Small Business Today Magazine - November 2012 Edition

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SBT Houston Staff November 2012

FROM THE

Publisher

STEVE LEVINE

Business Development/PR Bill Huff Donna K. Rooney

Very Grateful November is typically the month that we give thanks for all of the blessings that we have. It is also a time that we are reminded that not all of us are as blessed. We are reminded that there are millions of our fellow Americans who are homeless and hungry and many more of us in other parts of the world who live in societies where even the basic freedoms that we enjoy are denied. Wouldn’t you agree that no matter how bad we think we have it in today’s economy, that there are others who would give anything for what we have?

So many of our cover stories in the last eight months have shared their inspirational stories with us of how they had to overcome incredible challenges to achieve the life and business that they have today.

Truly, “rags to riches” and “success despite the odds against them” are common threads in our cover stories. Our cover story this month, Wea Lee of Southern News Group. has just such a story. Mr. Lee’s, the son of two teachers did not grow up in an entrepreneur or business environment. The media empire (Asian Newspapers, Asian Yellow Pages, Asian Shopper Papers and an Asian Television Station through this vision, hard work, and determination serves as inspiration to those small business owners and start-up entrepreneurs in the Asian Community, but to everyone! Now that I know his complete story, I am very glad that Wea Lee has allowed us to honor him in this issue of SMALL BUSINESS TODAY! Now, I would like to reflect on all that I am grateful for not only at this time of the year, but always: I am grateful that I was born in a country that allows me the freedom to worship as I choose, to vote for the leaders of my nation’s government, to travel where I wish, and to create and develop any business I wish anywhere I wish to build it. I am grateful that I was born into a family who encouraged me to be whatever I wanted to be and made many, many sacrifices so I could have the college education that they were denied and/or discouraged from by their parents.

Lastly, I am very, very grateful to have the love and support of my family (my wife Barbara, my sister Tracey, sons Tim and Jason (and his wife Renea), my step-children, Jerome and Gina (and her husband Brad), and more friends than I deserve.

I am very grateful to have my terrific partner John Cruise and our wonderful advisory board members (listed on this page) as part of our business. Each of these incredible people gives me the incentive to keep “raising the bar” in the quality of everything we do. I am extremely appreciative of our fantastic graphic designer Vanessa Vara and Eric Kleiman, our photographer. They both go above and beyond the call of duty in all that they do. I am grateful for all of our clients whose support has made SMALL BUSINESS TODAY both a reality and a success in such a short time!

This success has been aided by the relationships that we have been blessed to establish with the WBEA (Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance), The HMSDC (Houston Minority Supplier Development Council), The SBDC (Small Business Development Council) of the University of Houston and The Main Street Chamber..

I am also very grateful to all of you in Houston’s business community who share with us just how much they enjoy the beautiful hard copy of this magazine and/or the digital edition every month.

In this, our November issue, we share the story of one of these terrific organizations, The Main Street Chamber. John and I are very proud to be sponsors and ambassadors of this outstanding organization!

You may even see us in a few of their photos on pages _____ through ______.

Good reading, good sales, and success to you!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!

President John Cruise Executive Publisher Steve Levine Editor/Creative Director Barbara Davis-Levine

Graphic Design Vanessa Vara Photographers Eric Kleiman Contributing Writers Errol Allen Don Brown Barbara Davis David T. Domzalski Toni Harris David Holt Bruce Hurta Julie Marie Irvin Jeffrey Jones Steven Kay Craig Klein Hank Moore Mike Muhney Erica A. Murray Amy Olivieri Rita Santamaria Alvin Terry Aimee Woodall Jack Warkenthien R.D. Yoder Chief Advisor Hank Moore Publisher’s Advisory Board Debra Bann Cyndi Barnett John Cruise April Day Maya Durnovo Kathie Edwards Leonard Faucher David Holt Richard Huebner Julie Marie Irvin Jeffrey Jones Steven Kay Craig Klein H. Quincy Long Hank Moore Mike Muhney Neil Polansky Rita Santamaria Allen Shapiro Pam Terry Jack Warkenthien Doug Winnie R.D. Yoder Aaron Young

Steve Levine Publisher

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Phone: 832-460-2020 E-Mail: Steve.Levine@SBTMagazine.net Or Write: Small Business Today 5380 West 34th Street, Ste 230 Houston, TX 77092 See us on the web at www.SBTMagazine.net SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 3

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INSIDE

Professional Development 10 Entrepreneurs Tool Box Project Management 11

ERIC KLEIMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

6

WEA H. LEE

SOUTHERN NEWS GROUP - FROM RAGS TO INCHES THROUGH HARD WORK AND INNOVATION

24

Main Street Chamber

43

Rac Conference Center Inc.

Community, Connection, Commerce.

Readers are (PR) Succeeders 12 What I Learned From Helping My Wife Launch Her Real Estate Career 13 Olympic Gold and Visioning Scope Peaks Celebrate Business Success 14

Would you or your company like to be profiled in our next issue?

Why Would a Commercial Real Estate Developer Be Interested in SBA Financing? 16 4 Key Ingredients to Proactive Prospecting in the 21st Century 18 What Does Multi-Level Marketing Mean for Businesses and Business Owners? 19 The Brain Thay Buys 20 Workforce Development Critical to Energy Future 22 Main Street Chamber 24 Your Next Step: Technology Firms Need Culture 31 Polished Proposals: Refine Your Writing 34 The Four "F - Words" Of Life 36 The Financial Impact of Customer Service 40 The Importance of Peer Advisory 42 Seven Steps to Improve Productivity Drastically 44 Does WBE or MBE Certification Drive Business? 45

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For more information contact Steve Levine at: 832-460-2020

Perfect venue for: Corporate Events, Workshops, Seminars, Meetings, Trainings, Computer Lab

HOUSTON EDITION PUBLISHER: STEVE LEVINE SMALL BUSINESS MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY LEGACY PUBLISHING GROUP, LLC. 5380 WEST 34TH ST. STE. 230 HOUSTON, TX 77092 EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER: STEVE LEVINE PRESIDENT: JOHN CRUISE PHONE: 832-460-2020 www.SBTMagazine.net ADVERTISING RATES ON REQUEST. BULK THIRD CLASS MAIL PAID IN TUCSON, AZ. POSTMASTER: PLEASE SEND NOTICES ON FORM 3579 TO 5380 WEST 34TH ST. STE. 230 HOUSTON, TX 77092 ALTHOUGH EVERY PRECAUTION IS TAKEN TO ENSURE ACCURACY OF PUBLISHED MATERIALS, SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR OPINIONS EXPRESSED OR FACTS SUPPLIED BY ITS AUTHORS. COPYRIGHT 2012, LEGACY PUBLISHING GROUP, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED.

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ERIC KLEIMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

HOUSTON NOVEMBER 2012 EDITION

IN THIS ISSUE

ERIC KLEIMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

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ERIC KLEIMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

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ERIC KLEIMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

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EDITORIAL FEATURE

Professional Development

THE BUSINESS OF REAL ESTATE

By Rita Santamaria

M

any companies are stuck in the muck of doing the same type of training for every new hire that comes into the office environment. Company training involving the specific task orientation the new hire will be expected to do on a daily, yearly basis is the sum total of the entire training program.

The training of the key elements of the job itself is the extent of the thought processes.

Information on the company, expectations of the employee, human resource information all spelled out in the Policies and Procedures Manual should not be the only training for these valuable company assets.

Where is the development of the individual employee so they can grow into a more valuable employee?

What constitutes value in a person when considering the business environment? Do you want a person who simply does their expected job or a person who grows more valuable based on “other training experiences” provided by the company?

The company who provides a “well rounded” curriculum as well as an ongoing curriculum of professional development will grow a better sales team and management team of individuals. The company will be the winner as they reap the benefits of better customer service, more sales, better office relationships and positive interaction between employees and customers.

Inclusive in professional development are the historical set of practices and additionally modern rules of engagement. To be more specific a company would see strides in personal employee value by stressing communication do’s and don’ts for written and oral delivery of effective

messages.

The organization and facilitation of meetings enhances all the participants’ opportunities to become more productive from time spent during office meetings. The training and how to of this ongoing activity is mandatory.

In today’s business environment meeting and greeting the cross cultural customer is a new set of learning skills. Embarrassing cultural faux pas can be eliminated with this type of modern training. Business meetings including lunch as well as coffee at Starbucks are part of the business etiquette training where companies can grow their employees

to demonstrate the right social skills.

Chivalry and The Golden Rule all come together when maintaining the foundation for good relationships in all cultures. Making a good first impression, using professional attire which is appropriate for the job are basics that should be revisited regularly when a company desires to keep its image at the top of professionalism.

For more information go to www.

ChampionsSchool.com or contact Rita@ ChampionsSchool.com.

Champions offer courses at the Champions School of Professional Development.

CHAMPIONS SCHOOL OF REAL ESTATE ®

Providing Award-Winning Education Since 1983

Real Estate, Loan Origination, Appraisal and Home Inspection Courses Available in Classroom, Online and by Correspondence.

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Austin | Dallas | Ft. Worth | Houston | San Antonio | Online

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Open to the Public; TREC #0005

Lone Star College Tomball Provider #0123

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EDITORIAL FEATURE

Entrepreneurs Tool Box Project Management

ENTREPRENEURS WORKBOOK

By Alvin E. Terry, MBA / Business Consultant, Dynamic Business Builders

Should You Manage Your Own Project?

As you grow and expand your business there will be a time when you are going to decide if you can be the “Project Manager” over your project.

It all depends. If you are just going to have an Office Interior Build-Out, then you can babysit the project if the Owner will allow it. Or you just may stop inform time to time to see how the project is coming along.

Normally, the Landlord or Building Owner will have their own Construction Company that they have an existing relationship with. This can be painless for you since this relationship already exists. Your main function at this time is to come and see and look at the progress, and at the final product. Your contract has been negotiated and signed. The numbers will only change of course if you want additions or extras. This will result in “change orders”, which, in reality results in a totally new contract. Those extras will cost you. Be pre-paired to check your budget to see if you are willing to have those extra expenditures.

If the project is a very large or complex project such as a “single-use” building, you may want to have a project manager on your team to ensure that everything is going along as planned. Keeping in mind that things can and usually sometimes go wrong during the construction process. As a novice this may cause you to panic, but as a project manager it just may be business as usual, with no need to panic. A good project manager is there to handle the particulars. This may include constantly engaging with the General Contractor www.SBTMagazine.net

or Construction manager assigned to the job.

Whichever route that you decide to take, depending on the size and complexity of the project, someone needs to be competent and in control of the process. Technical skills cannon be taken for granted. To be safe, a good project manager will possess a variety of skills.

Some of these skills will include: • Organizational skills • People skills • Personal skills • High performance skills • Hard skills • Soft skills • Technical skills • Time management skills • Budgeting skills • Leadership skills • Patience skills • Conflict resolution skills • Listening skills • Discipline skills • Educational skills This is just a list of skill-sets that one must possess in order to complete projects that have multiple construction disciplines interacting and sometimes engaging simultaneously.

This article is designed to cover a broad overview of the dynamics that can be a part of your construction project. It is always best to interview and hire a firm or individual with the specific experience and skill-set that you need, always check references.

The process is dynamic with multiple parts interacting with one another.

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Associations and Organizations. Make sure that you have someone that has been professionally trained or has multiple years of “successful” project completions.

Remember the most important thing to remember and to adhere to is “Planning”, it is all about the planning. When the chosen few are involved in the beginning stages of the planning process the successful completion of a project is more predictable. Reviewing all of the components of the project and the documentation that will be required to track all activities is of utmost importance. With this understanding, risk management is in place and “most” of the unknowns can be identified.

Some things we can never control, such as the Weather, Acts of God, unsuspected Political influences and Site Specific encounters. All of these words and their meanings will be constituted in all construction contracts in one form or another.

Keep in mind that any project that you may undertake will take focus, concerted efforts, understanding, patience and a commitment by all to “Get THE JOB DONE”. Good on your next “Project”.

You may contact Alvin e. Terry, MBA at 713-392-9107 or by e-mail, alvin. terry@rocketmail.com.

Education can be conferred on many levels in this area of discipline. This may include Associate Degrees, Bachelor Degrees, Master Degrees, Certificated Courses through many SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 11

EDITORIAL FEATURE

Readers are (PR) Succeeders SOCIAL MEDIA

By Aimee Woodall

Oh, that magical world of childhood literature— just you and your favorite characters, in a world all your own. A world full of adventure!

Possibility! Hope, dreams, and cutthroat PR instincts!

Okay, maybe not that last one. Last week, Black Sheep celebrated National Read a Book Day with a rundown of some favorite childhood books and the PR lessons that can be learned from them. These are some of the lessons that made Black Sheep who and what it is today: a badass PR and marketing agency at the top of the game—even if we’re reading from the bottom of the bookshelf.

Miss Nelson is Missing by Henry Allard and James Marshall Miss Nelson is a lovely elementary school teacher with nothing but her pupils’ best intentions at heart. (It must be her first year of teaching.) Unfortunately, her class doesn’t realize how good they’ve got it, and they make poor Miss Nelson’s life a living H-EDouble-Hockey sticks. (These are children’s books I’m talking about.) However, when Miss Nelson is replaced for a week by the horrible substitute, Viola Swamp (who bears a VERY STRANGE RESEMBLANCE to Miss Nelson,) they realize how much they want good old’ Miss Nelson back.

PR Lesson: Whether you’re on the way up or looking down from Boss Mountain, appreciate those around you—the ones who help you get things done every day. Nobody likes to toil away without being appreciated, so you better RECOGNIZE. Or don’t be surprised if your contacts and coworkers turn into real Viola Swamps.

Harriet The Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

PR Lesson: The first lesson should be a nobrainer—take good notes. But beyond just recording what she sees, Harriet has a noapologies approach to being herself, and to expressing it through her writing. The next time you’re pitching; don’t be afraid to inject a little personality! See things your own way!

Develop a unique perspective! Be a spy. (But don’t go climbing into any dumbwaiters.)

The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone I’m ending with a beginner book because this one has the most important lesson. Lovable, furry Grover spends the entire book begging the reader not to turn the pages—because there is A MONSTER AT THE END OF THIS BOOK. Children are basically masochists, and so the pages, as you can image, get turned.

When you get to the end (spoiler alert!) it turns out that the monster is Grover himself! Whew!

PR Lesson: Be fearless! Go forth! Identify people you’re afraid to talk to, and do it.

Nobody is “out of your league.” Who do you really want to work with? Contact them today.

I’m not saying you’ll never be scared when you break new career ground—but if you’re not just a little bit scared; it’s probably not worth doing. Trust me. If you’re brave, you can handle whatever is coming! And whatever you do, keep turning new pages.

Aimee Woodall/Black Sheep Agency Contact her 832.971.7725 or email at aimee@ theblacksheepagency.com Theblacksheepagency.com

Oh, Harriet. She’s that rare child who knows exactly what she wants out of life—to become a spy. Each day after leaving private school, she travels her “spy route,” collecting stories and information about the people who live in her neighborhood, noting it all in her precious notebook. Unfortunately, when her friends get a load of what she’s written about them, it’s a serious black mark on her social life.

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EDITORIAL FEATURE

What I Learned From Helping My Wife Launch Her Real Estate Career

By David T. Domzalski

A

s of this past July, I am no longer just Dave Domzalski, founder of Financial Bin. Instead, I have added “Tech Guy” and Lead Generator to my resume. I know you are asking yourself, “Why?” Well, it is because my wife, Anna, started her career as a real estate agent this summer in Bucks County, PA. It has been fun for me to help my wife grow her business’s online presence from scratch. Sure, I have had to wrestle with these subjects (and job titles) as I started my company over two years ago. Nevertheless, I have learned a few extra things that would have helped me in the beginning that I will be sure to implement for her business.

All of that said, here are a few tips that I learned over the past few months that apply to most businesses who want to increase their online presence: 1.

Yes, SEO is Really Important.

I tried to avoid it and failed miserably.

There is just no getting around using SEO, or Search Engine Optimization.

As I said, I have TRIED! If you truly want to reach customers (or in my wife’s case buyers and sellers), you need to have a healthy dose of SEO throughout your website, blog, and social media sites. We continue to try to make sure her sites rank high on Google by focusing in on a few keywords. The trick is to find the keywords that are searched frequently, but do not have a lot of competition.

SEO really is a science and an art.

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2.

WordPress Can Be a Pain.

I am not going to bash WordPress. I just cannot. It is a fantastic content management platform. In fact, Financial Bin runs on it. But, for the life of me, I could not find a template that would fit what Anna and I wanted to do with her website. While she calls me her “Tech Guy,” I am far from being the next Mark Zuckerberg. I had somebody put my WordPress site together for me. We ended up going with Wix.com. It’s easy to use and allows you to really customize the template. It is great for the non-techy “Tech Guy” and they are always adding new features. Both WordPress and Wix are fantastic for SEO as well.

3.

Everything Starts Locally.

Now, I know this is obvious when it comes to real estate. But, I am beginning to believe the same is true for online businesses as well. With my company, it is just as important for me to network in my local community as it is to network on Twitter or Facebook. At the end of the day, life and business are about relationships. Nothing will ever come close to being in front of a real person and shaking his or her hand. It just won’t. Get known locally and build your online presence. The national acclaim will come as long as you stick to it and put yourself out there on a daily basis.

4.

Get a System and Stick to It. I cannot stress enough how important it is to get a system and not abandon it after a few weeks. For Anna, this is how she will get repeat business and be the top agent in her area. Find out what works for the top producers in your field and make it work for you.

Sure, you may have to make some tweaks. But, they are on top for a reason. Instead of reinventing the wheel, use the wheel to grow your business!

5.

Execute, Execute, Execute and Then Execute Some More. I beg you: do not just sit there and continue to make plans. Plans do not pay the rent – EXECUTION does! To motivate yourself, focus on doing just one thing on your list per day if you have to. But, do not just wait for something to happen. It is all on you!

Now go out there and make it rain!

Good luck!

David T. Domzalski is the founder of Financial Bin, a media company focused on personal finance and entrepreneurial education for Generation Y. You can contact David through email or visit his website: FinancialBin. com and david@financialbin.com

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EDITORIAL FEATURE

Olympic Gold and Visioning Scope Peaks Celebrate Business Success

BIG PICTURE OF BUSINESS

By Hank Moore / Corporate Strategist™

An event of this year signified the opportunities for business to go past the downturn and succeed on their own. We were inspired by the Olympic Games.

organizations ask: What will we look like in the future? What do we want to become? How will we evolve?

Vision is a realistic picture of what is possible.

Here are some business take-backs that may be interpreted through the prism of the Olympic Games:

Businesses, communities and organizations will succeed by having, communicating and garnering support for a Shared Vision.

Visioning sets the stage for necessary processes, such as growth strategies, re-engineering, training, enhancing shareholder value and organizational development.

Without visioning, the community simply performs band-aid surgery on problems as they occur. The Vision provides continuous guidance to employees at every level as to how they should manage their respective responsibilities.

• Grabbing your own gold means different things to different people.

• We must celebrate the journey, the hard work and the process of getting there, not just the moment of glory.

• Having people believing in you makes all the difference.

• True champions will support and nurture others.

• No champion made it without good coaching.

Having a qualified, experienced business mentor is the sure path to your success.

Most organizations know why they exist and their purpose.

Those fundamental elements constitute a Mission Statement.

Most organizations never go past the Mission Statement. Thus, they fail to realize potential. Having a purpose by itself does not make the organization materialize, much less be successful.

Visioning is the process where good ideas become something more. Visioning is a catalyst toward long-term evaluation, planning and implementation. Visioning is a jumpoff point by which forward-thinking

Visioning must be Big Picture in perspective. It must creatively focus upon the whole and then the parts of the organization, as they relate to the whole. It is a process by which a Strategic Plan and Visioning program components come off the shelf and alive into action, relative to all levels of the organization: 1. Resource.

Equipment, tools, materials, schedules.

2. Skills-Tasks. Duties, activities, tasks, behaviors, attitudes, contracting, project fulfillment.

3. Role-Job. Assignments, responsibilities, functions, relationships and accountability.

4. Systems-Processes. Structure,

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hiring, control, work design, supervision and decisions.

5. Strategy. Planning, tactics, organizational development.

6. Culture-Mission.

Values, customs, beliefs, goals, objectives, benchmarking.

7. Philosophy.

Organizational purpose, vision, quality of life, ethics, long-term growth.

The Vision describes what can and will happen, once everyone's energies are focused.

Vision is not a financial forecast or a market analysis. Vision is less of a dream and more of a realistic picture of what is possible.

When there is a genuine Vision (as compared to a terse "vision statement"), people are compelled to learn and excel, not because they are told to but because they want to.

Most leaders have personal visions that rarely get communicated to the organization. By default, Vision has resolved around the values and positioning of one leader. Often, a crisis will rally the organization, but that tends to be short-lived.

Given the choice, most people and their organizations will pursue high goals. Visioning is a process that melds individual visions into a recipe for success...a shared set of guiding practices. When different constituencies have common visions (or at least applications of them), they will bond together for purpose and cause. www.SBTMagazine.net

Personal visions are driven by an individual's deep caring. Shared visions derive their power via common caring. Truly, people want to be connected together.

Shared visions take time to emerge.

They grow as a result of successful showcasing of individual visions, with benchmarks for success that are understood. Ongoing conversation is required to foster shared visions.

Out of listening, insights of what is possible shall emerge.

The key elements of Strategic Vision are: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Business scope and scale.

Product and market focus.

Competitive focus.

Orientation toward image and relationships.

5. Applicability to organization and culture.

Visioning needs to take place within each business unit, as well as at the larger organizational level.

Too often, management fails to articulate its values or does so imperfectly.

Statement is rewritten several times, as the planning process ensues. The last draft of the statement will be an executive summary of collective ideas and works of the Visioning team.

4. Identify strategic objectives and goals. I ask clients to do so without using three words: "technology," "sales," and "solutions."

Most businesses fail to grow because they get stuck in buzz words and trite phrases that they hear in others' marketing hype. Objectives and goals must be germain to your company and its unique position.

5. Generate select strategic options. There are many ways to succeed, and your game plan should have at least five viable options.

When the Visioning program matures and gets to its second generation, you'll find that winning formulas stem from a hybrid of the original strategic options. Creative thinking moves the company into the future, not rehashes of the earliest ideas.

6. Develop the vision statement.

It will be action-oriented and speaks from the facts, as well as from the passion of company leaders. It will include a series of convictions why your organization will work smarter, be its best, stand for important things and be accountable.

7. Measure and review the progress.

By benchmarking activities and accomplishments against planned objectives, then the company has a barometer of its previous phase and an indicator of its next phase.

Hank Moore/Corporate Strategist™ Phone: 713-668-0664 Website: http://www.hankmoore.com Email: hankmoore4218@sbcglobal.net

What Visioning is Not....

• Revenue forecasting or quotas.

• Marketing campaign.

• Academic exercise in mumbo jumbo.

• Group facilitated top-down orders.

7 Steps toward Strategic VisionHow and why companies get from here to there.

1. Analyze the company's future environment, resources and capabilities. Determine where the Big Picture existed before, if it did at all. Crystallize the core business in terms of viabilities to move successfully forward to some discernible point.

2. Clarify management values.

Growth must be conducted in concert with core values. Often, senior management have not yet fully articulated their own individual values, let alone those of the organization. This process helps to define and further develop value systems to carry the organization toward success.

3. Develop a Mission Statement.

It is a starting point, not an end in itself. In reality, the Mission www.SBTMagazine.net

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EDITORIAL FEATURE

Why Would a Commercial Real Estate Developer Be Interested in SBA Financing?

By Bruce Hurta

W

hy would a commercial real estate developer be interested in SBA government-backed financing, when investment real estate is ineligible for SBA financing? Investment real estate is defined by SBA as property which is owned for resale or for rental income. SBA financing eligibility is attributable to real estate which is "owned and occupied" by a small business. If buying an existing property, the small business operating company must occupy at least 51% of the square footage under roof to be eligible for SBA financing. If constructing new buildings, the small business operating company must immediately occupy at least 60% of the square footage under roof to be eligible for SBA financing.

A developer is generally a person or company which prepares a land site for new construction.

His costs for site development are not eligible for SBA financing. If he constructs buildings, his construction costs are not eligible for SBA financing as long "as he owns the real estate."

He can, however, sell a building that has not yet been constructed to a small business owner who qualifies for SBA financing, to purchase and construct the building.

How does the small business qualify for SBA financing on a building he purchases which is not yet built?

An SBA lender is permitted to provide interim construction financing, as part of the same loan with the permanent financing, and with only one loan closing. The SBA lender is saving the developer his cost of financing by allowing the developer's "build-to-suit" buyer to carry the financing in their name instead of being the developer's liability. The developer is then able to leverage their new development costs much more effectively for infrastructure development without the debt for new construction.

How does the SBA lender lend on property which is not yet built?

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The answer is "with solid controls in place to manage the construction project." A thirdparty, professional construction management company is hired by the SBA lender to monitor the job and control disbursements for construction to the contractor. The cost of the job is increased by the SBA lender to also include loan closing costs, construction management fees, a 10% reserve for contingencies (for cost overruns and change orders), and an interim interest cost estimate. The interest that accrues during construction is treated as part of the construction costs which the lender funds in progress payments during construction. The small business borrower does not have any payment requirements until the construction is completed to his, the lenders, and the regulatory authorities' satisfaction.

The foregoing information points out some of the benefits to the developer and to the small business owner. Additionally, the small business owner obtains SBA financing in a permanent mortgage for 25 years! The small business does not have loan renewal risk like they would have with a conventional bank loan. Because banks by nature are short term lenders, a conventional bank loan is typically scheduled with a balloon balance that matures and must be renewed by the bank in one year, three years, or five years.

Finally, with an SBA loan, the small business owner is able to qualify for financing with a lower down payment and easier qualifying criteria than with a conventional bank loan.

Bruce Hurta Business Lending Manager

Members Choice Credit Union 281.754.1112 office bhurta@mccu.com Follow Bruce’s Blog: http://brucehurta.wordpress.com/ mccu.com

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Gil Garza has 30 years in the custom clothing design business.

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| PG 17

EDITORIAL FEATURE

4 Key Ingredients to Proactive Prospecting in the 21st Century

By Craig Klein/SalesNexus

P

rospecting to find new customers, to fill up the revenue pipeline, is a perpetual a struggle for most sales people.

Whether its attending networking breakfasts, asking for referrals from current customers, knocking on doors or cold calling, it’s time consuming, hard work. It’s tough to stay motivated for.

One of the greatest challenges of sales management is to have visibility into the prospecting progress of sales people and to incentivize sales people to stay focused on prospecting.

The advantage of outbound prospecting methods like cold calling is that the sales person has unlimited potential. The more calls they make, the harder they work, the more success they’ll find. Lately, with the rise of search marketing and content marketing, many have made careers of claiming that old school prospecting methods like cold calling are dead. There is a distinct advantage to working with leads that have already taken their own initiative to contact the business on their own. Their interest is already established and the conversation starts off close to a purchase.

In the 2012, the shotgun nature of cold calling just seems like bringing a sledge hammer into surgery.

Is there a way to leverage automation and technology to identify highly interested prospects while maintaining the freedom to

reach out to as many potential customers as you can find?

Yes! By combining several strategic content marketing pieces (reports, articles, blog posts, and videos), email marketing and a good source of contact information for the right target prospects, sales teams can leverage their time to expand their pipeline by factors of 10 or more.

This multiplying factor results from two factors: • You can email far more people than you can call.

• Sales time can be focused on the prospects that respond to the emails, demonstrating their interest, rather than just getting the prospect on the phone.

There are four key elements to a successful outbound email campaign that generates qualified prospects for sales people to call on…

1) A good list or potential prospects.

In certain industries, this list is easy to purchase from a trade association. For other businesses, lists can be sourced based on title, business demographics, consumer demographics and other criteria.

Businesses and sales people that have been in a specific market for some time may have already built up a sizable list of potential prospects.

Of course, there is a correlation between the quality (accuracy of the contact information) of the list and the cost. In particular, obtaining a list that includes email addresses for prospects can be prohibitively expensive. Recently, vendors have

SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 18

introduced models that allow sales people and marketers to access small lists of prospects, with the email address, on an as needed basis at reasonable prices.

2) At least one good content offering. This can be a “buyer’s guide” that compares competitors, an educational piece designed to help potential buyers understand the crucial trade-offs in making the investment, a video, a survey, an event, a webinar, etc.

The important factor is that the content should be highly appealing to a strong prospect for your business.

Creating compelling content can seem daunting. Take a look at our recent eBook, “7 Ways Sales Teams Win with Email Marketing” for simple tips to getting started. (http://bit.ly/AdiLh5) 3) An Email Marketing Solution.

When an email is sent to a list of potential prospects highlighting the content piece, not the product or service, the recipients that opt to read, view, download or register for the content are indicating their general interest in the solutions the business offers. Therefore, the email marketing solution must allow lists of recipients that opened or clicked on the links within the email to be generated.

4) A prospect calling plan. Take the concept of a “Cold Calling Script” and updated to take into account that the calls are targeting prospects that have already received an email from the company and have accessed some form of content.

Continued on page 38

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EDITORIAL FEATURE

What Does Multi-Level Marketing Mean for Businesses and Business Owners?

Erica A. Murray

By Erica A. Murray

In the quake of a rapidly changing financial climate where companies are not able to find solid financial footing, there has been an uprising and emergence of low cost investment opportunities in the global business marketplace, which allows for a new dimension of financial responsibility. The emergence of these opportunities, seem to be multi-dimensional for job creators.

The interesting dynamic is the concept is not new, but dates back to over 60 years…

Multi-Level Marketing (MLM). There are a host of naysayers who don’t understand the viability of MLM, who continuously contribute their limited knowledge about a concept that they’ve never been personally acquainted, nor involved, into the mindset of people who for some reason respect and trust them. Thus, misguiding them and causing them to miss out on opportunities that could change lives and companies forever!

For those in the world of business who refers to MLM as pyramid schemes, well let’s just say, the world we live in has its foundation in pyramids. Let’s evaluate the structure of a corporation…the CEO is at the helm, followed by a layer of directors, then managers, supervisors, and front line employees; additionally, our government supports the same type of framework, with the President leading, congress, representatives, and finally constituents. The truth is, the world we live in is a pyramid! Also, there are a myriad of top publicly traded companies who operate distribution platforms (MLMs) worldwide and have benefited and grown financially. This business model has proven to be effective in any economy and the growth of MLM networks has oftentimes outperformed the S&P 100.

Not to mention, some of the most well respected business professionals partici-

pate in these arenas. Are you familiar with Warren Buffet?

For business owners, multi-level marketing is one of the most ingenious and cost effective ways in which both small and large companies are able to place the services and/or their products into the hands of consumers in a quick and strategic manner.

This method of business performance and structure reduces operation and marketing budgets substantially. The benefits for the business owner is, they don’t have to pay salaries to employees, no employees tax matches (FICA, Medicare, social security etc.), no health care plans required, no liability insurance payments, limited overhead, and they don’t have to manage people daily, just to name a few. Additionally, the owner can set up their own network inside of the network, benefiting both as the owner and an independent distributor! It is critically important for small businesses to review this type of frameworks to maintain their existence in the ever-changing world of business. It appears as if, this is the next wave of how companies will do business moving forward into the 22nd Century. It’s cost effective and having employees will definitely become a thing of the past.

As a $120 billion dollar per year industry and increasing, executives, business owners, and entrepreneurs are seeking this method as a support mechanism for financial survival in an economy that is stagnating and limiting their profits. Multi-level marketing is the best way for executives to capitalize and maximize their already developed networks into turn them into immediate liquid cash.

MLMs are enhancing the professional and business owner’s financial portfolio, in an economy that seems to suck the life out of them!

Continued on page 38

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SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 19

EDITORIAL FEATURE

The Brain That Buys

By N D Brown

Y

ou own and operate a small business. You are an expert.

You are distinct. You can describe what makes you and your products better than any other competitor in ten seconds or less.

But do you know what's going on in the brain of the person you are trying to sell?

Do you really?

You've spent years studying potential customers. You're certain you know what they're thinking when they compare you to other competitors.

You know your share of market is so large you not worried then turn the page.

If you are still reading here are a few insights into how the buying brain works.

I worked with a client who was certain he knew his customers and what made them buy. He was wrong.

He thought men were his primary audience assuming they had buying power. It turned out women had three times the influence. He thought price was the only factor in closing a sale.

But the buyer's inner brain made price fourth or even fifth in the decision process.

How do we know what the inner brain is thinking? Determining how the multiple parts of the brain interact requires an interesting technique.

Simply explained, researchers wire a subjects head and read the brains impulses while the subjects are exposed to various images. They look at advertising, various products, TV programming, brochures, videos, music, just about anything and everything.

The researchers watch how the subconscious, the deeply embedded and the earliest developed part of the brain reacts to visual and audio stimulus. It is the reptilian part of the brain and it's a lot different than people realize.

We all see the conscious part of the brain and assume what we see is what we get. It isn't. That small but important part of the brain makes the brain literally lie to itself!

The conscious part of the brain looks at what you are selling and says, "This looks good. I am sure this will work."

The reptilian is whispering "No it's not. We don't like these people or what they are selling. Let's get out of here." And the conscious part says "Thanks. I'll talk this over with some others and we'll get back to you."

As a small business you're sure what you are selling is so good making a sale should be easy. Many small businesses start out saying "This is so good it sells itself."

I don't think so. I have never seen a product or service that actually sells itself. So let's explore the differences selling to men and women and just a few facts about how the reptilian brain controls buying decisions for each gender.

This is the stuff none of us realize we are doing, we just do it. Knowing what is under the conscious brain you see and hear should help you close more sales • Men and women have different size brains. Female brains are smaller ...

BUT... they have the same number of neurons men have, they are just packed tighter. Really!

• With 11% more neurons packed into the language center, women

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DO like to talk more than men AND talking is vital to the female life. If you want to sell to her allow her to talk... invite her to talk! Then make sure you are listening when she talks. She wants a conversation. Want to sell to a man? Cut to the chase. Make it short and make it visual. Women chat, men look.

• The fun part. The section of the female brain that is devoted to sex is smaller than a man's. To females sex is emotional and physical. For men it is almost totally physical and the stimulus is visual while women react to emotion.

What's that have to do with your business? You think you're not selling sex. Yes you are. Buying decisions follow the path of each genders thoughts and reactions about sex.

Knowing what is driving a buying decision makes selling easier.

Females are more passionate about decisions than men. They spend more time forming a decision and once made are more committed to it. They want to feel they have been invited through the glass ceiling. And once through they give your business strong brand loyalty.

Men buy and move on. You can get brand loyalty from them but it is an everyday battle.

• Females react to faces and expressions. For females images of faces are key to gaining their attention. And that also applies to the tone of the spoken word. What you say is important, but how you say it is just as critical.

Men do not take time for observation.

A male brain is wired to skip past what it thinks unimportant. Women www.SBTMagazine.net

see more in a few seconds than men will ever see. The trick is taking time to build a rapport with women. With a man, switch gears and keep him moving through your distinct benefits.

For women it is the person. For men it is the thing. • Men want facts and statistics ... quickly. Women want emotional messages and connections. • For women a brand is a person. She will not relate if it is not presented to her as a human relatable entity. For men each brand has plus or minus attributes but it's inanimate.

Make your brand a person. Invite women to talk and let them tell you what they want.

Give men the facts, make them visual and keep it moving.

Oh yeah! Don't forget to ask for the order.

N. D. Brown is the Principal of Brownchild ltd Inc, 3754 Sunset, Houston, TX 77005 You can contact him at 713.807.9000 or cell 713.822.8370 don.brown@brownchild.com, www.brownchild.com

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SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 21

EDITORIAL FEATURE

Workforce Development Critical to Energy Future

By David Holt

P

resident Obama’s goal of adding 100,000 math and science teachers in American classrooms within the next decade is a laudable goal that both Republicans and Democrats should embrace. Math and science education provides students with the fundamental skills necessary to succeed in a myriad of professions, particularly in fields that advance technologies and innovations capable of tackling some of the most challenging issues of our day.

As we look into the future, it’s clear that solving the country’s energy problems will require the continued expansion of a specialized workforce in the United States. Increasing numbers of engineers, scientists, geologists, electricians, ecologists, technicians and climatologists will be needed to advance environmentally and economically friendly solutions that boost domestic energy production, diversify our energy supply and ensure efficient use of resources in order to meet future energy demand.

At the local level, this means inspiring our children in the math and sciences and then informing our students about post-secondary educational opportunities – whether it’s vocational or trade-based programs or college and post-graduate degrees in engineering, geophysics, information technology and other fields. Surveys confirm that after a student reaches high school, his or her interest in math and science wanes, and by the time these students reach college, fewer and fewer are completing degrees in these fields.

One of Consumer Energy Alliance's leading priorities is to expand energy education at all levels and to inspire future generations to pursue careers in fields related to energy research and development. To further this

goal, CEA hosts its annual Energy Day Festival every October in Houston, TX. In conjunction with the City of Houston and the University of Houston, Energy Day features handson energy exhibitions from over 50 energy companies and academic institutions that provide students and their families a chance to engage directly with some of the technologies and companies leading the energy revolution – both traditional oil & gas companies and businesses and institutions advancing renewable and alternative energies. To keep the momentum going year-round, Energy Day partners with several local science and academic competitions to challenge our students inside and outside the classroom and to reward students with scholarships to enhance their education.

As part of CEA’s workforce development initiative, CEA has also begun partnering with labor and trade organizations to begin demystifying vocational and trade work and better educating our young students on the opportunities that exist in some of these careers. For some students, a college education appears to be the only path forward to a successful career. However, in cities across the country, community colleges and vocational schools are proving that a well-paying position in some of the nation’s leading industries can be achieved through post-secondary trade education and on-the-job training.

continuous training in order to keep workers on pace with innovations in their field.

The U.S. energy industry is one of the most skilled, innovative sectors of its kind. However, failure to keep pace with demand for skilled workers could limit the growth potential of American energy – including nuclear, renewables, coal, and oil, natural gas, and efficiency measures.

From community colleges to Ph.D. programs, America’s energy future depends on continued advancements and expansion in energy education.

David Holt is President of Consumer Energy Alliance. You can contact him via email at dholt@consumerenergyalliance. org or 713-337-8800 http:// consumerenergyalliance.org/

More and more, these specialized positions require continuous training in order to keep workers on pace with innovations in their field. Don’t be fooled: These positions, particularly those in the energy sector, are not the low-skill jobs of yesteryear.

Advancements in technology require workers to have a strong command of their specialization and necessitate

SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 22

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by:

Grow Your Sales

Managing Sales

Targeting Your Market

Managing Relationships

Broadcasting Your Message

Take a Free Test Drive

Today!

Call 713 - 862 - 0001 or visit www.salesnexus.com

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SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 23

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ERIC KLEIMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 24

ERIC KLEIMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

Giving First and Expecting Nothing in Return

By Barbara R. Davis

One of Dirk Cummins favorite questions to ask people is, “What is your passion?”

President of MainStreetChamber Houston Chapter, Dirk loves helping people achieve their dreams by making connections with other like-minded people and Main StreetChamber fits the bill! He explained, “The whole philosophy behind the MainStreetChamber is to give first and expect nothing in return. We are about building relationships and we know that if relationships are built, if you are a quality company, and you give good service, business will happen.

We need companies like ATT and the big oil companies. They do a great job but it is Small Business America that creates the growth for our country. Big business just serves a need that’s created from the people but the people who create that need are the small businesses by what they bring to the community.”

The MainStreetChamber was founded in Las Vegas, Nevada in the year 2000 as the National Chamber of Commerce and was created with a different model than traditional Chambers of Commerce.

Initially, founders Larry Kozin and David Heller designed it to generate leads for their own personal businesses in the insurance and financial services industries. It caught www.SBTMagazine.net

on so well becoming a Chamber rather than just a lead generating event that it started to substantially grow in Nevada.

Traditional chambers do a really great job putting on promotional events that benefit charities in the community but Main StreetChamber took a different tack. The founders believed that one of the best ways to benefit and grow communities was by helping small businesses. Their events are set up to drive business to their members. “If you can generate revenues to small businesses, it will create jobs which will then create spending within the community. That’s a lasting effect on the community and in turn, it will continue to help grow the community,” stated Dirk.

Over the years, the National Chamber of Commerce had expanded throughout Nevada and California. In 2008, a decision was made to expand nationwide with their model so a study group was employed to decide the best way to do it. The first recommendation made by the study group was that the organization needed to change its name because there was a consensus that the National Chamber of Commerce sounded too much like it was part of the government. At that time in 2008, many

people were dissatisfied with our government so after putting together another study group, they came up with a more acceptable name that people could relate to and that was the MainStreetChamber.

In 2010, they began the roll out of the MainStreetChamber nationwide.

Presently, they have over 150 Chapters and by the end of this year, the membership should hit 100,000. Dirk remarked, “We’re the fastest growing Chamber in the United States today and the main reason for that is we offer all of our members free lifetime membership, free admission to all of our events, and free advertising.”

Originally from Canton, Ohio, Dirk Cummins grew up in a working class family His hardworking parents taught him about the law of reciprocity. “My parents, specifically my mom, always made sure that we gave to people. It may not have been money. We didn’t have that all of the time. It might not even have been clothes because we wore hand-me-downs sometimes but we helped people. You sow and you shall reap.”

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Flexibility, Results, & Business Growth Build long-lasting relationships With a background in the financial services industry, Dirk owned a financial consulting and planning practice for years. With the recent economic times over the past few years, it was becoming more and more difficult and quite expensive to market. Two years ago, while talking with a colleague of his about the bleak prognosis of the financial industry, his friend informed him that he had found a solution.

His colleague explained that he had just gotten involved with the MainStreetChamber in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. (Today, they are one of the largest Chapters in the U.S with over 1,000 members!) After spending a great deal of time explaining what the MainStreetChamber was all about, he encouraged Dirk to call the headquarters in Las Vegas and talk to them. Eager to find out more, Dirk made the call, spoke to the CEO, John Bellave, and discovered that the rights for Houston and the state of Texas were available. Knowing a good thing when he heard it, Dirk purchased the rights for the entire state of Texas.

Dirk proudly stated, “We started the MainStreetChamber Houston Chapter at the end of April this year and had our Grand Opening event. In just four months, we have over 300 members so we are growing rapidly! The demographics in our organ-

ization generally tend to be the people who have been in business longer than three years so they are not out there looking for a job or trying to make a quick sale and because of that, they network well together and they build long-lasting relationships. We have had reports from many of our members that they have been able to do business as a result of the MainStreetChamber.”

Steve Levine, publisher of Premier Agent Magazine and Small Business Today Magazine, couldn’t agree more about how the MainStreetChamber has been beneficial to him and the great relationships that he has already established as a result of being a member. He elaborated, “I have been a member of other chambers of commerce in the past but none of them have impressed me as much as the services that Main StreetChamber provides small business owners and the quality of their leadership and members.”

MainStreetChamber Houston Chapter Executive Vice President, Russell Johns shared, “I’ve been in corporate America, lost jobs, ended up in Houston, and the job market wasn’t exactly what I needed to see take place. With one interview following another, it came to a point that I said, ‘There has to be something else here.’ The MainStreetChamber affords me the

opportunity to look at another alternative. It affords me the flexibility to grow in areas that would normally be unavailable to me. With my technology background, project management, and some of the skills that I have, I just shifted gears and applied it to new industry helping new members, helping them understand what it is and what the value is and as a result, I can benefit and grow my own business.”

One thing special about MainStreetChamber is that they are not “cliquish” and in fact are quite adamant about not tolerating that type of behavior. When a new person arrives at one of their events, one of their Ambassadors or officers greets them at the door and takes them around the room introducing them to others so that they feel comfortable, welcome, and appreciated. People like to be treated like people. Now that’s the way to do business!

CEO of GMS Dental Centers, Grant Sadler shared, “Main Street Chamber is a great organization and I certainly enjoy the meetings. I have met a lot of dynamic people and am now doing business with some of them. In addition, Dirk has personally made introductions to people that we are now doing business with as well.”

is done through a combination of National Sponsors such as Office Depot and Sunbelt Business Brokerage and Local Sponsors such as Small Business Today Magazine and GMS Dental Group. “That’s why we’re able to keep our membership and events free to our members,” remarked Dirk.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE LEVINE

Funding for the organization

Major citywide events On occasion, MainStreetChamber holds major citywide events where local successful business owners speak on entrepreneurship and other subjects pertinent to their members. In addition, plans for the future include multi-city and statewide events. Following the model of always giving first and expecting nothing in return, MainStreetChamber sponsors a national charity, “Prevent Child Abuse America” (www.preventchildabuse.org), but they are always looking for different local charities to do some fundraising for as well.

Main Street Chamber has a number of products and services that are made available to their members through their “Ambassadors.” It is somewhat of a restrictive list because it is their policy that in order for them to offer anything to their members, it has to be vetted both locally and on a national level and they have to provide discounts and services to their members that they normally could not get just by walking in off the street.

LeadTrust Funding is one of the companies that is on the list and utilized by a lot of the members. LeadTrust Funding provides most businesses that deal directly with the public and provide goods and/or services with a price point between $200 and $5,000 with an in-house funding program that is not credit score driven. This is an absolutely marvelous service for their members such as auto repair shops, doctors’ offices, dental offices, veterinary clinics, etc. because they don’t have to turn down their clients who don’t qualify for credit cards or companies like GE Capital and CareCredit Healthcare Finance Services that require an extremely high credit score.

One of the ways that MainStreetChamber provides free advertising for their members is through their VIP Program. The VIP Program allows their members to advertise in six different areas what services they offer. As an example, one would look up auto repair in the phone book if they needed repairs on their vehicle but with the VIP Program, the consumer could look under auto repair, or www.SBTMagazine.net

brakes, or front end alignment, or whatever area the member specializes in up to six categories without any charge.

The VIP card is sold by retailers and by the Chamber to the consumers usually for $39 but if they purchase it at one of the MainStreetChamber’s events, they can get it for $29. The card can be compared to a combination Entertainment Book, AAA Card, and Medical Discount Card but on steroids.

It is used just like the Coupon Book except it looks like a credit card and can be conveniently carried in one’s wallet and readily available when it’s needed. The card offers a vast array of discounts for products and services from thousands of local businesses and hundreds of national companies including Macys.com, Walmart.com, and all of the major pharmacies. Another wonderful feature is that the card never expires so the one-time purchase is quite a bargain!

Presently, there are two Chapters in the Houston/Metro area, one in southwest Houston and one in Katy, but expansion is in the works. Dirk Cummins is planning to have approximately ten more Chapters in Houston and eventually somewhere between 200 and 250 Chapters throughout the state of Texas.

Currently, there is an event held on the last Thursday of every month for members in Houston and there is also an event held on the second Thursday of each month for members in Katy.

To get more information or find out how you can become a member of MainStreetChamber Houston Chapter, go to www.mainstreetchamber.org/chapters/houston or call them at 713-609-9805.

MainStreetChamber Community, Connection, Commerce.

MainStreet Chamber www.mainstreetchamber.org/ chapters/houston

713-609-9805

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EDITORIAL FEATURE

Your Next Step Technology Firms Need Culture

By Jack Warkenthien

In

high-tech, the rules have changed. To survive – and thrive – your company needs “culture”. The only culture that will dramatically increase sales and boost profits is a sales culture.

Any organization can soar to new heights, or recover from the depths of the valley with the right one. As a high tech principal you are only a few away from the top of the mountain!

Let’s start up the path together by first reviewing where we’ve been.

One of the largest trends that have been occurring in high tech firms today is the refocusing on business fundamentals. A while back, when a young technology company was interested in obtaining outside financing (as most all of them were), the VCs would ask questions such as: “How large is your market space?”

“How does this new technology help prospective clients?” “How many years of experience does your management team have?”

These were great questions when the Nasdaq was around 5000 and companies were going public a year after inception.

Today, as the Nasdaq hovers just north of 3,100, and .com companies are dropping like bad habits, the investor’s focus is on revenue growth and profitability, and rightly so. The question du jour is “Are you profitable?” or “How soon will you reach breakeven?” There’s only one problem. The majority of the companies who received funding recently don’t have a management team that #1) was focused on sales and profitability, #2) had the skill set and background to convert prospects and suspects into paying customers.

At the end of the day, don’t let anyone fool you: getting “ink” (AKA a signed contract) from clients is hard, and getting harder, and it’s what really matters today.

For example, one CEO, “Paul”, has one of the most brilliant minds around: Ph D, NASA “Researcher of the Year” - literally a rocket scientist - and he can write in 25 different programming languages. However, he lacks the sales and marketing savvy needed.

His technology is amazing. He can share his idea and get audiences very excited about his idea. But when the people leave a meeting with him they often say, “Wow, brilliant tech guy, cool idea, but I still have no clue what his product does.”

The challenge: how can firms like Paul’s, convert their solution into sales, their passion into profits? The answer: get on the right path, and it’s not B2B, B2C or C2C, it’s P2P – the Path to Profitability. There are really twelve steps on this path. The following ones represent the most critical first paces.

Seek Help From Experts Outsourcing is here today and here to stay. Just as firms have been outsourcing functions like HR (Human Resources), and recently, IT (Information Technology) sales and marketing expertise is now available.

Firms, such as JumpStart Revenue (JSR) help clients gain revenue traction by providing a team of highly accomplished professionals.

By converting technology solutions to client benefits, they help their clients get in front of buyers, while helping to build an internal sales culture at the same time.

Adapt A Sales Process Anybody can “open” one or two relationships (formerly known as closing deals).

To grow an organization and create a sustainable revenue stream; you must standardize your sales approach to the market.

The most profitable sales processes are easy to replicate, measure and enforce. When direct sales reps are used, their sales plan must reward desired behaviors.

Focus on Relationships Communication Skills

and

The two most critical ingredients in any sales culture are the number and depth of client relationships, and the ability to articulate an idea.

Imagine the power in converting your technology to dollars added to the top line or dollars earned on the bottom line. When you focus on the client relationship, you’ll realize that your product is just an “enabler”, enabling your client to enjoy many quantifiable financial benefits.

Remember Paul? When he outsourced his sales need to JumpStart Revenues (JSR) they helped him to understand and communicate the true value of the product. Paul’s solution allows publishers to reuse existing content and turn it into a new revenue stream. His software automatically customizes content to fit any individual’s goals and level of knowledge. “I knew that it was a cool technology, but never before had I been able to articulate the value of the product”, Paul quipped. Then, JRR built the sales and marketing plan and within 90 days helped him win two new customers, with over 30 companies in his prospect pipeline.

Continued on page 36

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SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 31

Mobile Relationship Manager

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VIPorbit is the best way to manage contacts, calendar, and communications on your iPhone and iPad. In the app, contacts, calendar and communications are seamlessly integrated, providing instant access to complete relationship details, quick scheduling, and effortless communication, including via social networks. With VIPorbit, you’ll manage contact details with precision, take control of your calendar, and streamline your channels of communication.

From the co-inventor of ACT!, it provides mobile professionals with an affordable, easyto-use, anytime/anywhere solution. VIPorbit for iPad is $14.99 and VIPorbit for iPhone is $9.99. There are free versions for both devices, limited to 100 contacts. Available at VIPorbit.com or on the iTunes App Store.

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SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 33

EDITORIAL FEATURE

Polished Proposals: Refine Your Writing

By Julie Marie Irvin

W

hen preparing a proposal, there are plenty of details to worry about. While you are gathering accurate scheduling and financial information, making sure your proposal is compliant with the bid request, and detailing your company’s performance, don’t overlook the importance of the quality of your writing. When your prospective clients begin to question your literacy, they may lose confidence in the facts you have provided. They could also be cautious about a possible working relationship, knowing that clear communication may be a problem during the proposed project.

Not only is your persuasiveness reduced, your risk is increased when you use imprecise words because courts tend to uphold the words on the page verses the writer’s intent.

Simplifying wordiness, defining jargon, and crafting your sentences in a clear and concise way, will benefit your overall credibility and visibility.

Begin by simplifying or replacing long words or wordy phrases.

Successful proposal writers use simple language to get their point

across more clearly. Small words are generally more accurate and easier to understand when explaining complex ideas and the reader is more likely to misunderstand the context when big or unnecessary words are used. Figure 1 below, shows some examples of wordy phrases and some suggestions on how to simplify them.

Eliminate redundant words from your proposals. If the meaning of the sentence is the same after deleting a word, do it. Overuse of redundant words for emphasis weakens the effectiveness or your writing. Readers see this as puffery and it reduces your credibility. It is acceptable to have redundancies in proposals only when mirroring the bid request. For example, if the Request for Proposal calls for a section named “past performance” that is precisely what the section should be called.

Industry jargon and acronyms should be defined. Never assume your reader will interpret industry specific terms as a close colleague would.

Proposal evaluators are looking for your expertise on the proposed work and may need guidance in

your industry. Any acronym should be clearly spelled out and defined the first time it is used. Beware of deceptive word-pairs that are nearly identical but refer to unrelated concepts. There are many examples of this writing pitfall; one case is “comprise” and “compose”. To comprise is to enclose or include and is always used in the active voice; therefore, “comprised of” is not correct. Example: The university comprises six colleges and nine divisions. Compose means to make up or be a constituent of. Composed can be used in the passive voice.

Example: The company is composed of four employees. Remember, the parts compose the whole and the whole comprise the parts.

Page limitations are becoming more common in Requests for Proposals to encourage writers to restrain verbose descriptions of qualifications, unsubstantiated hype and pages of procedural information. Proposal evaluators love proposals that are either easy to read or easy to reject. To ensure your proposal makes it to the “must read” pile, refine your response by clearing away common writing mistakes.

Instead of…

Change to…

adequate number (of) adjacent to afford an opportunity along the lines of as a consequence, as a result as long as

enough close to, near, next to, beside, by allow, give, let close to, like, resembling, similar to, such as so, then, thus if, since

SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 34

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EDITORIAL FEATURE

assuming that at the end of at the time (that) because of the fact that by (the) means of by reason of carry out an evaluation of come to an agreement come to an end conduct a review of contiguous to course of despite the fact that draw attention to

due to the fact that effect many changes except when extend an invitation for the purpose of for the reason that from the point of view of give an indication of give consideration to has (had) occasion to be has no has the ability to, has the capability have an effect on hold a conference, hold a meeting if that (this) is not the case if that (this) is the case in addition in advance of in an effort to in connection with in order to in place of in proximity to in reference to in the absence of in the course of in the event that (of) in the neighborhood of is able to it would appear that made a statement make reference to not in a position to of major importance on most occasions on the basis of over the duration of previous to, prior to provided (providing) that realize a savings of refer to as relating to subsequent to to a certain degree under the provisions of with the exception of

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if after when because, since by, with, from, in, over, through because, because of, since evaluate agree, compromise, decide, resolve, settle close, end, finish, halt, stop review next to, adjoining, touching during, while, in, at although, even though, despite announce, mention, point out, point to, promote, publicize, reveal, show, tell, unveil because, because of, since, for, as change unless invite to, for, of because, since, for, given from, for show consider is (was) lacks can affect, influence confer, meet if not if so also, and, as well, besides, further, then, too ahead of, before, by to with, about, for, of, in, on, over to, for for close to, near about, on, for, as for, in, of, over, respecting, to, toward, with without during, at, for, in, over, throughout, when, while, with if, should about, roughly can apparently said refer to unable to, cannot is important, are important, was important usually by, from, because of, assuming, based on, from during, for, in, over, throughout, when, while, with before if save call, name, term about, as for, for, in, of, on, over, to, toward, with after, afterward, later, next, since, then, following in a sense, in part, less often, less so, partially, some under, of except for

SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 35

EDITORIAL FEATURE

The Four “F-Words” Of Life LIFE, BUSINESS & MONEY

Steven Kay Steven Kay Media

By Steven Kay, Steven Kay Media LLC Talk Show Host & Producer, Media Consultant

Faith, Family, Fitness, and Finances Fitness – Not to be so cliché, but your body is your temple. Your health affects your attitude and your productivity directly. If you take care of yourself by eating properly and exercising regularly, you will find that you have more energy throughout the day and will not be worn out so easily, and you will find that you have a clearer mind that allows you to be more creative in solving the challenges you face. Find an exercise program that helps you stay disciplined while is convenient to your personal and work schedules.

Start a healthy activity that you enjoy and do it regularly (for example, I still play ice hockey every week). If you can find something that your family can participate in, it can help making the commitment easier and also become a part of keeping family time a top priority. Make sure to keep yourself fit, body mind and spirit.

Finances – If our other priorities are in order, this one seems to fall into place more easily.

Not that you don’t have to work at it, but true success comes when your actions align with your core beliefs. Think about that, every time you make a decision that goes against one of your core values, you automatically damage your chances of success. If you believe that family comes above career, but then you do something that puts your career first, you mind will subconsciously start working against you

because deep inside it will be screaming out at you “this is wrong!” (I am sure we have all heard that little voice inside ourselves). The more you push forward, the more you are fighting against yourself. If you are not honoring your faith, your family, or yourself in what you are doing then just find another way that does. You can certainly find a variety of ways to earn a living, so never let money contradict your values or take priority over what is truly important in life.

I believe that these four pillars are the basis of establishing a strong ethical standard of how we set our course in life. Each of us have our own beliefs and must prioritize them on what we think is morally right. There are lots of ways to make money and achieve success, do so in a way that satisfies your soul and you will always have happiness and fulfillment.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3: 5-6 Steven Kay, Talk Show Host & Producer / Media Buyer & Consultant, Steven Kay Media LLC, 713-STEVEN-K (713-783-8365), me@ StevenKayLive.com, www.StevenKayLive.com.

Continued from page 31

Only now are angel investors and venture capital firms interested in putting more money into his company.

As we scan the market today, we see a large number of entrepreneurs who are brilliant.

These people have invented great technology and are already so “sold” on their ideas that they don’t realize others may not be. Because the market has changed so dramatically, it’s no longer good enough to have a great idea.

Executives need to be able to communicate their idea to others, and most importantly get SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 36

other people to pay them money for the value delivered. If you don’t build a plan and a team with a strong sales culture and organization, it is highly unlikely that you’ll gain a positive response when the venture capitalists ask, “Are you profitable?”

Jack Warkenthien, CEO, NextStep Solutions.

Email him at jwarkenthien@nextstep-solutions. com or call him at 832-344-6998 www.nextstep-solutions.com

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SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 37

Continued from page 18

This fundamentally changes the call. There is already recognition and awareness of the company and so, the call is “warmer”. The prospect will have questions about the content or feedback on their opinion of it immediately so, engaging the prospect is not nearly as challenging. The biggest change here though is that by virtue of their interest in the content, there is no longer any question about their interest in the product or service offered.

One of the additional benefits of this approach is that it reverses the mental equation for the sales person from picking up the phone to “cold call” a list of names that don’t know the company at all, which is easy to put off, to responding to the interest of prospects that are already somewhat informed. This is much less of a motivation mountain to climb and stay on top of!

For readers in the Houston area, renowned prospecting guru, Tibor Shanto, author of “Trigger Event Selling”, will conduct his Proactive Prospecting workshop on October 18th at the Sheraton Houston Southwest.

Readers of Small Business Today Magazine and enter offer code SBT for a 10% discount!

Register here - http://houston-12ccsep812.eventbrite.com/ Craig is the founder of SalesNexus. com. For more information visit www.SalesNexus.com

Continued from page 19

Erica A. Murray is an International Business Consultant who has worked diligently consummating many business transactions and establishing an impressive clientele (government officials, former prime ministers, municipalities, international airport authorities and SMEs) around the world (Caribbean, Asia, Canada, and Europe). She is also the author of “CEO to the POWER of YOU” which has been identified as a transformational masterpiece, one that is certain to educate, inspire,

SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 38

motivate, and move people and organizations forward, immediately. Erica A. Murray is the owner of a boutique consulting firm, Erica A. Murray Consulting and may be reached at 800-580-2113 x 2200 or you may visit her websites (www.ericaamurray.com or www.ceotothepowerofyou.com).

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SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 39

EDITORIAL FEATURE

The Financial Impact of Customer Service

By Errol D. Allen

Customer service is what drives the success of the any business. Some would surely say, "No Errol, a great product or service concept drives the success of any business." While that statement is somewhat true, a great product or service concept without great customer service is like expecting your beautiful garden flowers to flourish without your giving attention to them. I have often found that you don't get upper management's or the owner's full attention regarding customer service unless you provide the financial impact to the company. Customer service has a dual role as it both creates and preserves revenue. Let me explain why I believe this to be true.

Customer service creates revenue via the word of mouth avenue.

When a great product or service is coupled with great customer service, your customers become your ambassadors. Their willingness to speak positively about your business leads to additional customers, thereby creating additional revenue.

Recent research by the Technical Assistance Research Program (TARP) indicates that for every 10 people hearing either positive or negative "word of mouth" information, 1 person takes action.

That one new customer, should they receive the level of service expected, will in turn keep the positive "word of mouth" cycle in motion. Another form of revenue creation as a result of great customer service is price increases. TARP has also studied the impact of price increases on the customer's willingness to continue to do business with companies. In

a study of the banking industry, only 10 percent of survey respondents who had not experienced a customer service related problem expressed dissatisfaction with an increase in fees and charges. This means that 90 percent of survey respondents were okay with the price increases due to the level of customer service provided by their particular bank.

In regards to customer service acting as a revenue preserver, there is one question that must be answered before we continue. That question is - How much is your customer worth to your business? Whether your company is small or large, the need to determine what your customer is worth to your business is critical when calculating the amount of revenue being preserved by addressing customer service related issues. For example, if your business has 1,000 customers and the average annual revenue generated by each customer is $400.00. If 10 percent of those customers experience customer service related problems, that's 100 customers. Bear with me as we start the calculations! Now let's assume that 50% of those customers don't even bother to complain, they just simply go away.

Their decision to leave without complaining represents $20,000.00 in lost revenue. What about the other 50% that do complain? Let's say that you're able to satisfy 40% (20), 40% (20) become frustrated with your attempts to satisfy and 20% (10) remain dissatisfied. So now let's consider the repurchase behavior of those complaining customers. Should 10% (2) of the customers that you're able to satisfy

SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 40

after they complain decide to not repurchase, that represents $800.00 in lost revenue? In the frustrated with your attempts to satisfy group, 25 % (5) discontinue purchases with your company, which represents $2000.00 in revenue. On to the customers that remain dissatisfied after complaining - 60% (6) of this group decide not to repurchase from your company, which means an additional $2400.00 in lost revenue.

The total potential annual revenue lost in this scenario is $25,200.00!

Wait, there's more. Remember the "word of mouth" factor discussed earlier. These dissatisfied customers will tell others about their experience with your company. In this scenario, when you consider the 50 customers that left without complaining, add the 13 customers that complained yet decided not to repurchase, that's 63 customers who have the potential to utilize negative "word of mouth" marketing. If these dissatisfied customers tell 10 additional people about their experiences (630 people) and 1 in 10 acts on the information (63 people), there's potential revenue missed due to dissatisfied customers. Even if the 63 new customers average annual purchases equals $300.00, you're still possibly facing $18,900.00 in lost potential revenue. Don't forget about the cost side of poor customer service - the employee costs to resolve customer complaints and the material costs when rework is required to satisfy the customer. Take this example and apply your real numbers to determine the financial impact to your business.

Whew! Lots of calculations, but it's definitely worth it when it comes to Continued on page 42

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Annual Cutting Edge Awards & Scholarship Luncheon recognizing WBEs and Corporate Members who have enhanced the growth of women owned businesses in the last year.

Date: November 06, 2012 / Time: 11:00 AM – 01:30 PM Location: Renaissance Houston Hotel (6 East Greenway Plaza) Table Sponsor: $600 (includes 10 Luncheon tickets)

Mini-Trade Show Booth: $175 (includes 2 Luncheon tickets)

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SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 41

EDITORIAL FEATURE

The Importance of Peer Advisory

By R.D. Yoder

It’s 11 p.m. You’re sitting in the office wondering how the day escaped you. You’ve dealt with sales challenges, employee issues, customer problems and that was before noon. And now you’re at the end of another long day wondering: Is this really worth it? Many business owners, executives and leaders will face this type of situation. In today’s crazy, fast-paced market, business leaders are now turning to a solution that was, in many cases, right before their eyes: Peer advisory.

•

If you’re in leadership role and you haven’t heard about the benefits of this fantastic help, here’s something to sink your teeth into:

The beauty of this entire process is that it’s all done in a confidential setting. This is absolutely crucial because disclosing proprietary information or business/trade secrets in open environments can devastate your company.

“Fast Company Magazine and Business.com cited several statistics regarding business owners who participate in a facilitated peer advisory board. 64% report an increase in bottom line profitability. 56% report an increase in top line sales. 60% report an increase in productivity. Other points that support the idea include: increased quality improvement, improved customer service, improved team work, and increased job satisfaction. The overall positive revenue impact of a peer advisory board can be from 1943% of gross revenues.” – Entrepreneur Circle Blog Now, let that sink in for a second, preferably a few minutes. What numbers jumped out at you? Perhaps it was the support services that struck you? At any rate, there are many benefits of peer advisory that CAN and WILL help you as an executive, leader or business owner. Let’s explore what peer advisory is and how it helps you.

• •

You get to network with business-to-business peers by sharing advice, information, recommendations and referrals. A great way to build AND grow.

You get to obtain immediate and objective feedback from business peers, crucial for the decision-making process.

• •

You get to participate in effectively and efficiently run CEO Mastermind Forums facilitated by highly accomplished business leaders who care about your success.

You are challenged and held ACCOUNTABLE by your business peers to make and execute critical decisions.

You can access the private counsel of successful CEOs and thought-leaders.

Before we leave this thought process, I’d like to challenge you to answer these questions honesty.

• • • •

Am I operating my business in a vacuum by listening only to my own counsel?

Am I wanting advice from peers who have been where I am?

Am I wanting to grow as a business leader/executive?

Am I staying awake at night worrying about my future and the company’s as well?

Only you know the answers to these questions. If you’re not involved in a peer advisory environment, my recommendation to you is to join one ASAP. It will relieve stress, help you make better decisions and affect the bottom line of your company. It can and will make a difference. Remember, some of the decisions we think are the hardest, actually can become quite simple if well thought-out and, subsequently, implemented.

R.D. Yoder is President or Houston Business Executives.

To learn more:www.HoustonBusinessExecutives.com or email him at RDYoder@HoustonBusinessExecutives.com or call 281-778-6661

Continued from page 40

determining the financial impact of customer service.

The key to preserving revenue is to: 1. Be consistent in your service delivery and 2. Encourage your customers to complain. Consistency in your service delivery leads to loyalty, less complaints and even more important, fewer reasons for the silent defections of the non-complainers.

Encourage your customers to complain as this gives you an opportunity to retain their business. The example above illustrates the financial impact of non-complaining customers. Offer multiple ways to complain - at the point SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 42

of purchase, on your website, via chat, 1-800 #s. Don't forget to monitor social media for comments regarding your company and respond to the complaints in a timely manner. Remember; don't take customer service for granted. The financial impact is huge!!

Errol Allen – Customer Service Engineer – Errol Allen Consulting errol@errolallenconsulting.com 1-800-830-4167 www.errolallenconsulting.com www.SBTMagazine.net

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SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 43

EDITORIAL FEATURE

Seven Steps to Improve Productivity Drastically

By Toni Harris Toni Harris

Are you getting all of your work done in a stress free and timely manner? If you are like most entrepreneurs you are a one person show, doing it all yourself and being the most productive is a challenge. In this article we examine seven steps to help you to improve your productivity drastically.

Step #1 – Be accountable. Get an accountability partner who will not only listen to you and give you advice but will not let you slide and makes sure that you get your tasks completed. The more tasks you complete the more productive you are. The more productive you are, the better you feel about your business. The better you feel about your business, the more money you make. Period. So find someone who will tell you the blatant truth, and hold your feet to the fire. Be accountable and be productive!

Step #2 – Hire a coach. Hire a business coach who will not only be your accountability partner but will keep you on track in your business.

A coach is someone who can watch the way you do business and tweak your processes for the best performance. A business coach can also help you strategize on the direction the business needs to go as well as introduce you to the resources that can help you to get there. Investing in a business coach is the best way to grow your business and improve your productivity.

Step #3 – Manage your time. It’s been said that you can’t control time, but you can control what you do with your time. To be more productive you need to pay keen attention to where your time is spent. Look out for and eliminate time stealers from your day.

Some of the most common thieves of times are television, social media, family and friend distractions, cell phone, and driving. None of these activities in and of themselves are bad but when you find yourself doing these things instead of working in your business, then that is when they become a problem. You can make your driving a productive experience by listening to an educational or motivational program that can help you in your business, that way, you can make driving a productive experience rather than a waste of time.

Step #4 – Get an intern. College students need the practical experience and you need the help. An intern can be a valuable asset that can

SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 44

improve your productivity. Frankly, they can do some of the “grunt” work that is necessary but you don’t want to do. In the Houston area, there is a plethora of colleges and universities that have business schools that need to find a place for their students to intern. Give them a call, improve your productivity and help a student too.

Step #5 – Plan your day the night before. To be more productive, plan ahead. Personally, I prefer to work from a to-do list. Working from a list takes tasks off your brain and puts them onto paper. Then all you have to do is remember to look at your paper. As you complete a task, mark them off and you feel extremely productive. Create your to do list the night before you go to bed so that your mind is clear and you can sleep soundly. Any tasks that don’t get complete today can move to tomorrow’s list, however, if you truly don’t feel you will get to the task, schedule it on your calendar for a future date.

Step #6 - Turn on music. Music is a well-known motivator. When you aren’t feeling productive, turn on your favorite tunes and get to movin’.

Music lifts the soul and can get you out of the dumps. I know when I turn on some good music I get more work done because the music gives me energy. Try it and see just how much your productivity improves.

Step #7 – Take a vacation. In my opinion, this is the most important step. Too many times as entrepreneurs we don’t stop to recharge our batteries and our business suffers because of it. I’m not sure where the notion came from that if we take a week off, that the business will fold up and die. However, you must take a vacation to get more productive. Time off is important to your mental, physical and spiritual health. It also is important to family life. All work and no play makes you a very cranky entrepreneur and less productive too! So if you can’t remember the last time you took time off, stop now, and book a trip. Everybody in your world will thank you!

Toni Harris, also known as the Turnaround Queen®, is a motivational speaker, Radio show host, Certified Dream Coach® and author.

Listen to Toni’s radio show every Friday from 9-10 CST at www.drasticstepswithtoniharris. com or email her at toni@toniharrisspeaks.com. www.SBTMagazine.net

EDITORIAL FEATURE

Does WBE or MBE Certification Drive Business?

By Kate Armstrong

Look at the certification as part of your package, but not the key to your marketing.Kate Armstrong In today’s competitive market, women-owned businesses must find ways to expand their markets. While Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) certification does not guarantee contracting opportunities, it does provide advantages when combined with a strategic marketing plan. Every applicant should evaluate the benefits to their business of being a certified women-owned business.

Any woman business owner can apply for certification if she meets the criteria of majority ownership and control of her company, which means at least 51 percent of the business is owned by a woman or women.

Minority business enterprise (MBE) certification is available to a company if the individual who owns the business is a member of a minority group. A business can qualify for both MBE and WBE certification if the woman is a member of a minority group.

BENEFIT VARIES Some businesses benefit from the WBE certification more than others. Generally, companies engaged in business-tobusiness and those providing a service of product directly to the client rather than acting as a manufacturer’s broker or representative are successful with certification.

When determining whether to seek WBE or MBE certification, or both, a business needs to determine who its target customer is and who they planned to do more business with. If the customer is more likely to be looking for minority-owned businesses, then a MBE may be more beneficial.

Companies in highly competitive industries, such as promotional marketing, internet technology and advertising, can also benefit from certification. Regardless of y our industry, though; should you decide to become certified, don’t rely on certification status as the key to your marketing strategy. Your certification will help get you in the door, but the rest is up to you.

markets. Specifically, you have access to special forums for networking with corporations that want to do business with WBEs or MBEs, which also gives you the opportunity to meet and network with others who are certified.

To help level the economic playing field, many corporations have set diversity goals for doing business with certified women’s business enterprises or minority business enterprises. These are normally called supplier diversity programs and they help drive the search for small, minority and women-owned businesses with which to partner within their supply chain.

Corporations with such programs often recognize government certifications, but not always. In many cases, the corporation has aligned itself with national agencies that administer these certifications. The most widely accepted certification within the private sector is from the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (www.wbenc.org ).

The National Minority Supplier Development Council (www. nmsdc.org ) can help with the MBE process.

CERTIFICATION PROCESS For both WBE and MBE, the certification process begins with an online application and ends with a site visit. The process also entails copious amounts of paperwork. Albeit confidential, the certification entity must check the validity of your status as a minority-owned or woman-owned by reviewing bank signature cards, lease agreements, processed checks, etc.

The validation process is very stringent to be sure the business is as presented for the type of certification. You must be willing to disclose extensive financial, business and personal details about the company and its management to complete the process.

MARKETING WBE STATUS

The advantages of certification are numerous.

By highlighting your existence to companies that want to meet diversity goals, certification can offer you access to new

Once you are certified, the challenge is to market your WBE or MBE status. There are a variety of tools at your disposal.

Make sure you are familiar with the certifying organization’s database, services and calendar of events. To maximize networking potential, do research in advance of educational events or diversity conferences to determine if your key targets will be present and how you can best approach them.

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SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 45

CERTIFICATION BENEFITS

Continued on page 46

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Reap the rewards. Savor your privileges. Join the ranks with the mega successful.

Start now with a complimentary consultation from a Laughlin Associates business advisor today.

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Continued from page 45

When targeting appropriate contacts, be as selective and specific as possible. A realistic and feasible strategy would be to research the three corporations that would make the best with your business. Corporate contact information is available on an online database through WBENC for all WBEs to research. For MBEs, you can register with the NMSDC to have access to vendor opportunities as they become available.

Do not get discouraged. Developing relationships with potential buyers can be a lengthy, but it can also lead to successful contracts. Certification can be compare to a gym membership: It is not enough to be a card-carrying member – you’ve got to put in the effort to reap the rewards.

Kate Armstrong is the President of the Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance (the WBENC affiliate covering 94 counties in TX) www.wbea-texas.org , karmstrong@wbea-texas.org (713) 681-9232

SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 46

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SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 47

LOOKING LOOKING FOR FOR AN...

AN...

LOOKING LOOKING FOR FOR A...

A...

ATTORNEY? ATTORNEY?

TITLE TITLE AGENT? AGENT? LOOKING LOOKING FOR FOR A...

A...

LOOKING LOOKING FOR FOR A...

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REAL REAL ESTATE ESTATE AGENT? AGENT?

MORTGAGE MORTGAGE BROKER? BROKER?

WHERE YOU GO TO WORK

713-681-7001

Advertiser’s Index CHI.....................................................Inside Back Cover

Main Street Chamber.....................................................46

Champions School of Real Estate................................10

Maysco Management ....................................................28

Churchill Mortgage...............................Inside Front Cover

Nerium...................................................................4

CMC Custom Homes ...................................................21

Nerium....................................................................29

Courthouse Direct.........................................................48

RedLeaf Promotions.......................................................28

Cruise & Hughes.............................................................2

Reeds Printing Solutions...............................................28

Eric Kleiman Photography..............................................21

Quality Hospitality Travel d/b/a Cruise Planners................38

Fidelity National Title-Galleria...........................Back Cover

RAC Conference Center..............................................43

G Ernest Designs...........................................................17

RAC Conference Center..............................................28

GMS Dental Centers.....................................................29

Sales Nexus....................................................................23

GPS Wealth........................................................ ............39

Steven Kay ....................................................................33

Houston Minority Supplier Development Council..............30

TG Design ....................................................................37

Keystone Resources......................................................47

VIP Orbit ....................................................................32

Leadtrust Funding .......................................................29

WBEA

Laughlin Associates .....................................................46

Westpark Communications ............................................1

....................................................................41

Main Street Chamber.....................................................27

SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 48

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SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 3

Fidelity National Title

速

TM

---- Joan Oelze, Broker Associate Prudential Anderson Properties

SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2012 | PG 4

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