Chuck Sink's Posts - NHBR Network/NHBR's online b-to-b network

Don't Monetize Me, Bro!

2013-05-08T13:07:03.000Z

By Chuck Sink

I understand the principle as well as anyone. We're all in business to make money and build something for our families and communities. So from where does the money come? Neither does it grow on trees nor flow out of LinkedIn networks.

Value (measured in dollars) is not something you squeeze out of an audience but what you create that helps people who are willing to pay for it. Connections - PEOPLE (potential customers) - are not to be approached as objects and numbers. Those days are over, Mr. Draper! We're talking mindset here, perhaps even a way of life!

I fully appreciate the question of how to leverage your LinkedIn network. That's what we all really want from it and that's what the platform is designed to do; broadcast your added value to the online professional market of buyers and sellers. Notice I said buyers and sellers: Both positions are assumed proactive and willing.

People shop for professional services on LinkedIn as well as offer them for sale. The best way to go about earning business on LinkedIn is to position value from the top to the bottom of your COMPLETE profile. That means giving some value in what you share - the juicy content on your LinkedIn pages. And how about this idea? If you're in the market for a significant purchase, go to LinkedIn to find a good supplier. This thing works both ways.

There are successful people out there looking for strategic partners and employees on LinkedIn all the time. I've met people through LinkedIn with whom I now partner on many thousands of dollars in business annually. One of them helped me launch my own brand, website and blog. You know who you are and thanks! :)

Monetizing your investments to maximize profits is wise strategy. However, think not about your LinkedIn Connections as a marketing asset you've built. Rather, think about them as your audience and your friends - the people you reach with your marketing assets. Think in terms of the relationships you're building. These people aren't assets and they can choose to ignore, even block your messages at any time.

The bottom line for "monetizing" your online networks is to work on great content that makes you a real player in your industry. That way you'll sell more of your products and services as people see you as a leading authority in your market.

For questions about content development contact me: chuck@chucksink.com | 603-345-7223

14,000 Reasons to Consider Annuities

2013-02-27T01:23:14.000Z

By Bill Meyers

Back in 2007 the Dow Jones Industrial Average bumped the 14,000 mark. A couple weeks ago, after more than 5 years, the Dow limped and crawled back up to hit 14,000 once again where it is barely hovering. We need not go into the dismal economic history of the last 5 years but it hasn’t been too rosy for most ordinary folks. Going on 6 years, the stock market has averaged out flat with massive losses taking place for many who invested most of their money in stocks during the period prior to and following 2007 – 2008.

Let’s say our friend “Joe” was highly invested in the market and did very well on paper during the past boom leading up to 2007, the year of Joe’s 65^th birthday. Joe decided to keep most of his nest egg in the stock market and retired that same year. Then the crash of ’08 happens. Even if Joe made out well leading up to 2007, today he’s probably working hard again at age 70+ because his stock market investments lost 50% or more of their value practically overnight. Very few saw this coming and even fewer were warned about it. And to add insult to injury, at 70 ½ Joe is required by the IRS to take distributions of approximately 4% of his stock investment portfolio. So even with the Dow back hovering at 14,000, Joe hasn’t been able to break even on his long term stock investments.

If Joe had invested in fixed indexed annuities over the 5 to 10 year period described, he’d be sitting pretty on 100% of his principal and earning about 4 - 6% while the same investment in stocks would have likely lost a lot of value.

What many people fail to understand about annuities is that insurance companies are extremely low risk and are perhaps the safest institutions in which to invest hard earned savings. In fact, the top US insurers are about 170% solvent. This means that if every claim and liability came due at once they would still have 70¢ left for every dollar they paid out. That kind of balance sheet represents safety and security. History and current events both show annuities to be safe, reliable and predictable options to protect wealth, provide competitive growth and guaranteed reliable income.

The nation’s top insurance firms are highly regulated and, by charter, must be managed conservatively. Of the top five providers of indexed annuities, four have been continuously operating for over 100 years. Protected principal, growth in the 4 - 6 percent range, and guaranteed income streams are provided by no other ethical savings or investment vehicle that we know of.

Annuity owners have good reasons to sleep better at night and enjoy their retirement years free of worry and doubt. In fact, not one Meyers Financial client who participated in our annuity programs lost a penny of principal during the last major downturns in the economy and stock market. All of our annuity owner clients have earned competitive returns and kept their investment and savings dollars safe and sound.

Bill Meyers is the founder and President of Meyers Financial, the local authorized representative of Tarkenton Financial, LLC. www.meyers-financial.com

A class act on how to increase market share - Attend the class!

2013-01-23T02:21:21.000Z

Would you like to learn more about how you position value in front of clients, customers and prospects? Start with your brand! POSITIVELY differentiate your company. Save the morning of February 14th 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM and register to attend THE CLASS on Brand Positioning at The Small Business Academy in Manchester, NH. Use coupon code chucksink12 for a 10% discount.

Yes, I'm interested, but not right now.

2013-01-23T02:16:48.000Z

By Chuck Sink

I will need several business services and products to continue growing my business and many of them I don't need now, or I can't afford them yet. That's why I want you to keep in touch so I won't forget you.

One of the most common mantras you will hear from seasoned sales professionals is "Timing is everything." I agree. Trying to persuade a prospective customer that he needs your product before he needs your product will annoy him. Just as bothersome is attempting to "educate" your prospect about his "pain" when he doesn't feel any.

A careful sense of timing - to each individual customer - is critical when planning a direct selling message or making a sales call.

You may say, "yeah, but how can you possibly live inside every potential customer's world and know when the time is right?" In traditional business development, a good CRM (customer relationship management) program works well when combined with good salesmanship. A synonym for salesmanship is relationship. So, that's one way to use good timing but there's a better way: It's all the time! And here's the best part: It's hard, especially at first. That should be a clue that it works.

Junk goes in the trash!

First, identify your target audience by vertical industry lists or by sales prospecting so you know they have a need for your service or product. Develop your database of names,

addresses, phone numbers and EMAIL ADDRESSES. Furthermore, connect with as many as possible on LinkedIn and Facebook. Follow them on Twitter. Then get to work being a sought after genius to each one of your prospects. I've probably lost about ¾ of you by now. For the intrigued and motivated quarter, let's keep going on this.

Why is Apple the most successful company in the world right now? Because they are genius at what they do and how they communicate it. So you need to get busy demonstrating your genius to all those prospects in your database. Be a collector and generator of valuable content - expertise and ideas that make people say "Hmm... or WOW! Yes, it's hard but you can do it. If I can do it, you can do it too, maybe better!

This isn't about me, it's about you, and my closest concrete example of how this works is what you're reading right now. Every week different people tell me the same thing: "I get so much junk email and delete it but I always save and read your newsletter." The Chuck Sink Link generates more quality leads - soon to be clients - than any other sales or marketing activity I've ever practiced in 25 years. To all of you: Many thanks! <3

Think about the emails you opt-in to and the supplier companies you follow. There are plenty of great marketers who know how to put value in front of their audience on a regular, appropriately frequent basis so they are top-of-mind at all times for their products & services. So, when the time is right for their prospect to buy, guess who gets the call?

Stay in touch with your customers in a way that continually fortifies the relationship you started with them. Put yourself in their shoes. In fact, you already are in their shoes. You know the awesome companies with whom you do business and hope to do business. Act like those companies!

Your business plans can revitalize the country.

2013-01-04T03:00:00.000Z

I have a one-year business plan in place. It's a blueprint for a successful year of growth. A reasonable goal has been set and an activity plan following a proven strategy will be implemented. It's my plan and I'm sticking to it!

If we all have an intelligent, ethical strategic plan requiring focused and determined activity every day and then execute, we can renew the prosperity of the nation and change the direction of the culture. We can make 2013 the turnaround year if enough people work hard enough!

2012 proved to be a very disappointing year for countless millions of us. Ninety nine percent of my friends and associates could not rid their calendars of 2012 fast enough. I join them in welcoming 2013.

People who happen to be superstitious about numbers needn't worry about the "13." I read somewhere that 13 is a very lucky number when preceded by the digits 2 and 0. ;)

What's your plan to improve your business and community, thereby making the USA at large an industrious, vibrant and culturally rich country again?

Yes, you can!

You see, thousands upon thousands of solid business plans executed daily drive wealth creation, economic growth and higher performance standards among those businesses. Success breeds competition and more success - unless the culture rejects the notion of enterprise, dignity, ethics and the value of work. Frankly I'm worried about what I see going on in the culture and will leave that topic on the table for now.

I remain optimistic this year because I'm amazed by the fantastic people in my professional network and other circles. There is so much good stuff out there to which we can turn our attention while ignoring the negative garbage in the media echo chambers. We can also turn away from gossipy chatter in the workplace.

Throughout history it has been the determined efforts of a few that have managed to turn the many away from destructive paths toward revitalization, prosperity and cultural renaissance.

It's now abundantly clear among business leaders everywhere. I feel it's safe to say that most of us have reached consensus; Washington has become a putrid cesspool of corruption and incompetence and it may get worse. Too harsh? No way. The national dept heaped upon young people and future generations is unconscionable. The federal government has failed to enact and implement any effective policy direction to help build a strong economy again. My opinion is we've completely blown it during the last decade.

So, it's up to you and me. Let's take some risks, work our butts off and fix the economy ourselves, regardless of this cliff or that crisis. Nobody else is going to make conditions right for your business. Step up to the plate ladies and gentlemen, seriously!

This is our year to rebuild. What will be your role on the construction team?

Love in Leadership

2012-12-23T20:00:00.000Z

By Chuck Sink

There's a topic one of my business consulting clients brings up in his talks. He does so tactfully and with quiet conviction. It's a soft topic, ignored with hard consequences.

For me and I suspect most people, there are certain individuals we look up to and genuinely admire. Sometimes I marvel at the discipline and focus some high achievers have. In the past I was envious of their apparent ease at setting goals and accomplishing them. Now as I witness their achievements I feel good for them, happy that I know them and am able to learn from them. Those amazing people can teach us average people (speaking only for myself) a lot. There is so much I need to learn. And you know what? Those same high achievers may someday be in dire need of my help or your help. Great leaders possess enough humility to know this. Perhaps they already hit that dire situation, found the help they needed, recovered and grew to where they are today.

There are times when all of us; I don't care who you think you are or what of life's challenges you think you've mastered, we all crash or get badly hurt at some point in our journey. We can work for and achieve mastery over bad habits. We can reach and surpass every life and business goal we set for ourselves. And then one day a pointed rebuke or sharp disapproval from a cherished person reveals a truth; a higher ideal that can seem to render our lives as having failed. Nothing affects a human being's countenance more than the quality of his or her relationships. No amount of wealth or power is worth more than the approval and love of others. A wise leader will use this fact to lead his team more effectively.

Intellectual and physical prowess are worthless without love genuinely practiced. The unaided will of a strong person can run a business or family like a juggernaut, rolling roughshod or even very lightly over the feelings of others. This can go on for years without obvious consequences. Eventually, valuable employees and partners look for an out. They take their talents elsewhere because they are receiving no social and emotional compensation for their hard work, loyalty and love.

Love exists wherever people congregate, whether it's a family, church, fellowship, community organization or business. A well educated leader knows this in his mind. The truly fortuitous leader feels this in his heart. He doesn't really manage people, but manages well his relationships with people. As such, the great leader is one for whom people want to give their bests efforts. They do so because they are recognized, praised and genuinely appreciated. They feel like family. They know they are loved.

What is your Positioning Statement?

2012-12-08T19:12:48.000Z

Your business needs a positioning statement because your target audience wants to know what your brand stands for. A positioning statement will help direct your communications to stay on target.

If there is one thought or word you want people to associate your business with in their minds, what is it?

Before you write your Positioning Statement, clearly define your target audience.

For example, our target audience is made up of Professionals, Business Owners and Executive Directors.

So, our Positioning Statement is as follows:

To: Professionals, Business Owners and Executive Directors

Chuck Sink Link is the communications firm that creates ideal messages for your target audience because we reveal the value of your brand and communicate it with clarity.

Our singular thought is creating ideal messages. That’s what Chuck Sink Link is known for.

What singular thought or word does your brand stand for?

Let's take a successful online retailing brand, Zappos. CEO Tony Hsieh, when asked what Zappos stands for, never mentioned shoes and clothes or anything else they sell. Instead, he answered "happiness... the joy customers feel when they deal with the company." That attitude from the CEO sets a pretty powerful tone for the emotional appeal Zappos loyalists feel for the brand.

What does your brand stand for? What's your positioning statement?

America the Beautiful is Dying

2012-09-22T15:00:00.000Z

It is very sad.

We sang America the Beautiful, My Country ‘tis of Thee and God Bless America around the flag when I was in public elementary school. Our teachers blessed us with a love of American freedom and a belief that we were the most free and fortunate nation in the world; that our rights come from our Creator. Our teachers were right, and that sweet memory is fading from our collective consciousness.

This article has nothing to do with policy. Neither has it anything to do with party affiliation or national politics, although you may think it does out of your own misunderstanding. I hesitate to call this an opinion piece although maybe that’s all it is. In fact, humility demands that I shrink back a bit and state for the record that this essay is only one man’s opinion. This opinion happens to be shared by a large plurality of the American People. A plurality that I have witnessed is law abiding, peaceful and loving of their neighbors.

I see no hate in these people who call themselves conservative, only temporary anger - a negative emotion that can be displaced with forgiveness in time. Seething rage caused by injustice and blatant hypocrisy has begun to leave me for acceptance of what is and a faith in God who has delivered me from certain death. He has shown me again and again that if I am disturbed, there is something wrong with me!

This article is a philosophical statement from a man who’s struggled for decades to figure out his life’s purpose. Much has been revealed to me – over and over – during the course of about 30 years of constant, vigilant and continuous searching, research, reading, study and repeated evidence. Massive and heavy life experiences have made perfectly clear to me certain facts; natural laws and principles. To deny them would be insanity - repeating identical actions expecting different results.

I’ll be happy if this article stirs conversation and debate. However, statistics and policy arguments are irrelevant to the conversation. This is philosophy at the highest level – yes, the spiritual level – and the mere instruments and devices of men have no place in this discussion because no mere policy implementation can make a difference in what I’m talking about. I hope the reader can grasp this concept. Not everyone can. Neither is everyone capable of being honest with himself.

I will use observations of current events in an attempt to prove my philosophy but I don’t pretend to know how to fix things. Please refrain from statistical or policy arguments should you want to respond. I’m unequipped with all the facts and so are you! But do feel free to share your philosophical and spiritual ideas on the direction of the country.

According to the “internals” of the most recent political tracking polls, half to a small majority of the American People are soul sick and dying. They have fallen for a provable lie that government institutions will fulfill their promise of distributing “wealth” fairly.

What is wealth and whose is it to begin with? When has the promise of prosperity for all based on redistribution – taxing high producing people and giving their resources away first to bureaucrats and the rest passed on to the needy – ever been fulfilled in perpetuity or for many generations? Never, and it cannot! Don’t give me Europe as an example. It’s collapsing financially as is the United States. The worst offenders in Europe are devolving to chaos: Greece, Spain and now even France and Great Britain. The latter two have an extremist Muslim problem which is complicating things terribly for them. China will soon begin its economic crumble as well. It’s just a matter of time before our economic problems become theirs. Most of China’s people already toil under conditions we wouldn’t accept. People who’ve recently toured the countryside there have told me this. Modified communism is still communism. The people in China are slaves to the state because they have blindly trusted in the state.

So many people, even seemingly smart people I know, still believe there’s a free lunch. People will literally kick, scratch, scream, steal and buy lottery tickets to cling to the notion that they can get something for nothing. Little do they know that free money gifts without an extremely strong set of morals (something neither I nor most people possess) leads eventually to poverty and misery. A relative of mine won millions in a lottery. That person is destitute, penniless and most often incarcerated today.

Just who do you think you are?

Idleness, recreation, frivolity and gluttony have extremely short life spans. I dare anyone reading this to try pursuing those things for a few months, no matter how big your nut, and see what happens. Yet many believe it is okay for some other people to spend their lives in those wasteful pursuits and that the rest of us can afford it. Wow, what a grotesquely arrogant attitude! Think about how reprehensible it is to rob people of their dignity and worth by empowering them to take it easy all the time; by convincing them they’re entitled to because of someone else’s perceived or past unfairness.

The economy is never a zero sum game. It is constantly dynamic. Wealth doesn’t statically exist. It is created and must be continually reproduced by enough people working and building things or else it will be consumed or confiscated.

One of the problems with entitlement and redistribution thinking is an economic principle. Now keep in mind, principles by definition are unyielding natural laws. The principle is this: Whatever you subsidize you will get more of. Whatever you tax you will get less of. Remember Economics 101? This is exactly why the country is no longer able to sustain unfunded mandates and national dept – now over $16 trillion. Everyone knows instinctively that we’re in the middle of economic disaster as we stay on the present course. Keep on the current path and we’re toast folks!

The debt number is unfathomable and it’s extremely irresponsible of our government (supposedly us) to allow its accumulation! Our kids are in deep trouble thanks to you and me. I take my share of the blame and it’s personally painful.

The dominant broadcast media and the president of the United States are pathological liars in our day and age. Most of the news media in America, save local pockets, are fully propaganda machines for Barak Obama. They offer talking points from the White House and DNC as news. The daily media collage from ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC and the New York Times has an identical slant to what you’d hear Barak Obama, David Axlerod or Debbie Wasserman-Schultz saying in an interview, side by side with the weakest opposing clip they can find from the Romney camp. Competition and journalism are dead in the dominant media.

Our Ambassador to Libya was brutally murdered along with 3 other Americans with him. His body was dragged through the streets as our flag burned all over the region. Obama and his shills in the press will have us believe it’s our fault. Damn! This is frustrating as a patriot! It has been proven that planned waves of terrorist attacks on 9/11 killed 4 Americans including our loving and kind Ambassador to Libya. Where is the indignation? The Obama administration with full cooperation of the American media stated repeatedly that a silly video caused a spontaneous demonstration that got a little out of control. They lied over and over again and apologized to the terrorists themselves for some American’s “disgusting” joke video. Even some very liberal, intellectually honest Democrats have completely agreed with me on this fact.

Obama and his state department have failed miserably to get their false stories straight. Yet most Americans according to recent polls are unaware of the Middle East blowing up; that the only real democracy in the region, Israel – our only friend in the MiddleEast is threatened with genocide and annihilation. About half of Americans don’t consider this present day horror a serious issue. Why? Because they are soul sick and dying fast! They have lost any ability to discern for themselves. To quote a song title written by my talented brother, many of them are “already dead.” They are clueless. Hey, the weekend’s coming, what’s going on tonight?

Surely there is a time for rest, recreation and rejuvenation. There’s a time to be entertained. There’s a time to be of good cheer with family and friends, to shed the cares of the world and savor our relationships. We’ve had those times in more abundance in this country than any other in world history. Those times traditionally came after the hard work was done for the day, the week or the season. That is why Americans have enjoyed more of the good times than most in the world; because we’ve, until recently, always been free to work hard, unencumbered and with a promise of reward.

Now, too many expect their reward to be much larger than time, effort and patience would require. They blame everyone else for their lot in life except themselves. The real problem is they’ve allowed other people to convince them the system is against them and they don’t have a shot – the biggest lie ever told to any human being! There are literally millions of true rags to riches stories throughout American History, regardless of the person’s race, sex, creed or crippling disability, that prove this evil lie for what it is – Satan’s promise of ease and comfort without work or sacrifice.

Our worst natures tell us to resent other people for having more or being better that we are at a given moment. The lie is told that we are under someone’s thumb or boot with no chance of escape. What hogwash! Stop believing it’s true for you and especially stop believing it’s true for someone else! How dare anyone assume his brother or sister is incapable of receiving the grace of God? This is a serious pointed question.

Although my deep concern requires me to use strong, direct language here, righteous indignation is miraculously fading from my soul and demeanor. It’s slowly being replaced by a calm serenity based on acceptance of God’s will – the will which cannot be thwarted.

A revelation came to me to stop arguing. I'm terrible at it anyway! I don’t have the power to change hearts and minds. I’m a writer and I’m doing the only thing I know that might at least inspire deep thought. That is to write what I believe to be the truth about America as I see her today and share it. Just maybe I possess a gift that God wants me to use. So in the event that’s true (and I’m taking no chances), I feel called upon to write and share this essay with my small regional audience. I hope it has stirred your mind, heart and soul to view yourself, your brothers and your sisters in a better light. I’m holding on to real hope for good change.

God bless America!

Morton's Fork: An Important Novel for Americans in 2012

2012-09-11T15:00:00.000Z

Book Review - Morton’s Fork - Dale Coy, M.D.

By Chuck Sink and Michelle Perron

Morton’s Fork is a modern medical drama set in 2012 revolving around the life of Doctor Roger Hartley, an extremely hard-working and dedicated 46 year-old physician. Here is a man who sacrifices most of his waking hours, at the expense of his dear and precious family life, to care for his patients within a healthcare system that seems only to punish an individual’s professional dedication and care. Morton’s Fork stages a cast of characters who represent most of the major healthcare constituencies of today. They include two physician co-workers of Doctor Hartley’s hired by an insurance conglomerate to control costs, members of insurance companies who have the right to deny care, a plaintiff patient, a big name malpractice lawyer and political activists from both parties. Dr Hartley’s wife Celeste and his four children are also critical to the story’s plot.

Early in the book, the family and professional life of Dr. Hartley are each painted vividly and then skillfully interwoven as the professional side of his life begins to supersede and overwhelm the family life. Emotionally and spiritually, Dr. Hartley’s actions begin to spiral out of control after he is presented with a lawsuit from an uninsured non-compliant patient. A series of subsequent events cause him to commit a rash and irresponsible act born of arguably justifiable passion. A national high visibility trial ensues as a result, publically exposing systemic problems in the U.S. Legal, Political and Medical communities.

During Doctor Hartley’s trial and the events leading up to it, the reader gains an understanding of our current healthcare issues, including Tort Reform, Defensive Medicine, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, aka “Obama Care.” All sides are presented with thoughtful arguments. Villains and heroes evolve as the story unfolds.

The book is a page-turner in league with some of the best thriller novels. The undercurrents go much deeper than exploring legal-medical-political issues in the country. The author skillfully plants moral and spiritual challenges throughout the book that each reader can ponder for himself. The shocking ending will literally stun the reader into deep contemplation. It begs the author for a sequel in 2013.

Think Gratitude Before Eating Your Own Message!

2010-06-30T17:03:52.000Z

The following incident happened a while ago but the lesson remains with me - I'll never do that again! When an excellent client sent me some work, I mistook it as an information overload to sift through and figure out. In reality, after studying the contents, it was clear enough to handle with relative ease. But what did I do first? I replied with a couple of "suggestions" to make things easier. Easier for whom? The client predictably and rightfully expressed "concern" about my initial response.

I knew better, yet I still hit the send button. I can pinpoint the exact reason I consciously made the mistake: I was cranky that morning. My co-workers even commented that I came in to the office blazing with sarcasm and a little anger at the world. My attitude only lasted about an hour but within that short span, I foolishly reacted rather than thankfully responded to my client. Instead of sending "suggestions" I should have only sent acknowledgment and thanks!

Can there be enough said and written about attitude?

Opposite realities can exist at the same time, depending in whose head a common situation is perceived. Even the same person may perceive the same reality very differently depending on his mood and outlook at a given moment. In my example, the same event was first perceived as an inconvenience to me, and hours later, as a blessing of additional business. What a profound difference!

"The customer is always right" rule has had some rough going in recent years. "We've got to educate our customers" is a repeated statement at sales meetings and in some marketing strategies I've heard and seen recently. "Consultative selling" is usually fine. On the other hand, a professorial attitude can be obnoxious to a client or prospect.

My experience was acute enough for me to learn this lesson permanently: When a customer needs your help, thank him first and then figure out the best way to get the work done and grow the relationship!

The Executive Summary of Social Media for Business

2010-03-08T21:30:00.000Z

Time and Money
Businesses that are considering an investment in social media programs need to consider the cost of time as much as, if not more than, money spent on developing them. In business, time is money. For a social media program to be effective it must have a committed individual or team behind it.

Familiarity
The reason social media works for business development is because people prefer to do business with people they know and like. After all, who goes to complete strangers first when in need of something?

Efficiency
Social media participation can exponentially expand one's business connections. Connecting with new friends online is easy and fast. If you are a player in the community or your business category, others in your immediate circle will be happy to help you connect with potential customers or professional associates.

Trust
Chances are, if you have a friend who knows someone you want to know, that someone will trust your approach because of your common friend. When you reach out with value and relevancy, people will follow you willingly and you'll build your networks.

Referrals
Ask any Facebook or Twitter user if they've ever asked for advice on a large purchase, given such advice to a friend, or recommended a professional service to someone. It goes on all the time! Business deals are happening online before actual meetings take place because of the efficiency of communication and the mutual trust that is engendered in social networking circles.

Recruiting
More and more professional jobs are being found on Linked in as recruiters are discovering the power and scope of this network. The same goes for Facebook.

Questions to help form a Social Media Strategy

What first? Blog, Facebook, Linked in, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Website...?
Who is our target audience and how are they currently using social media?
What are we doing that's remarkable, newsworthy or valuable to our audience?
Would someone want to forward our information to their friends and colleagues?
Are we ready to listen and learn from valid criticism as well as receive praise?
How can we improve our business by responding to patterns of feedback?

First Steps

Key individuals in the organization should have completed profiles on Linked in and work to grow their connection network. Active personal Facebook accounts are also recommended. Facebook bridges social and business connections effectively.
A business Facebook page should be established and populated with relevant images, photos, videos, articles and links. "Fans" of the business can be invited through employee Facebook accounts as well as email invitations, blog posts and other marketing channels.
Consider a Twitter account. The search tools are excellent for finding trending discussions and thought leaders in your category. Microblogging on a consistent basis can organically grow your following nationally and worldwide.
Make the commitment to research and learn the available applications and dedicate the time to post valuable, relevant material for your audience. Look for opportunities to answer questions posted by people in your networks.
Be true to your personal and corporate brand in your messages. Work for online strategic awareness: being known for the reasons you want to be known!

Conclusion

The explosion of social media use in just the past two years is astounding. The amount of available information written about it for business use can be overwhelming. Common sense and a mind toward value-driven information will help shape an effective social media program. Think attraction more than promotion. Stated another way, instead of the David Ogilvy approach (advertising), use the Dale Carnegie approach (engagement).

Is it "just business" or a loving family?

2010-02-12T15:30:00.000Z

I don't know about you but I have trouble separating personal, business and family relationships. After two amazing years of helping to shape a brand and build a foundation of new business growth with much success, it became ironically clear that moving on to another career challenge is what I need to do. I will not pretend there is no pain in this. I'm rocked by tears of sadness over leaving my "family" at Big Hit Media. There come also the other emotions of anticipation, excitement, and hope stemming from the the opportunities that await me in a new position.

I'd like to share the announcement that my dear friend and colleague wrote about my departure from his company: A Special Farewell Note

"If there is one consistent business lesson I have to learn (and relearn) it is that change is inevitable! When Big Hit Media first began in 2004, we were strictly a digital studio focused on design and animation. Since then we've grown significantly - like a child going from infancy to 6-years old, sometimes I can hardly believe the growth and change!

"This certainly has not been the journey of just one person, but a team of dedicated and talented professionals. Not the least of whom is Chuck Sink, Executive Vice President of the firm. Chuck has been pivotal in the rise of Big Hit Media from a small, specialty website design company, to a full-service communications firm. Chucks salesmanship and marketing expertise have helped to shape the Big Hit Media brand.

"In keeping with the unpredictable nature of business, and life, we must say "farewell" to Chuck. My dear friend and talented colleague will be leaving Big Hit Media as of Friday February 12th. This split cannot be construed as negative for either party. Big Hit Media continues to be a vibrant and healthy company, while Chuck pursues his dreams and new goals elsewhere.

"I personally have nothing but the highest regard for Chuck - he will always be part of the Big Hit Media family and my family. I know continued success awaits Chuck in all his future endeavors." -Scot Villeneuve

WOW, am I bowled over with emotion over this! It's not simply a job change. It's a painful separation from the full-time collaboration I've been enjoying with some of my closest friends. Not easy!

For me the notion of "nothing personal, just business" is an ideal not easily achieved. As a human being with all the emotional trappings, I'm ill equipped to build firewalls. However, I do understand and can accept that economic and social realities may be at odds and we must be ethical, mature and professional about it.

Okay, I've shared my human side and now it's time to move on and forge ahead with a new team and a fantastic business. For those interested I'm joining Wedu in Manchester on Monday, February 15, 2010. I look forward to sharing many future updates with you!

Chuck Sink

The New Media is Liberating the (Business) World...more than you may know!

2010-01-10T17:30:00.000Z

By Chuck Sink

Beyond basic survival, the greatest need of all human beings is to be loved and appreciated. We all crave the recognition and praise of our peers and loved ones. This trait of humanity is what Dale Carnegie leveraged into a vaunted worldwide training organization.

Social Media is a fascinating anthropological study. If you have a large and active Facebook-Twitter-Linked in network, you may have become familiar with some people's personalities without ever having met them. You begin to notice trends and patterns in what topics tend to resonate toward further discussions. You can immediately see how people need to express themselves, be noticed and even try to out-do one another.

Like the schoolyard playground, the social playground of online networking would be a great environment to conduct a study on human nature and societal dynamics. I would assume that's being done somewhere. The point I'm about to make is one that I believe should be a wake up call to business owners and their advertising/marketing people. The Social Media marketplace is at the very least "required reading" and, more realistically, the most important potential audience your brand has ever had!

If someone posts a shiny object and a lot of people comment, someone else is bound to post an even shiner one and many in the discussion thread may say "wow!" and re-post, re-tweet or forward it to others! The viral marketing power of this phenomenon is tremendous! It gives ordinary people extraordinary abilities to reach a wide and willing audience with their ideas. Nothing really new here except the stunning numbers now actively participating in Social Media - hundreds and hundreds of millions! Facebook alone has already surpassed 350 million users and the growth pace hasn't waned.

Those who are nodding their heads, you know what I'm talking about! Those who still think social media is a fad or are chagrined by it's sudden emergence, have I got your attention?

There still exist out-dated corporate policies that block social media use by employees. What a missed opportunity!

Examples mount up daily of new business opportunities found and deals closed online before any competition had a chance to make a pitch.

Only One Man's Experience:

* Just last week I spotted a Facebook wall post seeking recommendations for good Web 2.0 developers. I responded immediately and made an appointment to discuss a substantial piece of business. The project is an excellent fit for us and it would be completely invisible to me were it not for Facebook! I would never have known this deal existed.

* I noticed a new job announcement from a former colleague and didn't know the company until I saw other people ask where she landed. Her answer was a firm I've previously called on. Turns out she's replacing the retiring marketing director. We connected on Facebook and will likely meet soon over possible allocations of a marketing budget.

* I now have unsolicited business prospects following me on Twitter. (That tells me to post things valuable to them!)

Social media has been a direct factor in other business I've gained. These are just my own concrete results in a B2B environment. The consumer driven conversations about brands and products go on like wildfire out there.

Retail and consumer product organizations need to be in the middle of this. Their managers and salespeople should be flanking units in the marketing battles for consumers' attention. It would be wise for any company to use their employees to fortify their social media strategies.

The true power of social media to liberate individuals, the self-employed and small businesses is awesome. As little as 5 years ago a business needed to raise capital prior to launching an effective marketing campaign. Now one needs only a vision, a computer, internet connection and some time.

This is not the article to go into the myriad free applications available on Linked in, Twitter, Facebook and numerous blogging sites but their business networking and publishing capabilities may impress you as you dig into them.

Returning to my first premise about what what motivates people - recognition and praise - today's marketers and salespeople need to think carefully about how to position their offerings in the new media. Ask yourself these questions:

* How can my product or service be seen as remarkable enough to talk about?
* How might it help my social media contacts be recognized for their resourcefulness?
* Why would someone want to forward (re-tweet) my information to friends and colleagues?
* Need we make improvements to our product/service to win the attention and praise of our social media audience?
* Are we willing to be thick-skinned and open-hearted concerning criticism and diversity of opinions?

In closing, I'd like to thank you for your interest in this article. I would also like to congratulate you for your inquisitive mind and excellent judgment in choosing what blogs to read ;-)

We will be featuring more examples, case studies and how-to information about the new media in forthcoming issues of Big Hit Bits. We would be happy to answer questions or provide a path to resources that may help your business. Contact me at chuck@bighitmedia.com. Visit www.bighitmedia.com or call 603-345-7223.

Information Overload - A Growing Concern

2009-12-23T15:00:00.000Z

This post is excerpted from the Big Hit Bits E-zine

Perhaps your first notion was to delete this email because you have fifty others piled in your inbox including newsletters you wish you could get to. We live in an era of TMI - too much information! It sure seems that way when we're bombarded with dozens or hundreds of business improvement ideas daily - many of them are excellent.

HUGE QUESTION: How do you know which messages to pay attention to and which to ignore?

Another HUGE QUESTION: How do I budget time to leverage Social Media opportunities without hampering my other effective development efforts?

You don't want to miss out on the good stuff and there's a lot of it out there. You also don't want to waste time on titillating but irrelevant news and ideas.

The way I would start answering the two BIG questions is use common sense and focus first on what you already know. Then build out your knowledge base. Let me explain with some key points.

• You're an expert too. You have unique, valuable ideas to contribute to your industry. Start sharing your ideas through your own blog, other blogs, an e-newsletter and Social Network groups.
• Look at headlines and decide what you want to study further. Quickly dispatch the irrelevant "noise."
• When you begin reading something, let your goals be the referee of whether to continue. Ask, "Can this information contribute to my success?
• Make time to thoroughly read what you decide is relevant and interesting.
• Take action immediately on new techniques you learn. For example, you learn a new conversation starter - use it at your next networking event and watch what happens.
• Keep a highly visible file of new ideas, philosophies and approaches you find interesting and further study the ones that emerge as most relevant to your goals.
• Always ask: "Am I being entertained or educated? Entertaining education is a bonus!
• Tune out local and national news, especially during your productive hours!
• Pay attention to your industry and profession news.
• Read more about timeless principles that will build your effectiveness.
• Use Linked in for your professional development networking.Linkedin
• Use Facebook for your social and collegial network growth.
• Use Twitter to offer ideas and personal updates and to follow your mentors.
• Understand that you are now a member of the media too. Think long and hard about that one.

My personal experience with information overload instructs me that to effectively deal with myriad new messages, I need only apply the principles of common sense. In this case it's relevance to my goals.

You probably already know how to handle the various challenges of life. Information overload is no different. Relevance to your goals is the fundamental starting point and that's a simple idea worth paying attention to.

How Do You Ignore a Recession and Increase Sales?

2009-10-30T14:00:00.000Z

“How’s business?” What do you think about when asked how business is? That question makes me think internally. When I ask that question of people, the overwhelming majority answer in terms of what’s going on “out there.” They invariably point to tough times in the economy or external forces shaping their industry or the market in general. It’s as if their destiny depends on what others do first. Frankly, they should be the ones doing things FIRST!

Most people seem bent on waiting for conditions to improve or for “low hanging fruit” to ripen. How ‘bout some “stimulus” cash from our beloved leaders in Washington? How offensive to me that is!

Are we really so sheepish? Unfortunately, yes. Many of you sound rather helpless when I listen to various excuses for lousy sales performance. Now I acknowledge that we’re in a pitiful economic period and that it has affected my attitude at times. However, I have not dwelled on the recession. Instead I have helped develop a vibrant brand and profitable business during the worst economic conditions in my 24-year business career.

Have there been periods of non-existent cash flow and even no paycheck? You bet! Did I have a mortgage, 4 kids, breadwinner status, college loans, and no personal capital during all this? Yes! Was I afraid at times? Damn right! Did I panic? Almost! Did I give up and try to find a more secure job? HA! That’s no longer in my DNA.

Rather, what I did was focus on winning the business that I knew was still out there for the conquest. I’m going to share with you exactly how I did it so please take notes!

The time-line begins in February, 2008 as the recession was starting to kick in…

1. First I believed that my family and I would be okay no matter what happened (I have deep faith).
2. I took a huge personal financial risk, although a well-calculated one.
3. I sacrificed some comforts.
4. In the early stage I got out and visited businesses – I cold called like the good old days and it worked immediately.
5. I started an online newsletter that is value focused and anticipated by readers.
6. I got involved in my market associations and began participating on committees, contributing experience-based knowledge and ideas.
7. I networked my butt off – there are opportunities almost daily if you look for them!
8. I kept developing my writing skill and used it all over the Internet. I now have “Google Juice.”
9. I embraced social media and now maintain a strong presence on Linked in, Twitter and Facebook.
10. I sought out quality people with whom to connect.
11. I focused on building relationships, not selling my stuff to anyone who’d listen.
12. I consulted freely to people who sought my professional advice.
13. I became involved with community and charitable organizations and contribute what I can.
14. I created and marketed a couple of educational and networking events.

Today I maintain consistency of effort in all of the above. I do so today with an aging body and less youthful zest than many of my competitors. Now, I’m one of the challenges “out there” that some those competitors fear. Why not focus on developing your internal best practices for emerging at the top of your field?

You too can significantly grow your business right now if believe you can and are willing to work hard at it. In coming weeks I’ll unveil an educational framework that will help executives sustain consistent, long-term growth. It will be like no other!

Why New Hampshire is a Great Place to Sell

2009-10-14T14:00:00.000Z

Every year at this time, I thank God that I live and work in New Hampshire. If you're a salesperson and your territory is New Hampshire. Stop, kiss the ground and be grateful.

Breathtaking!

Millions from around the world come here to escape the flat, dull, homogeneous landscapes of their home areas and for good reason. They come here to get away from their "day jobs" for a week or two of slowing down, enjoying the outdoors and feasting their eyes.

I get to do that every day if I want to. During the last week, I've enjoyed several spectacular foliage tours by simply driving from one business appointment to another. You cannot adequately describe the color or the beauty of a New Hampshire autumn with words. A "spiritual experience" is the best I can do.

A Sleeper

What does all this have to do with business? In a word, attitude. Grateful am I to make a good living where outsiders only come to play or escape. The best kept secret (out-of-state) about New Hampshire is that it is relatively dense with commerce while it manages and preserves vast open spaces. Business and trade associations are well represented here and businesses in general are tightly networked.

Jump in! No Sharks

New Hampshire is a good place to start out in business and grow because of the approachability of its industry leaders. If you have a great product or service to offer, and there is a market for it here, it needn't take long for you to establish your brand. Business leaders and the media welcome innovative thinking and remarkable ideas. There are networking opportunities galore in this state. The movers and shakers here are committed to showing up at various conferences and events. You see the same faces over and over and it's easy to become one of those faces by committing yourself to pertinent associations.

The key is consistency. Join, show up, participate and take on leadership roles among your business peer groups. In no time you'll become known as a go-to person in your field. As a salesperson you can establish your personal brand in much the same way that small business owners here do.

The "Brain Drain" is a myth!

Personally, I'm not the least bit concerned about the so-called "brain drain" issue concerning college graduates and young professionals fleeing to big cities. Let them go if they want to! Who are we to put shackles on or otherwise coerce anyone to stay put? THIS IS STILL A FREE COUNTRY! There are plenty of smart, skilled people moving in to New Hampshire all the time because of the quality of life. If there are good jobs here, good people will stay or come to fill them.

There is much here to be attracted to, whether starting out, established, or legacy-focused. By all means let's remain friendly to business as well as our environment. That way, work life in NH will continue to be grand!

Six Sets of Questions to Ask Yourself (if you dare)

2009-09-16T15:00:00.000Z

Many of my early working years were spent misguided by my own assumptions. I passed by obvious wealth-building opportunities without recognizing them. I blindly continued to struggle needlessly. Today I apply the brakes and change course when I’m heading in the wrong direction.

Here is a vital piece of advice for you if you feel stuck in neutral or missing out on the success of which you are worthy:

"If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn't need motivation to speed him up. What he needs is education to turn him around." —Jim Rohn

The best motivational speakers and coaches won’t do a thing for you if you won’t discover your own talents and offer them to a willing market.

I spent many highly motivated years studying some of the best materials ever written on the subject of personal development and sales growth. I attended seminars, bought and listened to CDs, wrote out my goals and daily affirmed my future achievements. I worked very hard at the activities prescribed for success. But my achievements were temporary. I achieved spikes of success followed by demoralizing defeats and periods of lackluster performance.

Not until I discovered what my true motivations and talents were did I begin to experience sustained, measurable professional growth. I’ve been a talented writer all my adult life and didn’t discover it until a few years ago. I wasted over 20 years leaving the talent dormant and under-utilized. I withheld value from the marketplace! Shame on me but you know what? This story is now integral to the value of my work.

Learning to play any instrument well enough to make good music is hard. Succeeding in any business is also hard. It can be fun and deeply gratifying but those rewards aren’t cheap or easy to get. For me to succeed at anything new I must develop new beliefs or new understanding, change my thought patterns and develop new and better habits – daily!

These five specific ideas and sets of questions could have a high impact on your life and business performance. Dare you ask these questions of yourself?

1. Examine your beliefs. Do you have the capacity to be completely honest with yourself? If you don’t, you’re doomed. Can you think about your own thinking and recognize when you are rationalizing your behavior rather than being an unbiased referee of your motives? The whole truth will set you free to accomplish your noblest goals!

2. Acceptance of people, places and things as they are, not as you would have them, opens deeper understanding of how the world works. Acceptance is not advocacy or approval. Do other people and situations disturb you often? Do you fret about injustice, politics and culture shift? Focus on only those things over which you have control and leave the rest to divine providence. Try to accept this axiom: “Whenever I am disturbed, there is something wrong with me!” It's a tall order but think about it. Temporary, justifiable anger is understandable and acceptable. Holding grudges or harboring resentments is not. Revenge is never an acceptable motive because it is subjective and totally self-serving. Remaining angry at a competitor, customer, supplier or anyone else is bad business. You can’t change them but they sure are affecting your thoughts and attitudes aren’t they? Don’t let them. Forgive them and let go or be dragged!

3. Script and build better character traits based on service to others instead of self enrichment. Is your character based on how good you look or how good you are? Can you believe that serving others is the only way to serve your own best interests?

4. Know what you’re great at! Do you recognize what your unique, best-in-class talent is? What do you love to do? What tickles your creative imagination? About what do people compliment you the most? That is probably your key to a rich and happy life!

5. Get excited about what you know you can accomplish and apply the necessary discipline to keep yourself accountable for victories and defeats. Can you pull away from distractions and apply yourself to important work? Can you tell yourself the truth about whether you’re procrastinating or moving ahead? Fact: procrastination is nothing but sloth in five syllables! You’ve got to get excited enough to look forward to working. It’s called work for a reason but it will be fun if it’s what you’re best at!

6. Allow self-fulfilling momentum to kick in and turn a labor of love into labor you love. The brass ring of career success is looking forward to Mondays. Do you love your job? Is your work exciting, fulfilling and fun? Are you serving and making your customers better off?

Examine these six principles and summon the courage to ask yourself the accompanying questions. You may save yourself years of disappointments. I learned these lessons by finally experiencing the real meaning in the many great motivational books I’ve read. Nothing out there will get better until I do. Discover, fine-tune and build wealth with the tools freely given you at birth.

Socially Responsible and Sustainable Business Practices: Mandates or Just Doing the Right Thing?

2009-09-11T18:47:45.000Z

I paused before I posted this. It's September 11, 2009, eight years after the most disastrous attack on America ever. It is a solemn day of remembrance and prayer. I questioned whether to wait until posting my first to this blog but then I thought about how so many sacrificed so that the rest of us can continue daily pursuing our dreams. I will indeed remember our lost country men and women. God bless America.

The following article may start out sounding like a sermon but it is more of an observation.

Hire the best suited people you can find for the various roles in your organization. Pay fair and equitable wages. Provide the best possible training and working conditions for your employees. Be sensitive to individual employees' needs and unique backgrounds. Be sure to reward achievement and praise your team often. Freely give some of your profits to the community and the charities you choose to support.

Conserve resources and open spaces for future generations to enjoy. Don't waste energy or materials and strive to continually improve the efficiency of your operation. Clean up after yourself. Carry in, carry out. Leave each place better than you found it.

All of the above sounds like common decency to me. These are good habits that when practiced have always paid dividends in the short run and the long run.

Conventional wisdom today seems to convey that private business enterprise is inherently bad and its management greedy unless it conforms to a proclaimed standard of "socially responsible" behavior. Consider these key points from a leading socially responsible business advocacy website:

Businesses can do well while doing good.
Social responsibility begins locally, with each of us.
Businesses can be financially successful while bringing out the best in the human spirit, enriching the community and being respectful of the natural environment.

The underlying assumption is that these are newly enlightened positions; to do well financially, one previously had to shun these ideas or not care about them. Can you point to any business in America that has done well by doing bad, being an offensive neighbor, oppressing workers or destroying the environment? If there were such companies, they have since cleaned up their acts or justifiably gone out of business, rejected by the marketplace.

In my opinion, some glaring exceptions are companies that promote wonderful sustainable and socially responsible practices here at home but have major operations in countries with little or no environmental regulations in order to avoid compliance with ours; where workers are paid a tiny fraction of a fair wage. Are these companies having their cake and eating it too? You be the judge.

Powerful market forces include movements by concerned citizens and disturbed customers. It's a wonderful thing. In a free society, people won't tolerate business practices that abuse and pillage workers and resources. They will respond by taking their business elsewhere or exacting punitive reactions.

"Compulsory service" and "mandatory volunteering" are oxymoron, yet they have been the policies of some school districts and even some religious education programs. The result is often a disgruntled or lackluster service giver. We should pause to think long and hard before we make laws and mandates regarding socially responsible business practices. The motivation must ideally come from the head and the heart. Beware the violators, people are watching!

Look around the country. Witness the vast landscape of open spaces, city-scapes, suburbs, parks and even strip malls. Perhaps you'll notice as I do that in spite of the comparatively high consumption levels in America, we have a clean and beautiful place to call home. There are many millions of good reasons to keep it that way and each one has a name and a tender face.