Leverage Someone Else's Brand

If you are starting a brand new company or work at a very large company with a 'big company' image, it can be difficult to take your message to small business owners. One key way to do it is to leverage the brand equity that someone else has already built up to break into the entrepreneur's radar screen. Find someone who has earned the respect of your target market and use their credibility to promote your company.

Find the influencers

There are a number of ways to find who the leaders in your customers' community are. Look for who the most popular bloggers are, who are the ones being invited to do keynote speeches at the important conferences, and who are the authors of the most recent best selling books?

Approach them with sincerity
Once you have identified the appropriate thought leaders, approach them with the sincere desire to help them and the small business community. Too many people are contacting them trying to sell them on a particular product or service. Build a relationship with them first and show that you are genuine about helping entrepreneurs to stand our from your competition.

How to get involved
There are a number of ways to get involved and leverage your new partner's brand. Some of them include:

• Advertising on their website
• Sponsoring a prize for a contest
• Having them review your product / service
• Profiling your company and offering
• Having you as a guest expert contributor to their website to discuss a particular hot topic

By partnering up with people who have accomplished the recognition you are looking for you can shortcut your way to the top and gain the small business credibility you need to sell your offering effectively.

Evan Carmichael

Fire Your Bad SMB Customers

Small business owners understand the value of their money when they decide to make a new purchase. They have worked hard to generate that additional income and have gone through many personal sacrifices to get their companies off the ground. Because they had to be so penny-pinching to launch their businesses, entrepreneurs will typically drive a hard bargain on your pricing and make sure they are getting value for money.

Small business owners can also be very quick to react and easy to offend if you drop the ball with any part of what you said you were going to give them - pricing, delivery, service, repair, etc. They will watch you like a hawk until they get what they want, especially if it is a big expense for them. Note: keep in mind that a big expense for a small business owner is likely not a big sale for you.

Having said this, however, some SMB clients are just not worth keeping. Like any other segment you will have a percentage of your clients who you just cannot make happy. They will drain your resources, call you every time there is a slight problem, make unreasonable demands, and cry foul until they have been appeased.

Just because you have made a commitment to sell to small businesses it does not mean that you have to sell to every small business. While the majority of SMBs may be great clients for you, not every SMB will be worth the hassle. Do not be afraid to fire your bad customers if they are taking you away from servicing your good clients.

UPS Announces $25,000 SMB Contest

Nothing attracts small business owners like a chance to win money and gain recognition from the corporate establishment.

That is why UPS has announced it's third annual Best "Out-of-the-Box" Small Business Contest - and this year the company is going international.

UPS is looking for the "the most innovative small businesses" with 2006 revenues between $250,000 and $10 million. The top prize is $25,000 in cash, an IBM small business package and promotion in UPS's international publicity campaign.

Along with the financial reward comes the all important instant credibility that the winning company can use to land new customers and gain additional media exposure.

Contestants need to fill out a form and submit a 500 word essay at the contest website. It is a fairly cheap price tag for UPS to pay considering the exposure they will be getting as a result.

Kudos to UPS - what is your company doing to attract SMB attention?