Well…here we are about halfway through what has so far been an incredibly challenging and difficult year for many of us in business, from the giants like GM to the local auto detail shop.

Some have survived, and sadly some have not. Some have reinvented themselves and some are still doing the same things they have always done…resistant to any changes.

So what does the rest of 2009 hold for the marketplace here in the U.S.?

It depends on who you are listening to and what your mindset is. It really does not matter if you are looking to the media; research firms, the government, or whomever for this information because it changes like a moving target. Staying tune with what is being reported may give you some insight on what the latest flavor of news is for sure. However, what really will determine what the rest of 2009 will look like for your business is your mindset.

Your thinking dictates your actions therefore taking regular assessments of your mindsets to ensure you are not sabotaging your chances for future success in this tough economy is a smart move for anyone in business today.

I am writing this series on the 4 mindsets that are sure to kill off a business in this new ’social consumer powered’ era we have entered. Check to see if any of these are lurking around to hamper your success.

Business Suicide Mentality #1: The Status Quo Mindset

This mindset is really easy to recognize because it reeks of “just do what I have to and no more” and “don’t fix it if it isn’t broken”. This mindset is deadly because it gives the permission to stay the same, to resist change, to discourage innovation and creativity, to foster ‘lip service’ rather than genuine customer care. In addition, it breeds lame company cultures where employees don’t really care about the job… it’s nothing more than just a paycheck and they can’t wait until they are off the clock.

Businesses that operated with this particular mindset were able to get away with it and still stay in business at one time in our society. However, I strongly believe this type of business will be put out to the curb like yesterdays trash very soon. People (customers) are sick of lip service, lies, half efforts, poor customer service and being sold a bunch of blah, blah. Customers now have the power to not only be more selective but demand your business delivers on the level it should deliver. In fact…they want even more than that now. They want an experience…not just a transaction. They can get that anywhere both online and offline!

What is status quo? The dictionary defines status quo as…
Status quo
n. The existing condition or state of affairs
The existing order of things; present customs, practices, and power relations:

The sad reality is there are soooooooo many existing businesses suffering with this mentality. Why right here where I live I see it all the time!

Just last night a couple of my dear friends pried me away from my computer (I tend to get stuck in front of my monitor more than I like too admit) to take me out to dinner at a fairly new restaurant close to the Nissan Alley in East Franklin, TN.

It was a really nice place we had not ate at yet. Excitement filled the air as we were shown to our seats. Our waitress appeared in seconds with menus in hand but her demeanor was noticeably very unfriendly. Hey maybe she was just having a bad day, maybe this will get better right? Nope, actually it got worse!

Continue Reading…

Believe it or not, many clients that have come to us to develop a new website did not realizing they did not own their previous website!

How can that be?

Well for starters…many web designers sell you what is referred to as a proprietary CMS (Content Management System) or a template based system. Both of these give you the advantage of adding content and managing some of your website functions from a browser accessed backend commonly refer to as a ‘Dashboard’. However, it the web system belong to the company your website it with not you. You only own your content.

How can you go wrong with a setup like that?

This may be ok for you if you are just looking for an ‘easy’ way to be online.

But if you really serious about growing your business and brand online you must understand your website and web presence is not just a marketing tool, (the most important one there is today I might add) it can be a real business asset if developed properly. That means you should own all of your website so YOU can grow it to evolve with you business objectives!

Everything from the domain, to the content, to the actual core files that make up your website, you should have a copy of this tangible asset in your possession. Do you? You would be shocked in the 13 years I have been doing this how many clients do not have possession nor control over their digital property!

Does this mean you have to be a website design expert to control and own your website destiny?

I’m happy to tell you the answer is a great big No! You can have your very own custom CMS that gives you the control to manage your website just like those propriety systems you are renting use of!

If you don’t need something that robust, there are all types of user friendly,  web editing solutions, and user management type solutions for your website needs. Not to mention all sorts of business solutions you can have incorporated into your website! You just need some help in knowing what the best option is for your business.

Finally, I strongly encourage you not to shy away from taking on a greater ‘ownership’ role regarding your web presence. There is NOTHING out there as powerful, as cost effective, as hard working, and far reaching as your presence on the internet. This is the place you should nor neglect to invest in to position your business for a turnaround in this economy.

Fired up my Twitter this morning and checked what the hot topics of the day were and my goodness…#unfollowdiddy was really buzzing!

So I decided to check out what was going on and lo and behold, many fellow tweets were voicing their not so nice things about P Diddy (Sean “Diddy” Combs).

See for yourself…

#unfollowdiddy is trending so I read his tweets. He’s less of a jerk than I expected, but arrogant as he**. Twitters taking him down a peg.

#unfollowdiddy FOLLOW ME FOR A FREE #unfollowdiddy T SHIRT -ONE WINNER EVERY HOUR SM L XL

Good Morning twit fam!! I see the movement #unfollowdiddy is still going strong!

I think I will #unfollowdiddy even though I never followed him because it seems to be the cool thing to do today.

@iamdiddy if you love your followers so much, why not follow them back? #unfollowdiddy {so…why not?}

#unfollowdiddy because he’s a loser!

#unfollowdiddy It’s not because he hit 1 million. It’s how he did it. He kept screaming at people to RT. It was unnatural.

WOW! He is getting slammed by ‘the people’!! This is just a very small sampling of what is on the mind of the fans.

This whole #unfollowdiddy campaign is freaking hilarious. I unfollowed him a long time ago because he was so annoying.

I think they hurt Diddy’s feelings…he’s taken the #unfollowdiddy thing personally…LOL

What did he do to receive so much wrath?

That’s not the focus of my sharing today but I can tell you it had to do with folks perceiving he has double standards.

The point I am wanting to make in bringing this to your attention is not to spread gossip but to AGAIN backup up my position with real live facts…your brand is in the hands of the people.

And as you can see…it doesn’t matter WHO you are. If you are a super star or a politician, a local restaurant, a freelancer, or whatever. In minutes, you can be swept up in a fury of good or bad PR (People Release) and it can have huge repercussions (both good or bad).

What can you do to try and make sure what happened to P Diddy (Sean “Diddy” Combs) today does not happen to you?

Here are just a few proactive things to help ensure you don’t get on the bad list.

Continue Reading…

Twitter tweets were buzzing today about their frustration and anger with Old Navy’s $1 Flip Flop Day.

Apparently the marketing gurus in this company (and most other corporations for that matter) have not taken into consideration every move they make…we are watching them…and Twittering!

All over the country people were Twittering about their unhappy experience in “real-time“.  This is the power of the Social Network folks!

It’s for certain, many folks on were not happy campers. Just look at some of the comments I saw coming across Twitter…

one dollar flip flop day at old navy : hate hate hate flip flops : hate hate hate old navy : hate everyone buying flip flops right now

I just hope that Old Navy took names of everyone who CAMPED OUT for flip flops, in the interests of future gene pool cleansing

Da%$#^…old navy is out of $1 flip flops…i should have known.

In Old Navy people are fighting over the flip flops.I’m not even joking.

No more flip flops at old navy. Like 0 pairs left. People are intense.

Old navy was a bunch of B.S.

OLD Navy will remember the next time they have a $1.00. They had to close the store!

Craziness at Old Navy, all for cheap plastic shoes! So not worth it!

Will Old Navy try to do damage repair? That remains to be seen. What I do Continue Reading…

Why is it business websites and web assets ‘don’t get no respect’? That’s right.

In my 13 years as a web business professional I see this happen over and over. It happens with large corporations, to one man shop freelancers, to mid size and small businesses to entrepreneurs. Their website gets very little attention and nurturing at the stage of inception often handed off to the ‘web people’ to Make It So!

What’s wrong with that you ask?

Well for starters, your website and web properties (blogs, social pages, digital campaigns, etc) are not just flipping things that show up on the Internet! Rather they are digital jewels! They are exceptionally valuable to your business survival and well being.

They should not be looked at as just some text, images and a few things that go bump in the night on the web. Nor should they be just referred to as marketing ‘tools’.

No, your website and web presence is to be a digital expression of your business. It is your front door to the world to radiate the passion, heartbeat, culture, creativity, innovation, and emotion of your business. It should be your best ‘digi-friend’. I’m not joking.

Why do I take this position?

The world has changed. Business has changed. Marketing has changed. Your Client has changed.

I just love what Jeremy Dent at JuiceDigital says on this…

“With the obsession about financial ‘instruments’ and debt management, the business of innovation in products and services aimed at a sustainable future is bankrupt. Tomorrow’s growth won’t come from a particular person, place, or technology but from understanding why recent growth has failed.

The same growth models applied to new people, places, and technologies will simply result in the same crises, over again. We have to reboot growth (and maybe capitalism itself): the problem is not what is growing versus what is not, but how we grow.

So as marketers, let’s concentrate at creative thinking in those areas in which we have control. We know that the conventional advertising, public relations and direct marketing models are having less effective results. The consumer (and business user) is Web-savvy, resistant to interruption and engaging in more and more interaction online”.

Being in business and being Web-savvy is more than just using the Internet daily. It’s understanding and embracing the truth that at the core of succeeding in 21st Century business is a new mindset about the way you do business and the value you place on your digital presence and property!

It’s about taking control and responsibility in the ownership and nurturing of your digital business objectives and getting the best quailified professionals to help you make your onlone postion a strong and eveloing one. Not just leaving it to the intern, your high school son, some web shop or department. You better treat it right if you want to be around!