Over the years I’ve witnessed about every stage and cycle of business. I’ve also been a close observer of human nature throughout it all. I’ve had some big wins and some major misses.
Consequently, I’ve been asked a lot of questions about business, entrepreneurship, start-ups, fundraising, marketing, sales, management, and various success strategies.
I certainly don’t have all the answers. But if I can help a business run more efficiently, or a manager lead more effectively, or a professional improve personally…I want to do that.
Conversely, I’m always looking for ways to improve what I’m doing. I love the dialogue of improvement.
Recently I answered a few questions posed on my Facebook Fan Page and thought I’d pass those conversations along to you here:
“I’m building an email list and starting a newsletter. I can’t decide what email management system to use. What do you use and why?”
“…I’ve researched and used several over the years. From Constant Contact, aWeber, Infusionsoft, to iContact. I currently use and highly recommend a system called Mail Chimp. It’s simple to use, robust, and priced very fairly. You can start using for free immediately and their customer support is excellent. That has been a serious complaint of mine in the past; poor customer support. Ironically, the systems that claimed to do the ‘most’ and were most expensive constantly dropped the ball. Go check out MailChimp and let me know what you think. Good luck! –Jeff”
“I was just about to register for a copywriting seminar that teaches how to write effective copy, start a blog, and create a marketing plan. The cost is $2,499 for the weekend. Do you think it’s worth spending that much?”
“…unless you just need a vacation, have an unlimited budget, or have an opportunity to spend true one-on-one time with a proven copywriting expert, like, all day with them!…I would tell you to save your money. Effective copywriting, like everything else in marketing, takes practice, experience and time. You won’t come home an expert no matter how much you pay or how incredible the expert is. You will probably get some great tips and advice, but you will still have to come home and apply, re-apply, and realize improvement over time. There are some incredible resources available to help you with this craft–for free! My first recommendation is Brian Clark of CopyBlogger.com. Go there and absorb it all. An excellent resource that I’ve referred to often. Another great source of free writing and marketing tips is from John Paul Aguiar of johnpaulaguiar.com. So, my friend, I hope I just saved you $2,499! Keep me posted! Jeff”
“I know you do alot of Webinars. Have you found a system that’s actually reliable? We keep running into problems…Can you help?”
“…I’ve probably experienced all of the problems that you’re experiencing. Dropped connections, frozen video, low resolution (if using video), confusing login process, software downloads, etc. Yes, I’ve researched and used most of them, from DimDim, WebEx, Go2Meeting, to VideoSeminarLive. About a year ago I happened upon a company called OmNovia. So far, they have been head-and-shoulders above the rest. I run all of my webinars through OmNovia now. Their ability to customize my entire webinar “room”, reasonable pricing, high quality resolution, strong connection, great customer service and overall simple experience has been a breath of fresh air for me. If I were you, I’d give OmNovia a try. Best of luck to you! Jeff”
Since I get a lot of questions, and I love to answer them if I can (sometimes I just make answers up. Kidding.), I encourage people to contact me directly with any question they have…from fundraising, to feedback on a webpage or marketing campaign, management questions, etc…by using my Action Institute Facebook Fan Page. I check it every day and I try to answer every single question that I get.
Connect with me there and fire off a question. I’d love to help. And if you’ve got info for me, please, teach me! Connect Here.
Oh to you skeptics…no, I’m not getting a referral fee from OmNovia, MailChimp, Brian Clark or John Paul. They’re doing just fine without me!
Jeff Chavez Tips and Advice on Entrepreneurship, Leadership, and Success 