Inner Circle Media

Debra Power (Power Marketing) and I are going to be regular contributors to the Ann Arbor Business Review. Since Debra and I are the co-founders of the Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw, the Business Review hopes we’ll be good spokespeople for the region’s business women. Little do they know that they asked two outspoken and sometimes brassy women to gab about their favorite topic!

After WXW’s April Exchange Session called “Sales – Finding Customers and Sealing Deals,” I wrote an article about women and sales where I pondered the question, “Why are businesswomen often so averse to selling?”

If you’d like to read the entire article, here it is - “Women in business - Start selling like a girl”

I think we cut ourselves short if we think women have to be power sellers with smooth pitches and a quick answer for everything. Often women have inherent skills that help them bond with prospective clients, ask good questions, listen intently, and ultimately determine if a business deal is likely. Here are some tips to help you sell like a girl:

• Build trust like a good friend. Encourage people to talk to you by asking how you can help them.

• Be nurturing like your favorite grandmother. Listen intently to your prospects, so they feel heard. Give them praise for their hard work.

• Be assertive. Guide your prospects through the sales process. Be direct with your questions, so you can thoroughly understand their needs, goals, and intentions.

• Promote honesty and transparency. By being open, truthful, and real with your prospects, you’ll encourage them to behave in the same way.

• Make lasting connections. Realize that many prospects won’t end up being your clients, but that’s OK. They can still be referral sources, trusted advisors, and even friends.

In celebration of WXW’s yearly forum (May 15) and because WXW women tend to be so gol’ darn lippy and self-assertive, Concentrate asked five WXW participants to “talk about women in business, the opportunities and challenges of doing that in Michigan, what you’d like to see improved, where things are going, etc.  The more personal and opinionated you are the better. ”

If you haven’t learned by now, here’s a reminder - you don’t have to ask WXW participants to be OPINIONATED. Once you meet Rebecca Lopez Kriss, Marisa Smith, Carole Baker, Debra Power, and Carrie Hensel, you’ll quickly come to realize that we dish open, honest business talk all day long to anyone who will listen.

> Check out our blog posts here.

Our blog topics for Concentrate include…

• Carrie Hensel - Do Women Really Do Business Different from Men?
• Carole Baker - Taking the WORK Out of Networking
• Marisa Smith - Build Your Own “Old Girls Network”
• Rebecca Lopez Kriss - Where Have All the Young Professional FEMALE Entrepreneurs Gone?
• Debra Power - The POWER of Women

P.S. We hope you LOVE our mugshots above.  We’re so opinionated that it sometimes gets us into trouble.

The Ann Arbor News ran an excellent section called “Outlook - Survival Mode: A time to transform” in its March 22, 2009 edition.  The Outlook section featured stories about companies and people who are adapting and transforming during Michigan’s trying economic times. (Unfortunately, the next day the Ann Arbor News announced its own transformation - to annarbor.com, an online publication that will distribute printed papers only twice weekly.)

Stephanie Murray, Ann Arbor News reporter, asked me to provide 100 words of insight for people who are thinking about starting their own companies. Here are my words of wisdom that were included in the paper:

“In 2001 I left a cushy corporate job. Without an inkling of business experience, I started a small company that now has seven employees. How can you do the same?”

• Go after your dreams right now. Ignore the ‘what ifs.’ At 80, you will marvel at your braveness.
• Share your business with everyone. Ask others about their best/worst business decisions. Listen carefully.
• Be persistent and adaptable like a dandelion.
• Give your best to people. Put your integrity where your mouth is.
• Don’t be so gol’ darn serious. Have fun, and let your wild ideas rip!

And here’s a link to the article online at mlive.com.

On Saturday night (March 14th), Catherine Hayes and I were featured on WJR’s Internet Advisor, a Detroit radio show that’s been on the air for 11 years on News/Talk 760 AM. For those wondering - no, we did not get to meet Mitch Albom, but we had a great time talking with Gary Baker (local leader, technology expert and entrepreneur), Foster Braun (with that name and that voice, he was destined to be a radio star), and Ed Rudel (computer support guru).

During the show, Catherine and I covered the basics of website development - from content to design to search engine optimization. We were interviewed during the first hour of the show. Listen to the podcast here. We’re looking forward to doing more shows in the future.

It was really fun to visit the gorgeous, historic Fisher Building and watch the sun set over Detroit. I’d encourage all of you to visit downtown Detroit again. We had an awesome dinner at Mosaic in Greektown, and the city was bustling with event goers (at all the local theaters and event venues), and party goers (the St Patty’s Day crowd was in full force).

On February 18, 2009, Concentrate (the web site and weekly online magazine) featured little ol’ me, Carrie Hensel, as one of Ann Arbor’s “Masterminds.”

For those of you who haven’t seen it, Concentrate “tells the new story of Washtenaw County — a narrative of creative people and businesses, new development, cool places to live, and the best places to work and play.” It’s one of Issue Media Group’s numerous city-specific publications, all of which focus on small businesses that are bucking current economic trends by growing, hiring, producing creative products and services, and helping improve their communities.

The writer, Kimberly Chou, was a joy to talk with. I’m amazed that she took such thorough notes, since prior to speaking with her I consumed some extremely caffeinated coffee at Caribou, and then proceeded to spout off at 100 miles per hour. My pals who read the article said it captured my creative spirit, so clearly Kimberly has a gift for taking nonsensical jibber jabber and turning it into a story.

The article features a summary of my extremely convoluted career path, a history of our company (Inner Circle Media), and some great promotion for the new women’s  business group we started last year, the Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw (WXW). WXW has become my second full time occupation, and I love it. As the article says about WXW, “Our tag line is ‘Now we’re talking’ and that’s what we do. We TALK.  That is really where the magic happens… and that’s the place I want to be — when you’re talking with people and really figuring stuff out.”

I’m super flattered that Concentrate deems me a “Mastermind” and I’ll do whatever I must to maintain that title.

> Check out the full article here.

Hey fellow weirdos, I have been contemplating a blog post like this for years. Yes, it may seem risky to call attention to my weirdness, but with the launch of our new (and rather weird) website and after reading this interesting post on BNET – “When the Going Gets Tough, Get Weird” – I feel like the world is ready for me to talk openly about my company’s and my own weirdness and how it’s contributed to our success.

The Background: When we first started Inner Circle Media eight years ago, we felt like it was imperative to present ourselves as hip, cool, leading-edge techies and designers. We thought that if we acted cooler and SMARTER than our competitors, we would surely win lots of business and dominate the market. But alas, the more we talked about model-view-controller frameworks and user interface engineering, the more we sounded like our competitors and worse yet – the more our prospective clients’ eyes glazed over in boredom.

The Cure: Luckily, we realized that if we wanted to stop boring people, we had to talk about our business and maybe even do business in a different way. That’s where the weirdness comes in…

About My Own Weirdness: By nature, I am slightly weird. “How do I define weird?” you ask. Well, I define it as odd, sometimes bizarre, definitely not normal and perhaps downright peculiar. I am slightly weird because… I don’t always like to do things in the usual or normal way. I like to say WHY and WHAT IF a lot. I can be a bit too inquisitive – sometimes I ask too many probing and personal questions. I am upon occasion unusually honest – I’ll tell you when I don’t know something, and I don’t care if it makes me look stupid. I may also tell you that I disagree with your brilliant idea. I am especially weird because I embrace the title of “DORK” – which means I am not afraid to 1) dance in public – especially in the aisles of local grocery stores playing Air Supply songs and 2) laugh with abandon at my quirky self.

So, back to the business - how does all this weirdness relate to the way we do business? Well, we do business in un-business-like ways. For one, we decided to stop acting the way we thought professional web developers were supposed to act. We embraced our inner dorks, geeks, and nerds. In fact, we let our dorky, geeky, nerdy selves loose, and here’s what happened to our business:

• We painted our entire office orange and we have a nap couch (for me because there are times when I absolutely MUST nap like a toddler).
• We have loud team meetings where we often make up theme songs and jingles for our clients’ companies.
• We make our office dog wear a babooshka bonnet and take silly photos of him.
• We hire people who are slow and methodical; we also hire people who are total spazzes; our only requirement is they are true to themselves and feel engaged by and satisfied in their jobs.
• We try to make the right people happy (but we don’t kill ourselves to do so because some people will always be unhappy and they like it that way).
• We have parties as often as possible. Catherine may be seen doing the River Dance at those parties.
• Our team members come and go as they please.
• We are open about our financials – our team knows exactly how much money the company makes.
• Several of us are openly-proud crazy cat ladies.
• One of us is proud to look like Kenny Loggins without a beard.

Guess what else happened to our business? NO, our current and potential clients did not run away screaming. They actually appreciated our honesty, humility, and humor. They helped our company to grow in leaps and bounds. And best of all - our clients told people that “it was actually FUN to build our website.” If being weird helps us all to have more fun, then let’s all let our inner freaks out!

In 2009 BIG fonts are still all the rage!

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Since it’s January 2009, it seems the trendy thing to do is to talk about web design trends for the coming year (and you know how I like to be oh-so trendy). Smashing Magazine put out a good list of the top 10 trends for 2009 (they’ll expand the list in the coming months and present some color trends too). The list of trends provides good fodder for web designers in need of inspiration; however, I found that most of the “trends” have been around for the past few years and became increasingly popular in 2008. So technically, these aren’t new or upcoming  trends; they are the current style.

Just for fun, here are design trends from the past two years:

2008 Design Trends
Best of CSS Design 2007

You’ll notice that many of the old “trends” continue to hang around. I’d argue that’s because they aren’t trends, they’re standards in typography and layout that have been around for eons – in newspapers, books, propaganda posters, and even the art world.  This year’s trends - including letterpress, huge typography, font replacement, the “magazine look,” and introduction blocks - are all standards from the world of print design. PNG transparency is the web’s take on the use of background images and collage. By comparison, rich user interfaces, modal boxes, media blocks, and carousels (slideshows) are the trends that are truly WEB trends because they rely on technology and interactivity, and can’t be achieved in print.

I appreciated a few of the smart comments on the Smashing Magazine article. One said, “I always like hearing about trends.. gives me guidance on what NOT to do too often.” I know what he means. As a designer, it’s often easier to follow the pack and create designs that look like everyone else’s stuff, but your work will be stronger if you worry less about the current fashion and more about what the user wants/needs to most effectively interact with the site you’re designing.

Also noted in one of the comments – “There are no such things as web design trends, only good, appropriate design.” Clearly trends in print media, TV, video, and most importantly user experience are influencing and guiding us on our path as web designers. I think in coming years we’ll continue to learn that ease of use can be beautiful.   On that note, keep an eye on the ways mobile devices affect design styles in the coming years. Here are some inclinations - Mobile Web Design Trends For 2009 (again from Smashing Magazine).

And in case you’re desperate for one more list of trends for the year - here’s an informative list of the 20 Internet Marketing Trends for 2009 from Start Up Nation. Good stuff!

On occasion we have a client who asks, “If one website is good for my business, then doesn’t it stand to reason that 2, 3, 4 or more sites would be even better?” The answer is “MAYBE - It all depends on your audience.”If you serve just one audience, then one website is probably all you need.

If you serve multiple audiences, you should first determine - are their information needs different enough to warrant separate websites? If yes, then perhaps you should have multiple websites geared specifically at each audience.

………………..

For the sake of example, here’s a story…

Imagine you sell goats. For the past 20 years your target audience has been people who buy your goats for milk production. You’ve had a website for the past 6 years that promotes your goats’ abilities to make prolific amounts of tasty, nutritious milk.

Then you get a phone call one day. Someone visited your website and wants to know if your goats are good grazers. You say, “Why sure, our goats are good grazers. They eat just about anything, but they prefer to eat the finest clover hay which makes their milk taste ever-so-sweet.”

And the caller says, “Oh no, I don’t want your goats for milk production. I started a new company called Rent-A-Goat Services. We’re looking for friendly goats to use as an efficient, holistic, environmentally healthy approach to weed control. It sounds like your goats wouldn’t be good for this since they’ve been spoiled on the finest clover hay. I’ll call someone else. Toodle-loo.”

Initially, you are surprised, but because you are such a brilliant entrepreneur, you recognize a new market for your goats. Immediately you call your favorite web design company and get started on a new website that promotes your goats as the world’s most voracious weed eaters. Six months later you’ve sold more goats than the previous five years combined. You decide to establish a company called, “Hungry Goat Staffing Services.” A year later you are the preferred goat provider to Rent-A-Goat Services all over the country. Two years later you decide to sell your goat staffing company and move to Tuscany to learn Italian, drink good Chianti, and perfect your Mostaccioli recipe.

You get the picture? If you decide you need more than one website, keep these things in mind:

1. Multiple sites can be good for your search engine ranking - because you can cross link between sites and because you’ll have multiple search engine listings.

2. Managing multiple sites can be time-consuming. Don’t spread yourself to thin. If you can’t handle the maintenance of several sites, then just stick with one.

3. Don’t cannibalize from your other sites. If you set up two or three sites that market the same product, they may compete for visitors and may not help you increase market share.

………………..

By the way, Rent-A-Goat is the real deal. We don’t make this stuff up!

There really are Rent-A-Goat services sprouting up around the country. Here’s a link to one in San Francisco City Crazing.

For small lawns and those hard to reach places…

… consider baby pigmy goats. They’re cute, bouncy, always hungry, and many people will think they’re just strange looking cats - which means you can keep them in your backyard in Ann Arbor. Perhaps they’ll become friends with your flock of urban chickens.

This may sound crazy coming from a business owner trying to grow her company, but we send away business every day. When prospective clients call, we ask a bunch of probing questions, and when it makes sense, we direct them to a trusted group of web freelancers. But, why would a company EVER send business away? Because a good fit is vital to a good outcome!How do you know who’s right for your next web project? Here’s some quick guidance on how to choose between a freelancer and a web development shop:

Reasons to Choose a Freelancer:

• You want a basic informational site.
• Your budget is limited (i.e. under $3-5 K).
• You’ve already designed your site; now you need someone to code it.
• Conversely, you need someone to design your site, and you’ll have one of your in-house techies code the site.
• You already have a decent website; you just need someone to help you make changes or additions.

Reasons to Choose a Web Development Firm:

• Your new website will be complex - perhaps it’s database-driven, with a login area, an online store, and a content management system.
• You want to work with a team with a wide breadth of expertise - marketing, search engine optimization, design, programming, animation, video for the web - you want your web team to have it all.
• You want to hang out in a funky, orange office (+ spend time with Norm the dog).

If you’re still not sure who would build you the best website, you might consider talking to both freelancers and web shops. Here are some considerations when interviewing one-woman shops vs. larger companies:

Considerations when choosing a freelancer:

• What’s in the freelancer’s portfolio? Do you like their work?
• Does s/he ask the right questions, listen intently, and understand your goals?
• Do you have a good fit with the freelancer? (This is important since it’s a one-on-one relationship.)
• How quickly can the freelancer complete the work?
• Does the freelancer build websites part-time? Do they have a day job?

Considerations when choosing a web firm:

Almost 2 years ago, I wrote a blog post about this very topic. It tells you what questions to ask when choosing a web development firm. Here’s the link - Choosing a Web Firm: 20 Questions For Prospective Web Developers. The next time you come talk to us about a web project, make sure to ask these questions, and give me a dose of my own medicine!

Here at Inner Circle Media we’re somewhat resistant to formal job titles. In my previous life, I worked for a stuffy, corporate, hierarchical company where we had job titles like Senior Quality Liaison and International Documentation Coordinator. To me these titles were BS, and they often caused bickering and divisiveness because people would argue about who had what title. It was not uncommon to hear someone exclaim, “But why am I only a senior coordinator and not an associate or even a junior supervisor?!” (I’m so glad I never figured out the difference!)

So, when Catherine and I started Inner Circle, we decided to let our team members come up with their own job titles. That way, our team members can decide what they do best and how they’d like to define their role. And because they’re creating their own titles, they are all theirs. If they decide in six months that their title no longer fits their role, they can CHANGE IT.

This past week our brilliant new team member, Karl, was trying to figure out the title he’d like listed on his business cards. We suggested many possibilities - production assistant, web coder, digital developer - but none of them were quite sexy enough. So Karl created this handy little tool to generate his title. Personally, I love WEB CODE BOY. Give it a try, and let me know which one you like best.

………………

Share and Enjoy: