook, and blogging. I was a very early adopter of LinkedIn. I’m an early adopter of most technology. That’s how I stay ahead. And while my business isn’t being an expert in marketing using Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, I spend a lot of time using the social networks so I can help my customers best use the services in their personal or business life.

I also like to speak in technology topics. I’ve spoken dozens of time to small and large audiences. I love the share my knowledge.

I’m also an entrepreneur. My mind never stops thinking though ideas and try getting them off the ground. That may be why some people are confused at what I do. It’s interesting, because if you look at someone like Gary Vaynerchuk, he does a lot of things, but you still think of him as the Wine Library guy. No matter what I’m doing, my core is still the same.

Whew, I’m sure that’s about all I want to share in this post. Go ahead, ask questions. Tell me what you think.

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A Question That Haunts Me Wherever I Go

I recently attended a local social networking event (one where you meet people face to face, not through #hashtags.) I like to get to these things early for the chance to network. You never know who you are going to meet. And this time was unlike many in the past. I’ll get to the title of the post, “The Question That Haunts Me Where Ever I Go”, in just a few minutes. This is something I must work up too.

The first person I was introduced too was Alistair Cockburn (thanks @ghennipher). In the software development world, Alistair is the rock star God of the agile methodology. I’ve met him before, but he wouldn’t remember because they were quick meets. But I’ve followed his work, and I appreciate all that he has given to the development community. I was fortunate to have 10 minutes of uninterrupted conversation. At the end, he started to ask me what I did. First sign the night was going to be rocky.

Next I spent several minutes shaking hands with various guest, many who I knew, and several I didn’t. Most asked me again, what I did. I wondered where these people had been. Why don’t they remember? I Exchanged some business cards, ate some food, and found a seat for the presentation. But my mind was not into what was going on around me.

Fifteen minutes into the presentation I needed to get up and stretch my legs. I made my way to the back where another very good friend was standing. We quietly talked about a few things, and waited for the presentation to end. At some point during our conversation, he announced to the group we were standing with that I was connected to everyone. He doesn’t know this, but that kind of threw me. While I know a lot of people, and I feel I’m a pretty good networker, it feels unnatural when someone says that about me.

Now to the question. Just as we were about to head out for the night, I asked this good friend a question. I was hoping he would give me a straight answer, because I really needed some advice. The conversation went something like this:

Me: “So, it’s funny that you mentioned I’m connected to everyone. Do you really think that?”

Him: “Of course…”

Me: “So let me ask you, why do I have such a hard time getting people to remember what I do?”

Him: after a brief pause… “because no one really knows what you do! Most people think you do everything, but no one knows what you do. You’re always vague.”

Me: “So when I ask someone what you do, the immediate answer is, he’s the SEO guy.”

Him: “Right.”

Bingo. That was the candid answer I needed to hear. He went on to tell me I didn’t have an elevator pitch. He gave me his pitch. He’s worked on it for years. Me, I guess, for some selfish reason, assumed everyone already knows what I do. But I am so wrong. My friend encouraged me to spend some time putting together a better elevator pitch. It was so obvious, it’s even something I push others to do. But I haven’t taken my own advise.

There are two parts to me; the one I need to be, and the one I want to be. I read a blog post on JibberJobber yesterday about Job Envy. I guess my failure to successfully convey what I do stems from years of not wanting to be defined by my work. So I kept it vague. But as a business owner I can’t do that anymore. I need to clearly define what I do. There’s no way I can network without being able to convey what I do. It’s not the part I want to be, but it’s the part that I need to  be.

While I want to continue to discuss what I do and don’t do, I’ll save that discussion for tomorrow, and maybe a first draft of the elevator pitch. Thank you for taking a few minutes to read this.

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