Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9 pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with @dnewman.  David Newman is the author of “DO IT! Marketing: 77 Instant-Action Ideas to Boost Sales, Maximize Profits and Crush Your Competition” (AMACOM, 2013).

David works with executives and entrepreneurs who want to position themselves as thought-leaders and generate more leads, better prospects and bigger sales.  His background overlaps three key areas. First, David has worked inside organizations as the client; he has also worked as a speaker and consultant for Fortune 500 companies; and finally, he’s helped over 300 speakers, authors, executives and entrepreneurs raise their game and deliver their highest value.  For more info, visit doitmarketing.com

SmallBizLady: What advice are you giving businesses today that is drastically different from five years ago? 

David Newman: Five years ago, social media was literally in its infancy. Facebook was only open to college students, there was no Twitter, LinkedIn was mostly for senior execs, recruiters and jobseekers, and blogging was mostly done by techies, authors and consultants, or self-absorbed teenagers. So the major shift in thought leadership marketing is not only to write articles and white papers and ebooks (good advice 5 years ago and GREAT advice today) but to also get deeply involved in the one or two social media channels that resonate the most with your buyers, customers and clients.

SmallBizLady: With so much marketing noise out there, how can businesses make themselves heard? How can they rise above the noise? 

David Newman: Great question – and the answer you’d get from most marketing and branding people is… BRANDING. That’s NOT my answer. Sadly, when it comes to small business marketing, “branding” tends to be a lot of BS, smoke and mirrors. The REAL essence of what you need to stand out from the crowd is CLARITY. Clarity of your message, clarity of your positioning – what you do and who you do it for best. Clarity around the promise you’re making to people who do business with you. Clarity around the experience they’ll get when working with your company. The reason I’m so big on clarity as your distinguishing factor is because clarity on YOUR part greatly increases confidence on your buyer’s part. And confident buyers BUY – doubtful or confused buyers do not.

SmallBizLady: What are some sales no-no’s that you see small business owners make? 

David Newman: There is a handful – and most of these fall into the old school “sales training” approaches that are still out there to a much greater degree than you might expect. So… manipulative sales techniques, lying to prospects (“I have your business card on my desk and…”), product- or service-centered messaging vs. prospect-centered messaging, selling features and benefits rather than focusing on outcomes and results, old school cold calling (what I call “dumb calling”), untargeted batch and blast email or direct mail (aka paper spam), and most other sloppy, thoughtless outbound marketing tactics have passed their expiration date like an old bucket of yogurt. Don’t do it. This is good news for most of my seminar audiences and coaching clients for two reasons – 1) They hate doing it AND 2) Their prospects hate getting it. So there IS a better way. In four words, the new sales mantra needs to be: 1. Offer value 2. Invite engagement.

SmallBizLady: With so many marketing options out there, how do you suggest business owners prioritize or focus their efforts? 

David Newman: The only kind of marketing you’ll end up doing – and doing well – is marketing that you personally find Easy, Effortless and Enjoyable (EEE). Because the bottom line is that you have to wake up every day ready to market your business – rain or shine, happy or sad, feel like it or not. Under those conditions, if you don’t find those marketing tasks that you’ve chosen for yourself to be easy, effortless, and enjoyable – guess what? You won’t do them! And no matter how great the strategy, no matter how brilliant your tactical plan, at the end of the day, only ACTION creates results. So you have to hand-select a small number of marketing tactics that you’re willing to lean into and commit to doing on a daily and weekly basis, month after month, and year after year. Marketing is a marathon, not a sprint.

SmallBizLady: What are three things people can do right now to get a boost in their marketing efforts? 

David Newman: Here are three tests to apply to your marketing:

1.  The black marker test: Put one of your ads (or web pages, brochures, or promo pieces) and one of your competitor’s side-by-side. Now black out both names. Could your piece be mistaken for some other company’s piece? Could you just cut out the competitor’s name and stick it on your piece and people just might not know the difference? If so, you have a piece of blah-blah-blah marketing. Fix it – and you win!

2.  The “So what” test: Take a look at each of your marketing statements in your ads, brochures, and on your website. For each point, can you come up with a compelling value-based answer to the question, “So what?” Make sure to use prospect language and not marketing-speak or gobbledy-gook techno-jargon!

3.  The “Prove it” test: Prospects assume all marketers are liars. Do you prove any of your claims? How? Testimonials, third-party proof, verifiable facts? Again, add these to your marketing mix – and you win!

And a fourth one: Total self-promo here –but true: Buy my book today and you’ll get a MAJOR marketing boost: http://bit.ly/doitbonus

SmallBizLady: Tell us about your book.

David Newman: The book is “Do It! Marketing: 77 Instant-Action Ideas to Boost Sales, Maximize Profits and Crush Your Competition.” The thing that makes the book unique is that it’s a SALES-focused marketing book. So many marketing books focus on marketing for the sake of marketing. I’ve collected hundreds of ideas, strategies, tools, tactics, and scripts that will help you do marketing specifically to drive sales. More sales. Better sales. Bigger sales. That’s the result of any strong marketing program. The other thing that I’m really excited about is the dozen or so “DO IT! Success Strategy Sidebars” throughout the book, with contributions from outside experts like you, Melinda – folks whom I love and respect and who do great work in the realm of marketing, sales, social media, and business development. The book is part action handbook, part field guide, part marketing manual, with a big dose of kick-in-the-butt do-this-now tactics. Even though the subtitle says “77 ideas” there are about 200 ideas in the book if you look at each section and count all the specific action items, templates, tools and scripts under each one. Sorry to say – truth in advertising is dead!

SmallBizLady: Why should people buy the book today even though the book won’t be out till June? 

David Newman: Two main reasons:

1. If you pre-order the book today, you will get over $747 in business-building bonuses RIGHT NOW and LATER, you’ll also get a terrific book jam-packed with savvy marketing, sales and business development strategies, tactics and tools. (You’ll be among the first to take delivery of the book the moment it is released – on or about June 5.) To check out the pre-order bonuses you’ll get immediately when you buy today, visit http://bit.ly/doitbonus.

2. For all the folks who pre-order today, you will also be invited to a series of special teleseminars, you’ll get pre-order only bonus ebooks such as the Do It! Marketing Manifesto I’m creating for 800-CEO-READ, and some other pre-order only gifts and bonuses. Like you, Melinda, I’m incredibly generous with folks who are fabulous enough to support my work in small business marketing and like you, I tend to OVER-deliver like crazy. So pre-order the book today at http://bit.ly/doitbook and then pop over to http://bit.ly/doitbonus to claim all your goodies.

Thank you in advance — and Melinda, thank YOU for the opportunity to share your wisdom as featured in the book!

SmallBizLady: In the book, you emphasize choosing a target audience and a specific niche. Why is that important?

David Newman: Whenever I work with clients or speak to groups, we ALWAYS start with identifying specifically WHO you are marketing to. I call this your “Buyer Persona” We use 7 key questions to flesh out the traits of your highest-probability prospects that you should spend most of your time targeting and connecting with. You need to understand what makes them tick – what are their characteristics, traits, attitudes, and values? What’s important to them? What headaches/ heartaches do they have when it comes to the problems that you solve? You’ve got to speak prospect language about prospect problems. Until you do that, NO marketing strategy will work.

SmallBizLady: You talk in the book about “Thought Leadership Marketing” – what is that and why is it important?

David Newman: Thought leadership marketing is a combination of speaking, publishing and social media – it’s your secret weapon! Why? Because experts win on value – generalists die on price. Thought leadership PROVES your expertise. No matter what you’re selling, you’re selling EXPERTISE first. Experts win trust – and trust earns sales. The book is full of templates and tools for speaking, publishing and social media success. It’s fill-in-the-blank easy.

SmallBizLady: What’s the first step business owners should take to find “hot button” issues they can use in their marketing?

David Newman: The first step? Research. Preparation. Industry, regional, business, and company news is now at everyone’s fingertips. Look for verbatim quotes, videos, interviews to capture as much as you can from representatives of your target audience. Search Google, YouTube and LinkedIn. Scan industry and association message boards. Then go directly to the source – your real live customers and prospects. One of the best ways to approach prospects is with Interviews, Surveys, Research, Data gathering. It positions you and your company as an expert resource and it gives you valuable data you should be getting anyway!

SmallBizLady: Is there an online way that small business owners can become thought leaders?

David Newman: We’re doing it now! Any time you share your face, voice, expertise, you are building thought leadership. Whether you choose blogging, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Vimeo, Skype, Slideshare, or iTunes. The more valuable advice, insights and recommendations you give away free, the more buyers you attract. Experts also FLOP – Feature and Leverage Other People. I blogged about this here: http://bit.ly/bizflop

SmallBizLady: Given everything in your book, what are the top three strategies you suggest small business owners focus on?

David Newman: 1. Figure out the audience you want to serve the most because they are your peeps, your tribe, and your natural followers.

2. Then figure out what they are passionate to learn, to do, or to become.

3. Finally, start talking about, sharing, and connecting them with resources that solve those urgent, pervasive, expensive problems, headaches and heartaches.

Do that publicly via speaking, publishing, networking – both online and offline – and the floodgates will open for you. There’s a 4th strategy, of course – buy the book today and get your $747 in bonuses: http://bit.ly/doitbonus

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in : http://bit.ly/S797e

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is America’s #1 small business expert. As CEO of Quintessence Multimedia, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. She writes a weekly column on social media for The New York Times. Forbes Magazine named her #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com. Melinda is also the bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works and the ebook: How To Become A Social Media Ninja; 101 Ways to Dominate Your Competition Online.

Guest Article

The day has come. You have spent hundreds of hours designing, configuring and even coding your professional, highly functional online store. Firstly congratulations and do yourself a favor and pat yourself on the back, this is a real accomplishment. At this stage you probably can’t wait to introduce your masterpiece to everyone you possibly can, but hold back and go through the list below of the 10 things you probably forgot to check before releasing your baby into the world.

1. Contact forms and emails

Now that you are ready to sell products online with cash exchanging “hands” it is critical for your long term success that you provide quick and easy ways for your customers to contact you. The most common way is through a contact form or email address which is displayed on the site.

Before you launch your site, make sure that your contact forms are working and directing the messages to the correct email addresses. Send yourself a few test messages and emails to verify that the forms are working and your dedicated sales and support email addresses are working.

2. Favicon

Forgetting to include a favicon on your site is most definitely the least important item in this list but one of the most common things which are forgotten by website owners.

Your favicon is part of your branding and helps visitors that have multiple tabs open to easily find your site. Return visitors will get familiar with the icon and associate it with the general way you do business. Take the 3 minutes it takes to upload a favicon to your site.

3. Stock Levels

Most ecommerce platforms allow you to set the stock amount for your products. Make sure before you launch your store that these numbers are accurate so that products don’t disappear because they are “out of stock” which will cost you dearly.

4. Basic SEO

Once your store is live, Google and other search engines will sooner or later come across it and crawl your entire site. You want the search engines to crawl your site so they can index your pages. If your pages do not contain the basic SEO tags (Title and Description) and your images do not contain alt tags then you will be doing yourself an injustice.

Search engines still account for a large percentage of traffic and it is critical for driving traffic that your pages are optimized for the search engines.

Make sure you include unique Title and Description tags to all your pages and that all your images have alt tags.

5. Phone numbers

If you have decided to provide visitors with a direct phone number to your business, then make sure that the number is working and if necessary, redirected to whoever is responsible for taking the calls. Make sure you include the international dialing code so overseas based customers and visitors can dial you successfully.

6. Extensions/Modules

If you are using any extensions or modules for added functionality, then make sure you test each one to see that the expected functionality is experienced from a visitor’s perspective. If you experience any issues, you may have to post a question on the forum thread related to the extension/module and wait for an answer. This can be very frustrating, but it is important to launch your store when everything is ready, especially important aspects of the user experience.

7. All your links

Don’t you hate clicking on a link which takes you to a page that doesn’t exist? Believe me, your visitors will hate it just as much. Make sure you go through your entire site with a fine tooth comb and check every link, both internal and external. Don’t forget to check your social share buttons to make sure they are linking to the correct social profiles and all the other links in your footer.

8. Google Analytics

Being able to analyze a wide range of statistics about your visitors is critical for making correct marketing and product related decisions. The best free tool available to online store owners is Google Analytics.

Make sure you open a free account and implement the Google Analytics javascript code on all of your pages.

Google’s real-time view is very handy to test if Google is tracking your site. After you implement the code on all your pages, visit your site and wait to see if you appear in the real-time stats in Google Analytics.

9. Social and sharing buttons

Leveraging social networks and our innate desire to communicate and share is a very powerful way to not only grow the amount of traffic you get to your store, but also to convert visitors to fans and grow your own online following.

Don’t forget to implement large share and social buttons throughout your site to drive referral traffic.

The standard location is in the footer but the header is usually a better location because it gets more exposure.  Provide share buttons near each of your products so visitors that like your products can share them with their friends and family.

10. Payments

After months of hard work getting the store ready it is almost time to launch. The final check that most people forget is testing your payment options.

Visit your site as a visitor and make test purchases using the different payment options you are providing. Make sure that each payment goes through successfully and that all confirmation emails are sent. If there are any problems then make sure to talk to your payment providers (Paypal, Neteller etc) and your credit card company.

Preventing interested buyers from making payments is the most detrimental thing you can do to your business.

I would love to grow this list, so if you have any other things which do not appear in this list then please let me know in the comments section below.

About the Author: Justin Butlion is the Content and Social Marketing Manager of Yotpo. Justin loves to blog about e-commerce, online marketing, web development, and entrepreneurship.

“Digital World In Data Center Room” courtesy of watcharakun / www.freedigitalphotos.net

As a small business owner, the deck is stacked against you. Most businesses fail after the first five years, and even if you do hang in there, the chances of you becoming the next Facebook are really not very likely. 95 percent of all small businesses in the world never gross over 1 million in revenue, nor do many of them revolutionize their industry, net a profit, or change the way people do something. But even in the face of all of that, now is still a great time to start a business. The world is still waiting on a better mousetrap. Technology has made it so much easier to do business and run your company from anywhere. The challenge is that your competition can do it too, and the competition, in many cases, is global and not local. Getting your new start-up off to a great start is essential to building a profitable and sustainable small business.

There are lots of places to get good information on running a successful business. Many entrepreneurs have come through the struggle of building their businesses, and many are happy to prepare you for your entrepreneurial journey. I have gathered the 8 best start–up resources to help you to launch your small business.

SCORE is a nonprofit organization that provides expert business counseling to small business owners. SCORE’s Web site provides on-line counseling, and offers great e-mail newsletters. What I like best about their newsletter program is, it allows you to select which level of information that you want. From operations, to financing and expansion plans SCORE has a vast database of experts to assist your small business.

You’re The Boss Blog, New York Times offers an insider’s perspective on small-business ownership. It gives business owners a place where they can compare notes, ask questions, get advice, and learn from one another’s mistakes. By the way, I write for this publication as a regular contributor on social media and small business, but I read this blog long before I started writing for it.

Huffington Post Small Business America includes blogs, news, and community conversations about Small Business in America. A great example of the quality content on this site is the article by Faisal Hoque Growing a Small Business with 5 Essential Principles http://huff.to/17JdrFv

Business on Main is an online destination for small-business leaders and entrepreneurs who are looking for information to take their companies to the next level. I especially like their engaging original videos, featuring business stories that will inform and inspire you on the path to success

Founded in 2003, Small Business Trends is an award-winning online publication for small business owners, entrepreneurs and the people who interact with them. It is one of the most popular independent small business publications on the web.

Inc. is a great magazine and an even better website. They say they offer everything you need to start and grow your small business now.

Entrepreneur Magazine provides business ideas and trends on start-up, finance, marketing and franchising tools and tips and they have a great website, too. You can also read about the latest news, expert advice, and growth strategies for small business owners.

The Self Employed is a website created by Steve Strauss, small business columnist for USA Today and bestselling author of the Small Business Bible.  It provides lots of great advice for solopreneurs in particular, on start-up, finding clients, insurance and tax issues.

Every week I conduct interviews with experts on #SmallBizChat. In honor of my 200th episode of my Twitter talk show, the tables have been turned and my co-host Amanda Miller Littlejohn, decided that my fans might want to hear from me. #Smallbizchat takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9 pm ET. This is excerpted from my interview on branding and social media marketing. Don’t forget to grab a copy of my latest ebook How to Become a Social Media Ninja; 101 Ways to Dominate Your Competition Online and join my #Smallbizchat group on LinkedIn to get even more information on building a strong business brand online.

Amanda Miller Littlejohn: What is the biggest mistake entrepreneurs make when it comes to branding their business?

Melinda Emerson: The biggest problem small business owners have is they market their brand too broadly.  If everyone can use your product or service, no one will. Don’t be generic with your small business; be specific in your branding. Your message must speak to your target customer. Your brand should say what you and your business are all about. I’m @SmallBizLady and my mission is to end small business failure.

Amanda Miller Littlejohn: Can a business be marketed effectively without a strong brand?

Melinda Emerson: I do not think a small business stands a chance without a strong brand. Keep in mind your brand is everything you do. How you dress, who answers your phone, are you always late. Your brand is also your website, which is your welcome mat into your small business. You must make sure it’s tight and helpful.  Check out a recent article I wrote for the New York Times on having a strong website.

Amanda Miller Littlejohn: What steps should entrepreneurs take to identify and define their brand?

Melinda Emerson:  First, they need to define their target customer. Then, they need to carve out a specific niche and secret sauce to stand out. The niche can be geographical, product specific, or it can be based on a segment of your target customer. If your target is audience is women, drill it down because that is not specific enough. It can be tween girls, young adults, single moms, professional women, soccer moms or baby-boomers. Just pick one and become the czar or czarina of that niche.

Amanda Miller Littlejohn: I’ve heard you talk before about how important business cards are to a brand, Can you elaborate on your philosophy?

Melinda Emerson: Social media is great, but business cards are still important. Small business owners should invest in a real logo. Word art or clip art or those dreadful free business cards you can get from a template will not cut it.  Your brand should also be at least two colors and use quality paper to print them on.  A cheap looking business card will kill your credibility.

Amanda Miller Littlejohn: Can a small business be effective in social media without a strong brand?

Melinda Emerson: It’s even harder to distinguish yourself in social media with a weak brand because there is so much noise online.  No one will pay any attention to a “me too” brand. You must distinguish yourself online and offline. How you conduct yourself in social media makes a brand statement. Is it clear who your customers are from your tweets? Well, it should be very clear.

Amanda Miller Littlejohn: How should your brand influence your content strategy for social media marketing?

Melinda Emerson:  Once you have a defined target customer you need to focus in on that customer’s pain. People are moved to buy when they have pain. As you think about the content you want to develop, you should start with a list of your customer pain points.  If your brand speaks to your solution for solving the pain, you will have customers for life – if you can deliver service based on your brand promise.

Amanda Miller Littlejohn: What are the signs of a well-defined brand?

Melinda Emerson:  When you become top of mind to anyone who needs what you do, your brand is well defined.  When you get prospect calls and they already have decided they want to hire you, and all you are discussing is their budget and your availability, your brand is well defined. When you stop needing to explain what you do or what your logo “really” stands for, your brand is well defined.

Amanda Miller Littlejohn: How does branding relate to the broader marketing strategy of a business?

Melinda Emerson:  Marketing starts with a well-defined brand. You must know who you want to speak to first, then you develop your sales goals.  Now you know I tell my readers to only focus on 30 day sales goals, which will help you focus on weekly sales goals.  Once you have your weekly sales goal, you design your marketing tactics to meet your weekly goal.  How many calls, emails, tweets, handwritten notes, and networking events do you need to attend each week to reach your sales goals.

Amanda Miller Littlejohn: How important is it that a marketing strategy be tied to measurable results?

Melinda Emerson:  If a marketing tactic is not measurable, it’s useless. But keep in mind that you must have a realistic goal for what you want to achieve. When you start using social media, it’s not going to start raining money in your business immediately. It took me 18 months of daily tweets to get noticed and respected.

Amanda Miller Littlejohn: What are the marketing tools that should be in every entrepreneur’s tool kit?

Melinda Emerson: 1) Create a helpful website. 2) Develop a fantastic free giveaway to build an email marketing list. Some affordable email marketing services are @mailchimp, @constantcontact, and @aweber. 3) Update your LinkedIn profile to speak to your target customer, you are not looking for a job. Especially – secure recommendations from customers like the ones you are trying to pursue. 4) Focus on only one social media site! Too many small business owners are killing themselves trying to do too many social media sites. Claim your profile on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube but spend your time where your best target customers hang out online.

Amanda Miller Littlejohn: How can social media add to the effectiveness of a small business sales strategy?

Melinda Emerson: The #1 thing social media marketing can do for a small business owner is drive traffic to your small business website. That said, social media doesn’t deliver results overnight. You must use the HELP Mantra consistently for 18 to 24 months to start seeing results. HELP stands for Help others, Engage people, Listen first, and Promote yourself with care. That last one is really tricky because it’s the one people really do not understand. Do not start selling too quickly before you have a relationship. Just be helpful and position yourself as a resource and your best target customer will beat a path to your door.

Amanda Miller Littlejohn: What are the top 3 priorities for entreprenuers who want to build a social media brand?

Melinda Emerson: 1) Develop some specific goals for your social media marketing campaign. 2) Know your best 5 keywords that people use in search engines to get information about your product or service 3) Conduct a listening campaign to figure out where your best target customer hangs out online and then join the conversation.

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in : http://bit.ly/S797e

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is America’s #1 small business expert. As CEO of Quintessence Multimedia, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. She writes a weekly column on social media for The New York Times. Forbes Magazine named her #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts  Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also the bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works and the ebook: How To Become A Social Media Ninja; 101 Ways to Dominate Your Competition Online.

Guest Article

I’ve got news for you — when you’re building your social media profile (and not your email list), you’re setting yourself up for failure. Here’s why: Your goal with social media should be to drive traffic back to your own website.  Once your target lands there, you’d best have at least three ways to get them to give you their email address.  Without a way to follow-up with more helpful information, your chances of converting a visitor into a customer are quite slim.  Here are more reasons why you should focus your marketing efforts on building your email list first — before social media.

#1 When you build your social media profile, you’re at the mercy of a third party company that you don’t control. One day Facebook might change their EdgeRank, and you’ll have to start paying to talk to your own fans (oh wait, that already happened). Another day, your account might get banned for no reason. Another day, another travesty. Do you really want someone else to control YOUR business? Put your best effort into a platform you control, your website.

#2 When you build your social media profile, you’ll be plagued with mediocre results forever. Here are some numbers: If I share a link with my 16,000 Facebook fans, I might get 200-300 hits… MAX. If I share a link with 16,000 email subscribers, I’m going to send AT LEAST 2,000 hits. Now, I know you can’t spend hits, but those hits are people. And the more people you can send to your website, the more money you can make. Period.

#3 Despite email not being sexy, it’s still the BEST way to keep in touch with YOUR ideal customers. Think about it. When people use social media, your business competes with close friends, party invites, and photographs. When you use email, your business competes with other businesses–and possibly coworkers who want your subscriber to do something they don’t want to do. I don’t know about you, but I would rather buy a new John Varvatos jacket from Gilt than another set of business cards.

How to Start Building An Email List

Now that you want an email list, the question is, how do you start BUILDING the email list?

#1 Three High-Converting Places to Add Email Signup Forms to Your Website

When you want to build your list, you’ve got to place email signup forms in the right places. Why? A form at the top of your site converts almost 5 times higher than a form on the bottom. Small changes–just like that—mean big results.

Where can you place them?

Try The Halpern Header

When you go to SocialTriggers.com, you’ll see a big box at the top of the page. A box that spans across the top of my content and sidebar. I call this the “Halpern Header.”

This box at the top converts amazingly well. Whether you’re running a blog or not, giving prime real-estate is a surefire way to start turning more of your visitors into leads (and customers).

You might think, “Well, won’t people get sick of seeing it?” And the answer is no. Why? Because once people get on your email list, they’ll rarely visit your homepage anymore. Instead they’ll follow your emails directly to content.

(Note: Even if you don’t run a blog, creating a Halpern Header works because it’s asking for an email in the most highly viewed part of your page)

The Top of your Sidebar

Most websites have sidebars, and yours is likely no different. Most people put an email signup form at the bottom of their sidebar, but they shouldn’t. An email signup form at the top converts almost twice as much as an email signup form at the bottom.

One note: You should put your email signup form ABOVE your social media profiles. As we talked about earlier, email crushes social media.

Try the bottom of your content pages

When a website visitor reads your content, and reads the entire thing, and they love your work (or at least like it enough to actually read it) Why not ask them to sign up right after the post ends?

It converts well, and it grabs a reader right when they’re feeling great about your work.

#2 How to Start Getting Traffic To Build Your Email List

Now that you’re ready to convert visitors into subscribers, the next thing you need is traffic. Traffic that converts.  And that’s where what I call “The Drafting Technique,” comes into play. Here’s the deal:

When you’re racing at high speeds, like with cars, there’s wind resistance that slows you down.

But you can eliminate that resistance by drafting, which is fancy for “get behind the guy in front of you.”

How? You see, the person in front breaks the wind resistance, and the people behind him can maintain their speed while expending less energy because they take advantage of the “slipstream.”

Now, like with racing, top bloggers also have a slipstream, or better yet, a “link slipstream.” What’s a “link slipstream?”

Bloggers (or journalists) have a history of linking to businesses, websites, or topics. It’s your job to find people who write about the same thing you’d like to be featured for. You do this by looking for people who wrote about competing products, competing companies, or even someone just like you.

As an example, back when I started Social Triggers, I looked at someone like Lewis Howes (a friend). I discovered he was landing interviews all over the place, and decided to try and get interviewed by the same people.

This works because the people already had a history–a link slipstream–of covering people like me so I knew I could land the same interviews.

See how that works? This is the exact strategy YOU can use to start doing this as well!

And that’s it!

You can start building your list TODAY.

Now that you know why you should build a list… and how to convert traffic into email subscribers… and how to get traffic… you’re all set.

How do you plan on using these strategies to grow your business? Leave a comment and share!

About the author: Derek Halpern is the founder of Social Triggers, a top marketing blog with 102,532 subscribers and a top marketing podcast on iTunes.

At Sign Aeroplane Shows Web Mailing Communication courtesy of Stuart Miles / www.freedigitalphotos.net

It’s National Small Business Month and here are some quick ideas to jumpstart your small business for the second half of this year.

Have you updated your elevator pitch? When is the last time you sharpened your marketing plan? Do you have monthly sales goals? Are your business finances updated by the 15^th of the month? Do you do at least one thing a day to generate sales? If you answered “no” to any of these questions, it’s not too late to start moving in the right direction.

Here are 6 things you could do today to generate a sale in your small business:

1)      Send a thank you note. Personal hand-written notes are so powerful. Send one to a friend, customer or a prospect just to check in and let them know they crossed your mind.  If you can, include an article of interest to them, too.

2)      Ask for a LinkedIn or Yelp recommendation. You need to ask for recommendations religiously. Turn your happy customers into an unpaid sales force for your small business. Be sure to send the link to make it easy for them. The easiest way to get a recommendation is to give one.

3)      Follow-up with a recent contact. I meet people everywhere and I’m sure you do, too. Reach out to a contact that you met at a recent networking event to schedule a face-to-face meeting or appointment. Pick out a place that is mutually convenient and have a quick coffee or lunch meeting.

4)      Change your timeline graphic on your Facebook fan page. People respond to visuals.  Make sure to update people on what’s new with your small business.

5)      Write a new blog post for your business blog. Make sure that your article is helpful to your target audience and is at least 500 words.

6)      Track down your outstanding receivables. On a weekly basis, evaluate your accounts receivable. If any client is behind 30 days in issuing payment, give them a call to find out payment status. While you’re on the phone, inquire about any additional opportunities to do more business.

May is the busiest time of the year for me, and here’s where you can catch me live this week.

Monday May 13^th: I’m headed to Austin, TX for the RISE Conference Austin sponsored by Dell. I’m be speaking at the Opening Keynote session Monday evening at 6pm https://www.riseglobal.org/about

Tuesday May 14^th: Don’t miss my brand new TV Show, Crowd Rules on CNBC 9pm ET Do you have what it takes to win $50,000? In the all new competition series, Crowd Rules, three small businesses compete for the grand prize each week. To win–they must convince the crowd! Check out an exclusive sneak peek. You can see my episode June 18^th.

Wednesday May 15^th: Come celebrate #SmallBizChat’s 200^th episode! Join me on Twitter Wed 8-9pm ET where we’ll have some surprises and giveaways — so do not miss this.  We’ll be talking about how to build a powerful social media brand. Here’s how to participate in #Smallbizchat http://bit.ly/S797e

Thursday May 16^th: Join me in Columbus, OH for the Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference #BEEC. I’ll be leading a boot camp on how to develop and launch a brand for a new small business. It’s not too late to join me, register today.

Friday May 17^th: Don’t miss Part II of my three part series in the New York Times You’re the Boss Blog on how to have a great website.  Here’s part one: The Problem Social Media Cannot Solve

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9 pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with @Restaurant_Lady, Misty Young.  Known for her relentless approach to systems development in restaurant marketing, leadership, financials, operations and service, From Rags to Restaurants author, Misty Young is a tried and tested professional. Her own multimillion dollar restaurant chain, the Squeeze In, now has 4 locations. Misty and her husband purchased the nearly 30 year old Truckee, California restaurant in 2004, worked it daily for two years IN the business, while Misty studied, developed and implemented systems and worked ON the business “nights, weekends and holidays.”  For more info:  visit http://fromragstorestaurants.com

SmallBizLady:  What are The Five Irrefutable Laws of Small Business Success?

Misty Young:  #1 The Law of Leadership – the ability to influence. Our job as business leaders is to model personal growth and expect successful behavior while we develop and hold ourselves and our associates accountable.

#2 The Law of Operations – every aspect of the business is systematized to efficiently and effectively meet stated goals through planning, policies, procedures and measured performance.

#3 The Law of Financials – with integrity and diligence, financials and products are tracked, monitored and adjusted to assure financial health, fitness and profitability.

#4 The Law of Products / Services – our products must be reliable and we must diligently serve our customers and associates with courtesy, appreciation, respect and kindness.

#5 The Law of Marketing – the business must use multi-media tools to communicate timely with customers and associates in relevant, meaningful ways.

Every small business requires leadership for success. Part of the definition of leadership in my mind, is accountability. The leader, by influencing their followers, whether associates, suppliers, clients or customers, sets an example of personal growth and development while holding themselves and others accountable. All other aspects of small business success flow from diligent leadership. When the leader is focused on successful results and holds others accountable, the operations, financials, products / services and marketing are more likely to be successful as well. It’s a closed loop system; the same exact laws fit all businesses, from A-Z, auto repair shops to zoos.

SmallBizLady:  What are three accountability strategies you recommend?

Misty Young:  1. Written Job Descriptions, 2. Comprehensive Training Processes, 3. Standardized Performance Evaluation System

Assuming the small business has associates (employees) – systematizing the business is the critical first step. Making the business turn-key by creating written job descriptions, training protocols and developing a standardized performance evaluation system are basics. Business systematization should leave no question unanswered, no mystery to be solved, don’t expect your associates to be mind readers – they’ll do their best – of course, but it might not be YOUR best! Leave nothing to chance!

Even without associates, solopreneurs need systems, accountability, standards and protocol for how they approach every aspect of their business. The systems and planning provide the road map.

It’s not enough to say you’ll do these things; you actually have to do them. That’s the accountability part – what’s on your daily agenda matters! Making lists isn’t the same as completing tasks. I suggest all my clients put on their “STAR” glasses when setting about to develop accountability: Approach the task with Strategy (plan); Tactics (activities); Action (doing it!); and Results (what happened). Feed back the results into the strategy and refine in order to move forward.

SmallBizLady:  Why is there no law directly about the customer?

Misty Young:  The customer is the center, the true focus. The Five Irrefutable Laws of Small Business Success are all centered around the customer. Businesses succeed when they find a need and fill it, discover a problem and solve it. The small business then builds a firm foundation of success to attract customers with their solution, bringing them inside the business. Everyone wants to be associated with a winner or with a winning format. Unprepared or unprofessional small businesses risk making customers angry and repelling them if the solution isn’t ready for market. The universe requires order before motion. Being organized first helps build traction.

SmallBizLady:  If you anger or repel a customer, what do you do?

Misty Young:  As a restaurant owner, I created the LATTE approach to resolving customer problems. I believe mistakes are opportunities to learn – they are inevitable but don’t have to be fatal. In our restaurants, we strive to reduce the number of mistakes made in day-to-day operations. We learn from mistakes and evolve.

LATTE stands for:

• Listen
• Apologize
• Take Action
• Thank
• Evolve

Our goal is always to resolve the situation satisfactorily for the guest and evolve from the situation. The worst thing we can do is to send an unhappy guest out our door and the best thing we can do is learn from our mistakes. I believe excellent associate training is the ultimate fulfillment of a small business’ marketing promise – do it right! That circles right back to systems and accountability!

SmallBizLady:  Do you have a guarantee in your restaurant?

Misty Young:  Of course! Most small business people will guarantee whatever they’re doing, they may as well tell their customer! If you’re going to guarantee your products / services no matter what, always doing the right thing to take care of your guest or client or customer, you should let them know! We surely do, our outrageous guarantee is: “You’ll love our food or it’s free!” Our guarantee is on our menu, website, mobile app, even on our business cards. We don’t like to give away free food, so we work hard at consistency and excellence and circle back to training when we mess up (we’re humans, we mess up!). If you have a guarantee, tell the world. If you don’t have a guarantee, develop one now!

SmallBizLady:  You’re a restaurateur; do you really think these Five Laws fit all businesses?

Misty Young:  I know they do, I have other business interests besides restaurants. The Five Irrefutable Laws of Small Business Success are a great model for every business from A-Z, auto repair to zoos, there is nothing missing. Whether a business is building boats, selling fishing nets or serving smoked salmon, success requires Leadership development; Product / Services reliability; Marketing mastery; Operations proficiency and Financial literacy. All successful businesses stand firmly on the Five Laws.

SmallBizLady:  How can Small Businesses apply your “STAR” concept?

Misty Young:  When you think of STAR as an envelope, the context, it’s a simple concept. We approach whatever we do with a plan (strategy), activities to carry out the plan (tactics), do what we need to do (action) and measure the outcome (results) and feed back into the closed loop.  We see the synergistic beauty of the STAR approach. Many businesses are operating right now without a strategy, a plan. They might say, “We’re already successful without a plan, why have one?”  Here’s the easy answer: businesses with a strategic plan tend to be more successful, more profitable. It doesn’t have to be complicated.

SmallBizLady:  What do you see as the weakest link for Small Businesses in the Five Irrefutable Laws?

Misty Young:  Most small business failure can be traced back to a lack of financial accountability. It’s not for a lack of love or proficiency in the Products / Services, that’s the place of our expertise, our love, right? But financials? Many small business people don’t know how to decipher financial basics, balance sheets, profit and loss statements or cash flow statements. As small businesses, we don’t have to become CPAs, but we have to be able to talk to CPAs and understand what they’re saying. Anything less is a disservice to ourselves, our customers, associates, communities. Small businesses are the economic engine of the world, and strong financials are the firm basis on which the successful ones stand.

SmallBizLady:  What’s your approach to Law #5, The Law of Marketing?

Misty Young:  One of my favorite marketing gurus is Dan Kennedy.  His book “The Ultimate Marketing Plan” is one of the most dog eared in my massive collection. Kennedy says, “Little hinges swing big doors.” That statement made a huge impact on me. I do whatever it takes to be successful in business. Sometimes that’s a ton of little things, or one big thing. I market, measure, repeat, carefully evaluating what works. I keep what works and toss the jerks. I’m a bit of a nerd about analytics, metrics and measuring marketing success through ROI review. I don’t like wasting marketing dollars. Strategically investing money in marketing is an important business concept.

Finally, I manage my agenda carefully, and learning is on it every single day. I never stop learning and specifically seek more information and knowledge about marketing (it is a first love of mine, after all). That means I’m always finding great content and ideas about marketing, whether from sources like you, SmallBizLady, or Hubspot, MarketingProfs or through my MasterMind group, I make learning a priority.

SmallBizLady:  What’s an important lesson you’ve learned from a mistake?

Misty Young:  Fast isn’t always best, although the Universe loves speed. Be quick but don’t hurry, move forward once you have enough information. You don’t have to know everything to make a decision; you just have to have firm confidence, and continue to ask questions. I really believe a strong question set is important – and not just any questions, but very specific questions. Instead of asking “How can I make money selling tires?” ask, “How will the tires I want to sell save lives?” Take enough time, be specific, trust your gut, and then make your move. God gave you feelings for a reason, trust them.

SmallBizLady:  You’ve grown your company 400% in the last five years during a bad economy, how did you do it?

Misty Young:  I’m a people, systems and efficiency junkie. I have been relentless at systematizing and documenting everything in my businesses, literally living and building The Five Irrefutable Laws from the ground up. It started, quite literally, with checklists, which became operations manuals and developed into a full-fledged, values-based Code of Business Conduct. I created comprehensive multi-media training systems and performance indicators to hold myself and others accountable to results. I stayed true to marketing, financial literacy and operational excellence while taking great care of our customers and associates. It hasn’t been easy, but through developing my own leadership, and developing leaders within the organization it has been worth the intense effort.

SmallBizLady:  What one thing would you say is crucial for small business success? What’s the “one thing?”

Misty Young:  What you do every day matters for the long haul. If you don’t decide what you want for your life or business, you leave it open for others to decide for you. In other words, you can live your life by design or default. Set your own agenda, and live to your expectation. Take control of your time and make your desire come true.

Napoleon Hill, in the all time classic, “Think and Grow Rich,” said, “Thoughts are things, and powerful things at that, when they are mixed with the definiteness of purpose, persistence, and a burning desire for their translation into riches, or other material objects.”

Be definite in your purpose and persistent in your action to translate your burning desire into business success.

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in : http://bit.ly/S797e

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is America’s #1 small business expert. As CEO of Quintessence Multimedia, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. She writes a weekly column on social media for The New York Times. Forbes Magazine named her #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts  Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also the bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works and the ebook: How To Become A Social Media Ninja; 101 Ways to Dominate Your Competition Online.

Can they see me?

Guest Article

Tracking where and how your employees spend their time is critical, especially for service-oriented companies that bill per hour. It’s also important to understand what the overall productivity level is of your employees, especially those who work from home. It’s not that you don’t trust your employees, but when you measure something, people tend to be a lot more serious about it. Here are some ways to make the process of employee time tracking easier…

Keep an eye on employees even when you can’t see them.

There’s nothing like seeing employees hard at work only to realize they’re really just updating Facebook or Twitter. Keeping track of what employees are really doing while in the office or working remotely can be done with certain software tools.

Time tracking software is one of the easiest ways to guarantee that employees are actually working. The programs are often times fairly inexpensive, highly accurate, and worth every cent. Plus, employers get the added benefit of having all of the busy work of adding up hours and wages already completed for them thanks to the software. The biggest things to look for when thinking about purchasing a time clock software program is to make sure that it allows for unlimited employees, is easy to use, and has quality customer support.

I always feel like somebody’s watching me.

As with online time tracking software, monitoring software tracks everything employees do while using company computers. These programs can track every keystroke, block certain websites, prevent the downloading of certain files, and do just about anything employers need it to do. Reports are then generated so that employers can look at what employees have been doing.

This software improves productivity, prevents employees from either intentionally or unintentionally exposing confidential information, and keeps everyone in line. However, make sure employees know they are being monitored. Nobody wants to deal with an employee accusing the company of spying.

Keep tabs on telecommuters.

Many companies hire contract workers that either telecommute or report to the office rarely. This makes it difficult to know for sure if the hours they record were truly spent working. One way to circumvent the problem of hourly-billing is to make contract work a flat fee.

But service-oriented companies tend to have employees that work away from the office and bill by the hour. Trust is essential with these employees, but it’s not the only way to make sure they’re working.

Scheduling face-time using software programs such as Google Hangout, Google Chat or Skype, arranging for call-ins, or checking in with instant messaging helps provide the link between the home office and the traditional office.

If telecommuting employees use company-provided computers, then monitoring software should be installed to track their work as it would be if they were in the office.

Monitoring software prevents on-the-job cat naps.

What about employees who don’t use a computer for work?

Short of installing a microchip into the arm of employees that work remotely without a computer, it is almost impossible to tell how their time is spent. However, accountability goes a long way for these employees. Setting up goals and timelines for employees to reach ensures that they are working toward something.

Let them know you’ll be watching.

Using tracking software to monitor the work done by employees is the easiest way to keep track of their time spent working. Knowing that their activities are being monitored means employees are far less likely to devote time to non-work related activities… and Facebook will still be there once the work day is over.

About the author:  Dana Rasmussen is a freelance author who writes about a variety of topics, including time tracking, vacation destinations, corporate jet travel, social media and trends in the work place.  

Photo attribution: www.flickr.com/photos/evilerin/3093851614
Photo attribution: www.flickr.com/photos/pangpang/3505022325

Sponsored post

Running a small business is hard work, especially for a “mompreneur.” In many cases, you are doing the three full-time of jobs of wife, mother and business owner all at the same time. Every day you are doing more with less and trying to figure out how to get it all done smarter, cheaper and faster.  But remember, on the airplane the flight attendant always says you must put the oxygen mask on yourself first before helping anyone else. This idea is true in your business and personal life as well. Here are 7 ways to manage your life and business as a mompreneur.

Start each day with meditation or prayer:  I run like the wind with my demanding profession as a small business expert on top of my mom duties.  It’s hard to feel like you are not in a race every day. To keep my one-woman circus under control, I pray each morning.  Yoga is another great way to practice meditation techniques.

Stop the never ending to do lists: To do lists leave me feeling overwhelmed.  Who needs that? Focus on getting five things done before 11 a.m. each day. Start each day with a plan and anything you accomplish after your top five is a gift.

Be present: Your family wants to feel like they matter more than your work. Limit your work hours. Don’t be afraid to hit ignore and turn the cell phone off at a certain time each day. When you pick-up the kids, talk to them – don’t be that parent in the carpool line on the phone.  Don’t be tempted to multitask at work. Focus on phone calls and face-to-face meetings.  People can tell when you’re mentally checked out.

Use one calendar: You have one life so you need one calendar for your family and your business. I suggest using Google Calendar as it syncs to your phone. Put all your family and work appointments in one place and you’ll be far more likely to make everything happen.

Take regular breaks: I use the app Coffeebreak to make sure I walk away from my computer every 90 minutes. Then every three months, I take at least a 48-hour break from everything to be good to myself. Think about the things you used to do when you had more time: fishing, gardening, hiking, golfing, jewelry making, etc. You need rest to focus.  Have you scheduled a summer vacation yet?

Workout at least 3 times a week: You might feel like you don’t have time, but think about working out in a different way. Use working out as a way to spend quality time with yourself. If you need to think about an important decision in your business, walk or run and think.

Get more rest:  I recently read a study that said the body repairs itself between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. when we are asleep. Do not get swallowed up in your work. You can’t get a lot done with a cluttered mind. Focus on getting more rest! You’ll be a lot more productive if you do.

Do you have any tactics to add to the list?

Join me Thursday May 9^th at 8pm ET for a live QA sponsored by @FedExOffice on Twitter on Ways to Manage Your Life and Business as a Mompreneur. Use the hashtag #SMBMoms and sign into www.tweetchat.com to join in the conversation.

Disclosure:  FedEx Office compensated me to write this post and participate as a small business expert during their Tweet Chat program.  The ideas in this blog post are mine and not ideas or advice from FedEx Office.

Mother And Daughter courtesy of Ambro / www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

About FedEx Office

FedEx Office, an operating company of FedEx Corp., has more than 1,800 stores and locations primarily in the U.S. and Canada, providing convenient access to printing and shipping expertise with reliable service. The company’s network features retail stores, centralized production centers, corporate on-site print centers, and on-site business centers at hotels, convention centers and universities. Services include copying and digital printing, professional finishing, document creation, direct mail, signs and graphics, computer rental, free Wi-Fi and corporate print solutions. In addition, the company offers FedEx Express and FedEx Ground shipping, Hold at FedEx Location, and packing services backed by the FedEx^® Packing Pledge. InformationWeek 500 recognized FedEx Office^® Print Online and FedEx Office^® Print & Go solutions with the 2011 Most Innovative Products award. Products, services and hours vary by location. For more information, please visit www.fedex.com/office.

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is America’s #1 small business expert. As CEO of Quintessence Multimedia, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. She writes a weekly column on social media for The New York Times. Forbes Magazine named her #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also the bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. Her latest ebook, How To Become a Social Media Ninja; 101 Ways to Dominate Your Competition Online was released in 2012.

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Steve Greenberg.  Steve is a product scout, the author of Gadget Nation and the co-host of Food Network’s Invention Hunters. You can follow Steve on twitter @stevetv,  www.facebook.com/stevetv and on his website www.stevegreenberg.tv

SmallBizLady: What’s the first step to get my product into the marketplace?

Steve Greenberg: OK, you’ve come up with an idea–what’s next?  I suggest you do a serious search on the web.  Try to find your idea somewhere– anywhere.  After you have Googled it – next, search Google Patents to see if you can find it there.

SmallBizLady: How do I know if anyone will buy my product?

Steve Greenberg: Talk to some family and friends and see if they truly like the idea. Would they buy it?  How much would they pay?  How can the idea be improved?

SmallBizLady: What are some resources for inventors?

Steve Greenberg: Join Your Local Inventors Association.  There are inventor groups all across the country.  You can get a list by going to the United Inventors Association (UIA) website http://www.uiausa.org.  These local associations are a great resource.  You’ll meet other inventors from your area and you’ll get first-hand information on the pitfalls of inventing.  These are people who are ahead of you on the journey and can spare you a great deal of time and save you money on your journey.

SmallBizLady:  Filing a patent is time consuming and costly.  Is there an alternative? 

Steve Greenberg: Before you spend the big bucks on a patent–go for the less expensive Provisional Patent.  It costs under $200 and offers “some” protection.  It’s NOT a patent, your product is NOT patent pending–but at least a Provisional Patent draws a line in the sand–and gives you some protection for one year.

SmallBizLady: Even with a provisional patent, how likely is it I’ll actually get my product sold?

Steve Greenberg: Now you have a year to do your homework.  Do you really want to invest thousands of dollars into this idea?  Bringing a product to store shelves is gambling–plain and simple.  The pay-offs can be huge–but so can the losses.
This is the stage where you do market research to see if consumers really want this product.  Price out doing a prototype, manufacturing costs–really evaluate what you’re getting into.

SmallBizLady: How can I protect my idea and my product?

Steve Greenberg: Beware of Scams.  It’s about here in the process that you’ll start to notice late night TV ads for inventors and you’ll start looking for a company to take this project off your hands.  It’s here that I tell all inventors to beware.  There’s a cottage industry of companies that make their living by ripping off first time inventors. They are experts in saying what you want to hear — be careful.  Talk to people in your local inventors group to find out who you can trust.

SmallBizLady: Should I license my product?

Steve Greenberg: To License or Not To License. It’s about here that you might start to think about licensing your idea to a large company.  Keep in mind IF you get a licensing deal (and that’s a BIG IF) you will only get about 3-5% of the product sales.  BUT the upside is that you won’t have the hassle and costs associated with manufacturing, shipping, distribution etc.  You can shop your idea around yourself–or use the services of a product scout –like me :-)

SmallBizLady: Do I need an attorney to file for a patent?

Steve Greenberg:  If you’ve come this far–it sounds like you are very serious about going all the way–so it’s time to approach a patent agent or a patent attorney.  Do your homework.  Ask other inventors who they recommend.  You don’t want to over-pay, but you also don’t want a crappy patent.  Keep in mind, your patent is only as good as the person who wrote it.  So really put some serious thought in this decision

SmallBizLady:  Why should I create a prototype?

Steve Greenberg: I’m a big fan of prototyping.  Sure it costs money, but it’s really the only way to see if your product truly works.  In fact it’s a good idea to do the prototyping before the final patent paperwork is filed so that you can tweak the design based on what you learn from the final prototype.

SmallBizLady:  Where should I have my product manufactured?

Steve Greenberg:  Assuming you want to manufacture the product yourself—you’ll need to decide where you want that to happen.  America is one option–and very patriotic BUT also very costly. If you decide on China or somewhere else in the world, the costs will be lower but you’ll probably need to hire an expert to help you though the jungle of importing, factory selection, shipping, etc.  Luckily there are many professionals who can walk you through this tough process.

SmallBizLady:  Do you have any packaging advice?

Steve Greenberg:  Maybe in the 1950′s and 60′s packaging was just the box that held the product.  Not today. In today’s world there are no sales people.  When you walk into a store, the product’s packaging must sell the product.  I know of so many examples of products that had almost no sales UNTIL they changed the packaging–then the products flew off the shelf.  Here again, there are lots of pros who can help you design powerful packaging.

SmallBizLady:  Any final tips to get my product idea onto store shelves?

Steve Greenberg:  Inventing may seem like a solitary endeavor–and maybe the very early stages are all about you alone.  But to be a successful inventor you need help.  There’s no way you have all of the answers.  That’s the bad news–the good news is that there are lots of talented trustworthy professionals out there who can help you through this bumpy journey.  My advice–use them.

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9pm ET follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/S797e

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com. 

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is America’s #1 small business expert. As CEO of Quintessence Multimedia, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. She writes a weekly column on social media for The New York Times. Forbes Magazine named her #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com. Melinda is also the bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works and the ebook: How To Become A Social Media Ninja; 101 Ways to Dominate Your Competition Online.