I will be the guest speaker on Saturday 6/12/10, in Las Vegas, for The Odd Couple® Marketing & Strategy Seminar for Speakers, Consultants & Coaches, conducted by Dr. Alan Weiss and Patricia Fripp as I will share the stage with them. I will be discussing and presenting one of my favorite topics: Million Dollar Web Sites. Hope to see you there.

Below are three videos testimonials from Patrica Fripp taped (a couple of years ago) after one of my presentation.

Why Web Strategy?

Your site As Your 24×7 Extension

Chad Barr Guest Speaker for The Odd Couple

http://www.chadbarr.com/testimonial-from-patricia-fripp/

It is a beautiful morning here in Newport, Rhode Island, as I just arrived for the Thrive! experience with a very special group of people. I’ve decided to get here a bit early so I may slow down the wheels of life a bit, sit and watch the water scenes, listen to the beautiful sounds around me (water, wind, boats, birds, the flag) and read a great book.

And yes, Chadology is by my side to capture and enhance these special moments.

Over and out!

I recently had the outstanding opportunity of interviewing this remarkable individual; Dr. Cal LeMon, president of Executive Enrichment. Cal is a successful consultant, coach, author and a sought after speaker, who has helped improve the condition of some of the best organizations and audiences in the world. During the interview we discussed topics such as: creating extraordinary leaders, key mistakes organizations make, delivering value and the importance of surprises, creating a dream team, becoming a better leader, where do ideas come from, spirituality and much more. This podcast, I assure you, is a rare treat which I know you will appreciate and walk away with some amazing take-aways. Enjoy, Chad

Click below for podcast to start

and now also on iTunes

Click Here for entire podcast series table of contents

My wife just got the recent Macy’s fragrance products catalog, which was sitting on our kitchen counter when I walked in. At first, I was drawn to the vibrant and attractive colors of the magazine but then something else caught my attention. It was the subtle “did you know?” questions placed throughout the pages and followed by creative answers. What I found intriguing was the fact that the answers “placed” the products in the buyer’s hands and suggested a good “use” of that product.

1. How do you communicate your existing and new products and services to your clients?
2. Do your buyers understand how to leverage your capabilities?
3. Do you suggest creative, effective and results-generating uses of your products and services?

Here are some of the catalog images demonstrating my points as well as the last image displaying the incorporation of the social media integration. Nice job Macy’s!

A while back I wanted to check out the newsletter of Jim Cramer of TheStreet.com and the Mad Money TV show on CNBC. Big mistake! I can’t get off his newsletter. I have attempted to unsubscribe by opting-out numerous times as I also emailed his organization directly but no response and to no avail. You must be asking by now: “Chad, why are you not setting up a filter to remove his email into the trash folder?” Well … I did! But this is not the point. I should not be expected to do so from what appears to be a credible individual and company. Yet, after doing a quick search on the net I found out that Jim apparently has been getting quite a few complaints about this practice.

Although I realize that I may be generating free publicity for his organization, my hope is that my readership takes notice and also recognizes the following Lessons:

1. Make it easy for your audience to subscribe (opt-in) and immediately honor their unsubscribe (Opt-out) requests.
2. Test your various aspects of technology.
3. Make it easy for your audience to contact you.
4. Quickly respond to contacts emails.
5. Don’t take success for granted.

Below is a snapshot I captured to illustrate my point:

(Click on image to enlarge)

I recently traveled to Newport, Rhode Island, to speak to the participants of Alan Weiss’s Million Dollar Consulting® College. Since one of the topics I covered was the easy process of the creation and publishing of a podcast and since Alan and I have also promised a podcast to the participants of our New Product Experience collaboration, we have decided to use the opportunity to record and demonstrate it right there and then.

Enjoy,

Chad

Click below for podcast to start

and now also on iTunes

http://www.chadbarr.com/creating-and-marketing-products-chad-barr-interviews-alan-weiss/

Click Here for entire podcast series table of contents

I am delighted to announce the new site and Internet strategy we have recently launched for Exponential Consulting LTD, founded and lead by
Dr. Stephen Billing and located in Wellington, New Zealand.

Click here or on image below to view the new site:

Click here to read rave reviews about Stephen.

Click here to watch Stephen’s videos.

Click on our portfolio page collection to view other sites and strategies we have created.

I recently wrote about the revolutionary upcoming launch of the new iPad. I have also come across quite a few articles claiming this iPad is not yet sophisticated enough or not ready to replace the laptop technology. I suggest you do not underestimate this revolutionary device and I also recommend some patience as I don’t expect all the remarkable future features to be available in version 1 fo this iPad. I predict revolution through evolution. Apple will set the new standard as they keep evolving this platform just as they have done with the iPod and iTune and iPhone and many other iProducts.

It is ONE more tool available for you to consider. There are tasks I prefer to do on my powerful Mac Pro desktop and there are tasks I prefer to do on my Mac Book Pro laptop.

Here are just a few examples why this iPad is superior to what you are used to right now:

1. This is going to be a new touch experience for everyone which is not suitable for your desktop or laptop.
2. I don’t load and play games on my desktop or Laptop. I will on my iPad which was designed for it and will make this an amazing experience.
3. I don’t read books on my desktop or laptop. I will on my iPad which will also make this an amazing experience for me. Multiple books available at my fingertips. Built-in dictionary with a simple click. Search for a word and find where else it appears in the book.
4. Reading newspapers will also be a superb experience.
5. Applications will quickly become available (already are) which are NOT available for your laptop and desktop.
6. I am sure I will quickly adjust to the virtual keyboard and become quite productive using it.
7. For me, the weight and size are just perfect to carry into a presentation or a meeting.

I predict that when version 2 comes out, it will most likely replace my laptop. Until then, just one more tiny device in my Chadology bag which will take less space and weigh less than my 4 books I carry. The world has become an “instant” demand world. Just as we can now get our music of choice and listen to it within a few minutes, we can now leverage such technology to quickly download a book and read it within minutes. Although I would most likely wait for the version that supports a video camera, I can not wait to get my palms on this iPad.

Just one more powerful tool in the Chadology bag.

In this terrific podcast interview, I had the opportunity to chat with serial Web-entrepreneur Jim Kukral. He is a consultant, coach, author and speaker, an expert and an authority on how to successfully leverage the Internet. During the interview we discussed topics such as: Internet best practices and leveraging web sites, blogs and social media. Why consider an affiliate program and what are some of the biggest mistakes people make on the web. How to reach top executives, search engine optimization and much more. I assure you will enjoy and learn from listening to Jim.

Click below for podcast to start

and now also on iTunes

Click Here for entire podcast series table of contents

Here is the new site and strategy we have developed and implemented for Quantum Performance Inc., lead by Josh Leibner (New Jersey) and Gershon Mader (Toronto, Canada). They partner with bold, ambitiopus executives engaged in transforming their organizations.

Click here or on image below to view Quantum Performance Inc. new site:

Click here or on image below to view the new site dedicated to their book The Power of Strategic Commitment:

Click here or on image below to view their new blog:

Click here to view some great clients video testimonials.

Click on our portfolio page collection to view other sites and strategies we have created.

In this fabulous podcast interview, I had the chance to chat with Omar Khan, founder and senior partner of Sensei International and author of several books. We discussed some fascinating topics: What is a global consultant, how do you become a successful one and how do you get started. We also talked about his international company, building and sustaining remarkable relationships, how to succeed in this economy, his blog and the book he co-authored with Dr. Alan Weiss, The Global Consultant.

Click below for podcast to start

and now also on iTunes

http://www.chadbarr.com/chad-barr-interviews-omar-khan/

Click Here for entire podcast series table of contents

Below is my upcoming speaking schedule for various and exciting events. To reserve your spot, contact the individuals below. Hope to see you there.

1. Million Dollar Consulting® College – Newport, RI, Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Alan Weiss, PhD
P: 401-884-2778
Alan@SummitConsulting.com

2. Society for Advancement for Consulting – New York, NY, Tuesday, April, 6, 2010
Alan Weiss, PhD
P: 401-884-2778
Alan@SummitConsulting.com

3. Greater Los Angeles NSA Chapter – Saturday, April 17, 2010
Lori Akina
Executive Director
P: 866-416-7252
lori@tjmanagement.com

4. New England Chapter, Natick, MA – Saturday, May 15, 2010
Donna Powell
donna.f.powell@comcast.net

5. The Odd Couple® Marketing & Strategy Seminar, Las Vegas, NV – Saturday/Sunday, June 12 – 13, 2010
Alan Weiss, PhD
P: 401-884-2778
Alan@SummitConsulting.com

This is a great podcast interview I just did with David Meerman Scott, author of The New Rules of Marketing & PR and World Wide Rave among other books. In this interview we discussed: Viral marketing and thought leadership strategies, the new / old rules of marketing, best practices for consultants, where do ideas come from, how to best leverage social media and much more.

Click below for podcast to start

and now also on iTunes

http://www.chadbarr.com/chad-barr-interviews-david-meerman-scott/

Click Here for entire podcast series table of contents

During my recent trip to London to get certified in Alan Weiss’s Mentor Mastery program, I was fortunate to receive this amazing video testimonial for my dear friend, colleague and client, Libby Wagner. President of Libby Wagner & Associates and Influencing Options.

http://www.chadbarr.com/testimonial-from-libby-wagner/

Below is an interview I did with Seth Kahan, author of www.freelancefortune.com

In this interview we discussed:

• How I maintain a strategic point of view
• Breakthroughs in my practice resulting in dramatic business growth
• Tactics I have used for improving revenue
• The power of working with trusted advisors
• How I have grown my organization
• My upcoming book which focuses on using technology to achieve higher levels of success
• Reflections on breaking the $1,000,000 revenue mark

Click below for podcast to start

and now also on iTunes

Here is the original interview as published on Seth’s site.

http://www.chadbarr.com/world-class-consultant-chad-barr-interviewed-by-seth-kahan/

Click Here for entire podcast series table of contents

You are probably wondering what in the world is Chadology? Well, I am glad you’ve asked. This popular term has been used by quite a few of my clients and is taking off quickly. There are various permutations such as: Chadology, Chadnology, Chadknowlogy, Chadovations yet they all represent the power of Chad’s knowledge and wisdom, combined with technology and then simply applied to the client to improve their lives and businesses. I have just received this photo, of walking Chadology, taken by one of my clients upon my arrival to the Providence airport last week for The New Product Experience workshop I co-hosted with Alan Weiss.

And yes, I am working on simplifying Chadology so there is less gear to carry.

So there you go and now you know.

I view the web as an important component of your overall marketing effort and driving interest to your organization. Seldom, would your Internet effort alone drive the proper interest and success to your organization. However, combined with the following list below and you are looking at the recipe to success:

• Speaking – Is one of the best ways to deliver value to your audience and engage with your presentation. It is especially effective if you leverage your web content during your presentation. Why not reference an article or a position paper: “Let me share with you the top 3 mistakes organizations make …” or perhaps display a chart or graph.
• Publishing – I referring here to both digital and non-digital methods. A hard copy booklet or book and a digital version of such are a very powerful way of complementing your web efforts. This may happen on your site, your blog or on others as well as appearing in various other publications.
• Body of work- The Internet today makes it extremely easy to publish a variety of media formats. Be it the written words, photos, charts, audio podcasts and videos. This creates an interesting variety for people to choose and process at their leisure, when they want and using the technology of their choice: Laptop, desktop, iPod, iPhone and so on.
• Products and services – This is a critical item to create interest in you, for people to be able to engage you and create mutual success. From the promotion of consulting, mentoring, speaking, training, booklets, books, DVDs, surveys, workshops, retreats, webinars, teleseminars and more.
• Provocative – If you want to get noticed, you have to be able to stand out in the crowd. Yet if you sound like everyone else, you won’t. One of the best way to have others notice you and become an object of interest is to become provocative.
• Strong relationships – None of this intended success is possible without the creation of strong relationship and partnership with your clients and always looking for their self interest.
• Delivery of value – The driving force in all of this is the ultimate value the client receive.
• Shamelessly promoting yourself- You can not remain a best kept secret and expect success to knock on your door. Nor could you expect to build it and they will came. These stories usually take place in fairy tails or modern movies. You’ve got to promote yourself, your brands and your products and services and become successful.

“It’s hard work you say?” Yes, it probably is. Yet there is no short cutting the system. Place these components effectively together and amazing Internet results will come your way.

Did you ever wonder how to create your own podcast? During the New Product Experience conducted today in Rhode Island, Alan Weiss discussed the effective and successful components of a podcast, he then had the participants develop the bullet points and called on Donna Brighton to create the podcast with him. With the help of the workshop co-presenter, Chad Barr, the podcast was immediately recorded, music added and uploaded to the blog.

Click below for podcast to start

and now also on iTunes

http://www.chadbarr.com/talk-the-walk/

Click Here for entire podcast series table of contents

Got on the Continental Saturday morning early flight from Cleveland to Newark and then continuing to London.  The comfortable Business First accommodation allowed me to relax, listen to my favorite iPhone music (about 8000 selections to choose from), catch up on my reading and continue my preparation for the New Product Experience I am conducting with Alan Weiss next week in Rhode Island. This week in London is going to be an outstanding week as five of my very close colleagues and clients: Dr. Guido Quelle from Germany, Libby Wagner from Seattle, Washington, Phil Symchych from Canada and Stuart Cross from the UK are meeting here with Dr. Alan Weiss to finish our certifications as Master Mentors, a new service we are going to offer to our clients.

During my first day (Monday) in London, my friend Libby Wagner and I, got a chance to visit Windsor Castle, the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms and Buckingham Palace. Amazing and fascinating places and history.

Here are some of Churchill’s wit that resonated with me:

“When I get to heaven I mean to spend a considerable portion of my first million years in painting”

“I have a tendency against which I should perhaps, be on my guard, to swim against the stream:

In 1933, as Hitler’s Nazi part came to power in Germany, Churchill asked: “Where shall we be in 1940?”

And here is another of his quote that I believe represents what true leaders are made of:
“I felt as if I were walking with destiny and that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial … I was sure I should not fail”

Windsor castle commentary by Libby Wagner. For a moment I thought the guards were going to escort her away:

St. George Chapel and view of Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle

Amazing art inside Windsor Castle

State dining room at Windsor Castle:

Guard by St. George Chapel

What a Royal Mail box looks like

Houses of Parliament from St. James’s Park

The gates of Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace

My wife is exploring various fitness facilities in the area . She contacted one of the popular locations via their web site and requested a visit to review their place. Almost two weeks later, she finally received an email from one of their representatives. My wife wrote back saying that it’s been awhile since her inquiry and she has already joined another fitness facility.

Here was their reply:
“I am sorry to here that, we have been very busy for the past couple of months. The bad weather is giving us a chance to follow up and talk to the potential members that we have in our system. I would love to set up an appointment with you and give you a tour of our beautiful facility.”

When shared with me, not only was I surprised to see the grammatical mistake but I was also amazed of the poor excuses they used for their lack of follow-up action.

Here was my wife’s reply:
“Thank you for the offer but I am no longer interested.  I’m sure you have a wonderful facility but I am also interested in prompt customer service.  It’s not very comforting to know that you didn’t respond to my inquiry until the weather got bad enough for you to have the time to follow up on potential member inquiries.”

I have recently received the catalog from Johnston & Murphy which does have some nice selections I must admit. What also caught my attention was actually the back cover which I scanned below. Notice how they promote their page on facebook with the enticement of finding exclusive offers and news.

Are you leveraging the various aspects of social media such as facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and others to communicate with your clients?  You should.

Are you providing exclusive offers and news with these social media tools? You should.

Are you paying attention and taking notes of what others and your competitors are doing with social media and beyond? You should.

Are you offering your own genuine value by exploiting social media concepts? You should.

Click here for our latest January newsletter.

Featuring the article Traits of a Million Dollar Mindset and our featured client, Dr. Cal LeMon’s article Four Gifts to Give Yourself in the New Year.

here is the new site and strategy we have developed and implemented for Dr. Cal LeMon, President of Executive Enrichment, located in Springfield, Missouri. Cal helps organizations create strategic futures and transform managers to become extraordinary leaders.

Click here to view Cal’s new site.

Click here to view Cal’s fabulous videos.

Click on our portfolio page collection to view other sites and strategies we have created.

Apple has just announced their latest gadget – the iPad which I belive is an industry and revolutionary game changer. Although some critics are already citing reasons why this technology is not as advanced as expected and are finding flaws with it, I think to the contrary. Similar to what Apple has done with graphic user interface (GUI) in the 80s, then followed by many innovative technologies in the 90s, and then the introduction of the iPhod, iPhone, music and movies, they are now leading into the future again with this remarkable invention.

So what is the big deal with this iPad and is it just a big iPod? Well read on.

1. Several years ago I said that sales of hard copy books will drastically subside and be replaced with the dramatic increase in digital book purchases. This is already happening and the iPad will make it a complete reality.
2. The newspaper industry is in a huge decline and elimination. The iPad will make it attractive to digitally read newspapers in intuitive ways which are unimaginable in hard copy.
3. I resisted the Kindle because I wanted a cool tablet which has the power of a powerful computer and displays vivid colors. Steve Jobs made this a reality for me today.
4. I am already using an app on my iPhone that has handwriting capabilities. I am sure this is going to be available on the iPad very shortly and not require these silly digital pens to be carried around.
5. So just a big iPod? Absolutely not! I would call this a Microsoft and Kindle killer. And actually the more I think about it, this is an amazing example of looking into the future in the present.

A question was recently asked: “One of my past clients has retired from his organization and is still consulting for them. I want to get back in this organization. Previously, the ex-employee brought me into the organization and I worked with the CEO who is no longer there. We are going to talk this week. Have you had any experience partnering with an ex-employee to consult with their old organization?”

Here is my answer:

Since he is inside already and especially since you have worked with him and them in the past why won’t you:

1. Ask him what key issues they are facing.
2. What role is he providing.
3. Who, inside this organization, may he introduce you to, to start building relationships.
4. Are there areas that the two of you may collaborate on.
5. What other organizations could he make introduce you to.
6. Ask him for a testimonial of the work you’ve done for him in the past.

I recently spoke on Social Media and All That Online Jazz to the Pittsburgh Consulting Community. Here are some video testimonials I have captured with my flip video camera.

Here is Chad’s definition of social media:

The connection of people online to explore mutual interests, share ideas, wisdom and expertise, build relationships, have fun, provide and solicit answers to questions and conduct business.

I am thrilled to share with you a brand new and exciting offering that was launched today. I have joined Dr. Alan Weiss in offering this new and amazing experience, never before offered, to help consultants, speakers, authors and entrepreneurs to develop and create products. The goal is to provide the tools, expertise, access, references, resources, and support to identify, create, and launch profitable new products, with the option of a partnership with existing, successful providers.

Click this link To learn more and register.

Below is a recent testimonial I have received from Libby Wagner, President of Libby Wagner & Associates.

“Don’t think for a minute that having a great, value-laden website is a nice-to-have business tool but doesn’t really impact your business results or revenues. My website has increased my brand and credibility, created opportunities for new business, including a six-figure contract and two keynotes just in the past 6 months! Potential clients are calling with their buying decision already made!”

This testimonial was also featured in our most recent newsletter.

Pretty powerful stuff you would probably agree. Not only do I take tremendous pride in receiving such testimonial, but the true essence for me, is our ability to lead and help our clients generate powerful results and reach higher level of success in their business and be rewarded for that.

So with that in mind, how effective are you in soliciting testimonials from your clients and how do you then leverage it in your business. Here is my take:

1. It is great to receive unsolicited testimonials from your clients. The way I believe to increase such is to share stories with your clients of the ones you have received. And when that testimonial arrives, I like to follow-up with a thank you note to my client.
2. When I hear my clients share their success story with me, it is the trigger I need to hear to request a testimonial. The language I usually use is: “Thank you for sharing your success with me. It delights me to hear this. If I may, I would like to share something with you. The way our business grows is when others hear success stories, such as the one you just shared with me. It would me the world to me, if you would be willing to write us a testimonial outlining the outcome we have generated for your business and place it on your letterhead.”
3. When presented with the opportunity, I would also ask my clients for their willingness to video record a short testimonial. I would suggest you bring a professional videographer or use a flip video to do it yourself. The perfect opportunity to do this is at the end of your speeches such as in my previous post.
4. Pull out the most powerful sentence or two and display on your testimonial page as well as on various applicable pages. If the testimonial refers to your consulting, why not place it also on that page.
5. Scan the testimonial letterhead received and place a link for the visitor to be able to view the entire scanned testimonial.
6. Why not frame the testimonials and hang them to display proudly and prominently in your office.
7. Include them in your PR kit when you need to send it out.
8. Blog about them.
9. Refer to them in your discussions and speeches. “I was chatting with one of my clients who proudly shared with me that …”
10. Finally, make sure to share with your clients what makes for an effective and powerful testimonial. Let them know that it is not the one that talks about how many years your are in business or how nice your new web site looks. You are looking for the one that describes the outcome and results you have generated for your clients.

You’ve built a great looking web site (well, let’s start with that assumption) and announced it to the world. Yet, several months later you are starting to get desperate as the phones are not ringing, no emails inquiries are coming in and no products are being ordered from your site.

You are probably wondering what went wrong and what are the most effective ways of changing this. Well, here are some points to consider before you pull the trigger:

• There is no one silver bullet approach to creating success on the web.
• Engage in as many effective marketing activities that allow you to connect with your clients. Such as: creation and participation of various web sites, blogs, press-releases, online forums, newsletters, social media activities, Radio, TV and podcast interviews, teleseminars, workshops, speaking and more.
• Strengthen your brand and credibility and become an object of interest.
• Nurture and grow your audience and your databases. From results reported by many of my clients, one of the most effective marketing techniques is to consistently send emails containing valuable offers and incentive to their database. This means that in addition to your content driven newsletters you need to also send announcements of your products and services. This is often overlooked by many.

What have you found to be effective?

It is quite obvious that one of the keys to the business success of many, is their ability to offer valuable products on their web sites. When I demonstrate, review and discuss this with my clients it is quite common to hear them share with me their aspiration to create such products to promote on their own web sites. The unfortunate thing is that such aspiration is often associated with an immense sense of frustration and the rudimentary challenge of how to make this a reality. The other obstacle is how to get their knowledge and ideas out of their head and into a completed product such as a booklet, book, CD, DVD workshop, Teleseminar and more.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Interview other thought leaders, record the conversation and create an audio file that is available as an MP3 download off your site or a CD.
2. Have others interview you or even video tape the conversation and make it available as an audio or video file.
3. If the objective is to increase your audience by providing free value, interface your audio recordings with iTunes and your videos with YouTube and such services. Also make your transcript available as an eBook in a PDF download.
4. Hire a content writer that will help you get your great ideas unto paper or digital files.
5. Assemble some of your best articles into a powerful collection and create a new eBook that is also available as a hard copy.
6. Create a weekly podcast series.
7. Create a monthly video series.
8. Invite your audience for three free teleseminars, deliver outstanding value and announce your new monthly teleseminar series.
9. Get together with your Internet company and layout the strategy and tactics to implement and promote these products successfully.
10. Chart your way to success – Determine one of your desired products, pull out your calendar, write down the date it will be completed and available, determine all the steps necessary to accomplish this and schedule them accordingly. Now repeat for the next product.

Unless you have already mastered the creation of such products and are doing so effectively, consistently and profitably, the key is your discipline and creating a powerful support system to help you get there. To become successful at creating products, you may need to select an accountability partner, a mentor, an Internet and a business strategist, a content writer or someone who has done so successfully and learn from them.

Since it is that time of year when making resolutions is popular yet only few follow through with, why not take a moment, determine a product your customers need that you are passionate about and have the knowledge and expertise. Then, pull out your calendar and take your first step by taking action now. You’ll be glad you did. I promise.

I was chatting with a client of mine the other day, not realizing that my browser’s facebook page was open. My attention was interrupted by the sound of my facebook instant message screen. Here is the brief online conversation that ensued with my face book friend Mark or so I thought:

Mark: Hey. are you there?
Chad: yes, on the phone. you good?

Mark: Not too good at the moment and need your urgent help
Chad: what’s going on?

Mark: We stranded in London,England. Got mugged at gun point last night all cash credit card and cell phone were stolen
Chad: so sorry to hear this. You will have to go to a place that has a phone so i can verify it is you!

Mark: all cash credit card and cell phone were stolen. Thank God we still have our lives and passport
Chad: Since you have your passport, get to the American Embassy and call me from there
and by the way, what is my granddaughter’s name?

9:28amMark is offline.

So called “Mark” disconnected our chat and also and immediately removed his facebook connection with me, which means that he defriended me (social networking term). That was all I needed to realize that my friend’s account was hacked. It was actually kind of eerie to realize that I actually just had a conversation with an impostor – a cyber thief.

I called my “real” friend Mark who was vacationing in Las Vegas and explained to him the situation. He apparently had idea of this and was shocked to hear it. I also explained to him that it is quite likely that this cyber crook may have already contacted others and possibly even engaged in other fraudulence activities. I suggested Mark logs back on, change his password, change his status message to notify his friends of the posisble fraud and then contact facebook to report this issue.

My suspicion is that my friend’s computer security was compromised by him surfing the net and accessing the wireless network in his hotel room.

Protect your passwords by changing them frequently, encrypting them, installing a firewall on your computer and making sure your data is not open to the world and especially when accessing a wireless network.

Safe surfing,

Chad

After last year successful appearance and speaking on the topic of: “How to take your web site to the next level,” I was invited to present again to the Pittsburgh Consulting Community. So on Thursday 1/7/2010, at 4:40PM EST, I will be speaking on “Social Media And All That Online Jazz.”  Hope to see you there.

Click here or on image below to register.

Our latest newsletter, featuring the extensive work we have done for Libby Wagner, President, Libby Wagner & Associates and Influencing Options, is now available. Click here to view.

May this next year be the best of many to come. Wishing you health, peace and happiness. Chad and Laurel.

Images I captured during my recent Israel trip:

Jerusalem

Jerusalem

Sea of Galilee

Jaffa

Jaffa

(click on images to enlarge)

A question was asked today on an online forum I’ve implemented and help moderate. Here is the question:

“I’m doing a redesign of my site based on comments gleaned from an earlier post. (thank you to all). A point was made that too much is buried and buyers are not compelled to dig any further. My worry is having the home page crowded with too much info. I don’t want the buyer to work too hard. As if this isn’t enough, I have three services which i really want to highlight so I have to make sure those are front and center. I plan to include links / topics such as “client results” / “case studies”, “testimonials”, etc. , but what other elements do you feel are essential for the home page?”

I was surprised that all answers from various members focused primarily on tweaks to design and some minor words enhancements. Here was my reply:

Assuming your objectives are:
1. Create credibility and strengthen your brand.
2. Improve and increase your contact with others, increase your distribution list and potential clients.
3. Make it easier for your clients to do business with you.
4. Implement technologies to easily and consistently deliver your value to your clients

And assuming you want to position yourself as a world-class act, then your site does not need a facelift, it needs a major surgery.

And keep in mind that design, look & feel and navigation are only one small component of desired success. Some of the others are:

1. What valuable content (article, position papers, case studies, booklets, books, teleseminars, workshops …) is on your site to benefit your current and future clients?
2. What are you doing to increase your content consistently and how do you leverage it?
3. What are your strategy and your tactics?
4. What elements of marketing gravity have you committed yourself to and how does your site leverage them?
5. What does your accelerant curve look like (products and services)? how does it evolve? Any chasms in it? How does your site support and leverage it?
6. Are you a speaker? If not, should you be? If so, how is your site promoting you as such?
7. Should you leverage social media? If so why or why not and which one(s) should you embrace?
8. Does your target audience search for you and if so should you engage in search engine optimization (SEO) or paid listings (PPC)?
9. Should you create a blog or build a community around your work. Should you create videos and podcasts and place them on your site and on YouTube and iTunes and others?
10. Should you have an affiliate program?
11. Are you evolving and reinventing your business and your site?
12. How would you rank yourself on my Internet strategic profile and where do you need to be tomorrow?
13. I could go on and on …

Focus on design and you will probably end up with a pretty web site that most likely has missed its mark and objectives. But then again, some say: “if you build it, they will come.” I say: “will they?”

Let me share this with you. The ones that have taken my recommendations seriously and work hard at consistently executing the strategy, recognize the highest success. The others, have pretty web sites!

Best,

Chad

Alan Weiss and Chad Barr are pleased to announce that we are engaged with Phil Symchych of Symchych Consulting Inc. located in Canada, on one of our Million Dollar Web Sites projects. The particular appeal of this is that Phil is an expert in small business growth and is focusing on dramatically accelerating the speed of his success. He is also doing this concurrently with a major book project called “Outrageous Growth” that he is co-authoring with Alan. This is the kind of aggressive promotion and overall improvement of marketing position and leveraging of technologies that is so important these days.

The work has just begun and I will notify you when we launch the amazing new site.

Welcome Phil.

Alan Weiss and Chad Barr are pleased to announce a new joint venture, Million Dollar Websites. This was created in response to consistent requests for a combination of superb and powerful marketing text combined with state-of-the-art web technology. We’ve created an absolutely unique web site development approach—turnkey for a new site, metamorphosis for an existing site—with three programs to accommodate a variety of investments. The return on those investments will easily reach seven figures.

Hence, Million Dollar Web Sites. We invite you to visit. This is a unique service, finally combining high tech, with high touch in a pragmatic and customized approach.

http://www.chadbarr.com/million-dollar-web-sites/

In the past 10 weeks I have been traveling for almost seven weeks for both business and pleasure. It was truly an amazing time and I would like to share some of my experiences with you in my next upcoming posts.

Back in October, I traveled to San Diego to attend and speak at Alan Weiss’s Million Dollar Consulting College Grad School. A terrific group of 15 consultants attended the grad school for two and a half days to discuss business challenges, best practices, case studies and participated in various role plays and examined growth ideas.

Here are several take-aways:

1. Look at the world from our clients’ perspective.
2. What can we learn from other companies success that we can apply to our success or that of our clients.
3. Rather than looking at doom and gloom look at opportunities.
4. If you don’t reinvent your business you die.
5. Promote yourself so you are mentioned in the media in print, TV, Internet and radio.
6. Mention your clients’ success often in conversations.
7. Buying high-end goods is an emotionally fulfilling act. People need that emotional fulfillment.
8. Growth comes from top line growth not from cutting expenses.
9. Business model is the structure of how you run your business and how you market and deliver your products and services.

Below are two testimonials from my speech which I recorder with my HD Flip Video camera. First one is from Lisa Nirell, founder of Energize Growth:

And the other from Sara LaForest, co-founder of Kubica LaForest Consulting:

And finally, the fabulous setting outside my window. And remember not to get caught in the web.

I was scheduled to talk with a client of mine recently. I reviewed the most recent email she sent me, prior to dialing the phone number, and noticed her phone number at the bottom of her email signature, which I do recommend as a great pragmatic practice. I picked up the phone, dialed the number listed and got the sound of a fax machine on the other end. Thinking I dialed the wrong number, I dialed it again and got the same fax machine sound. I then pulled up her cell number and when finally connecting she asked me why am I calling her on her fax line. I said that I called the number listed in her own email signature. She indicated that she uses that email address only for private communication and her telephone number listed is her home number that is also used as a fax machine. She then asked me to dial another land line number which was not listed in her email signature.

This illustrates a prime example of how technology may actually complicate the ease of being able to contact you. If you require a fax machine, set up a dedicated number and do not run the risk that your fax machine answers human calls and especially those from your prospects and clients. And if you are listing the phone number to contact you in your email signature, which you should, make sure that number leads to you or your voice mail and not your fax machine.

Share your story with us.

I was recently interviewed and quoted in BusinessWeek.

Earlier this year I visited Alan Weiss to discuss several projects we are working on and to also leverage the opportunity to tape quite a few video segments for Alan’s site. It just so happened that I landed on the day he was scheduled to tape the next five segments of the Writing On The Wall (WOTW) series. Since I am always looking for interesting and valuable content, I pulled out my video camera and taped the “behind the scenes” of Alan’s production. What I found most fascinating is that in less than the 90 minutes session, which mostly was interrupted by me, he was able to tape five segments for the WOTW series and four video testimonials for people in his hall of fame program.

Enjoy,

Chad

http://www.chadbarr.com/the-writing-behind-the-writing-on-the-wall/

It all started with a dream six years ago. Here is the brief conversation I had with Alan Weiss:

Chad: “I have this amazing idea of creating an online community that enables us (24×7) to communicate with you and each other.”

Alan: “This sounds quite interesting and appealing to me. Let me talk to Maria (my wife) about it.”

Chad: “I just realized that I’ve made a terrible mistake.”

Alan: “What’s that?”

Chad: “I’ve come to realize that I am not talking to the economic buyer!”

A few hours later, an email received from Alan saying: “Let’s Rock!” So Alan and I put our heads together, discussed it strategically and tactically and 45 days later the dream has become a reality and with it, an amazing transformation of my life and business.

So a huge thank you to you Alan and this amazing community of colleagues, clients and wonderful friends, for making this a remarkable, uplifting and inspirational journey.

And of course a huge thank you to my wife, Laurel, and my awesome family.

Chad

p.s. and finally, for my outstanding business team.

Earlier this year, my wife Laurel Barr, a Cantor at Temple Emanu El in Orange Village, Ohio, put together this amazing concert. Surrounded by an outstanding talent and the remarkable voices of four great cantors, they sang and uplifted the spirit of the congregation. It is with great personal pride that I’d like to share with you some of the musical gems I recorded. Also demonstrating how easily can these special moments get captured with the right technology and be placed on your sites and blogs for others to enjoy. So here are five videos for your enjoyment:

Invocation & Instructions to the Audience:

Times Like This:

The Girl in 14G:

Your Daddy’s Son:

Hear my Song:

I’ve recently attended Alan Weiss’s Million Dollar Club gathering in beautiful St. Lucia. Surrounded by the gorgeous nature and an amazing group of people: My wife, Alan Weiss, seven other members of the Million Dollar Club and their spouses and partners. We met in the mornings, discussed business, best practices, intellectual properties and ideas to improve our lives and businesses. It was by far the most advanced learning experience I have ever experienced with honest and successful colleagues committed to help me grow. Below are my few takeaways and goals I have committed to. I am sharing this with you, with the hope that it is of help to some and a better way to hold me accountable.

Takeaways:

• Productize my business to complement the concept of the accelerant curve. (more on that soon)
• Commit to the things I must let go in order to reach the highest level of success.
• Be more directional instead of being opportunistic.
• Don’t tell people everything I know but what they need to know.
• To reduce my labor intensiveness: 1. streamline my work 2. transfer work to clients 3. delegate to staff and outsource 4. discard when unnecessary or turn down business you do not need.
• Determine what I want life to look like and then build the business to support it.
• Manage myself out of the business, increase my virtual team, clone myself as much as possible in sales & marketing, leverage my staff to the highest level possible and hold them accountable for outcomes and results. Delegate all that I should and could.
• Create more powerful alliances.
• When developing my marketing content, make sure it focuses on current times and my client challenges.
• Develop case studies that enable clients to relate to them.
• When promoting a book, offer an autograph option for extra charge.
• Create a list of journalists and send them press releases.
• I am a business strategist, who leverages technologies to help my clients accelerate their growth which fits beautifully with becoming one of Alan Weiss’s master mentors and developing a new coaching club for my best clients and push them to higher level successes.
• I am going to start promoting a new brand: “The king of all kings of social media.”
• Schedule systematic and better follow-ups with clients and develop an action plan which can be also delegated to one of my staff.
• I have great intellectual property (IP) which I will develop much more of and productize the heck out of.
• Print my goals and have them display prominently on my desk.
• When struggling with my long, 1st priority, to do list, I will pick out two and get started and then pick out two more. It does not matter which two I pick. Just do it.
• Find a quite place (often) and do all I can to finish my set priorities the quickest possible way and then enjoy the rest of the day. My colleague and client, Rob Nixon from Australia, uses this technique until his laptop battery runs out. With my new Macbook pro that is a problem. Battery lasts too darn long.
• Keep my schedule and calendar sacrosanct.
• Routinize my input and customize my output. Also, if it is worth doing again, systematize it.
• Send my ideas to my team and let them make it happen.
• Develop more diagnostic tools.
• On the last day, I asked each of the members of the group to take a couple of minutes, pull out our crystal ball and in our areas of expertise articulate the future as we see it. VERY POWERFUL STUFF. I then realized that we are our clients’ future and we represent their blueprint to success.
• All great things must come to an end to let in the WOW things.
• The Million Dollar Club is the most awesome think-tank / mastermind group I have ever attended. The relationships and friendships created are priceless. Thank you all and thank you Alan for making this an amazing reality.

My Goals:

• Purchase a focused and high quality database and market to it aggressively. Create web landing pages with videos and make special offers of value. Become a marketing machine. Better penetrate to my associated communities and help my clients reach higher level of successes. Leverage alliances and develop a new workshops with and without my alliances.
• Finish the book I am co-authoring with Alan Weiss and start thinking about my next book.
• Leverage NSA by speaking to local chapters and national conferences.
• Productize my business. Fill my accelerant curve with workshops, booklets, books, webinars alliances such as Alan & the Gang which will be launched 1st Qtr. 2010 and Million Dollar Web Sites and more.
• Push, re-invent and further develop my dream team.
• Promote by new brand of business strategist, master mentor and the coaching club.
• Launch the new amazing web site for The Chad Barr Group with podcasts and videos and …
• Fitness, spirituality and life balance upgrades with my wife, kids, grand kids, family, friends and colleagues. Help my wife pursue her passions.

Below are three videos that will give you a sense of the amazing time I spent in St. Lucia with members of Alan Weiss’s Million Dollar Club. In the mornings, we discussed our businesses, how to reach the next level, we shared our intellectual property with each other as well as shared our interpretation of what the future looks like in our areas of expertise. In the afternoons and evenings we relaxed and enjoyed a great time with our spouse while continuing our fabulous discussions.

Listen to what participants had to say about this amazing experience:

Our MDC friend, Michael Sheargold, discusses letting go at the peak of the Piton Mountain in St. Lucia and at the peak of Alan Weiss’s Million Dollar Club. Prior to playing the video and by looking at the picture below, can you tell who is the member of the million dollar club and who does not care if he is?

In order to generate the highest successful results for your business, consider the following:

1. Determine the highest impact of what you do for your clients.
2. Who would be most receptive for your offerings.
3.  Who has the greatest capacity to pay.

Reflecting on the Jewish new year I have to admit that this year has been absolutely amazing. Just over 6 months ago I was blessed with the birth of my beautiful granddaughter, Dafna. My daughter Sharon was ordained as a Rabbi. My son Yoni is maturing and becoming a handsome young man. My son-in-law Hillel, still in school and whose main mission in life is to take care of my daughter and his and who has been doing an awesome job at that. And of course my beautiful wife, Laurel, who what can I say, is just amazing.

Happy new year to all. May this year bring health, happiness, prosperity and peace to us all.

Dafna and me

More of Dafna

And more Dafna

Handsome Yoni

Dafna and my daughter Sharon

Dafna, my wife Laurel and me

Sharon, Hillel and Dafna

I am constantly intrigued by what generates success for entrepreneurs so I may coach and apply this blueprint for my clients. During a fabulous dinner with Alan Weiss this past Wednesday evening at The Spiced Pear in Newport, Rhode Island and over an amazing 2001 Chateau Margaux, we discussed some of the components of such success:

1. Internalized Knowledge and experience.
2. Intellectual fire power which is gained through additional learning, reading and experience.
3. Innovative and creative ideas.
4. Mental discipline to get out the intellectual capital (between your ears) into products and services which become your intellectual property. This transfer process is done through instantiation, which is your  ability to take complex concepts and simplify them.
5. Constant daily creation and addition to your body of knowledge and body of work.
6. Passion demonstrated in your work and your contacts with your clients.

Below is a process visual I have just created at 32,00 feet, on my way to Rhode Island to speak at Alan Weiss’s Million Dollar Consulting® College:

There are several elements to the chart above: On the horizontal axis is your “Strategy, Tactics and Execution” (referred below in short as strategy), which are the components of what your business and internet should look like, how will you do it, the steps to get there and your fierce commitment to execute it. On the vertical axis is your “Intellectual Property (IP), Content, Products and Services (referred below in short as content). The plus sign(+) represents the high of each quadrant and the minus sign(-) the low.

Quadrant 4 – Create, innovate or get out – This represents low strategy and low content. These individuals suffer from low or no success and are usually struggling quite a bit. The solution (as in my heading) is quite obvious. If you fall into this quadrant and assuming you have the wisdom and passion, start creating and innovating while developing and executing your strategy or find another occupation.

Quadrant 3 – Best kept secret – This represents high content and low strategy. These individuals have outstanding content and lack the strategy to make them extremely successful. Although, some do see some success, the majority struggle to reach that next level in their business.

Quadrant 2 – The emperor has no clothes – This represents high strategy and low content. These individuals are good at the strategic aspect of their business and may even be somewhat successful for a while but they lack the wisdom or the knowledge of how to do it or they use fraudulent techniques.

Quadrant 1 – It’s good to be the king – This represents high strategy and high content. These individuals are great at what they do, their content is good to remarkable, they execute powerful and effective strategy and are extremely successful.

The solution is pretty straight forward. Focus on creating and innovating while increasing your IP, content, products and services while making sure you have a clear strategy and tactics that you execute well and with great discipline.

© Chad Barr 2009. All rights reserved.

I am thrilled to announce the new site and strategy we have developed and implemented for my friend, colleague and client, Libby Wagner, President of Libby Wagner & Associates and Influencing Options, located in Seattle, WA. Libby is one of the only poets regularly welcomed into the boardroom. Often called the The Influencing Coach™ by her clients, Libby’s expertise in leadership, strategy, management, and executive team development helps organizations create environments where clarity and increased trust lead to unrivaled results.

Here is what Libby just shared with me recently: “I was contacted by a potential client  via my other site devoted to my training programs Influencing Options and was able to secure a new client with a new six-figure contract!”

Click here to view Libby’s new site.

Click here to view Libby’s new blog.

Click here to view Libby’s new branded newsletter.

Click here to view Libby’s exciting corporate videos.

Click here to view Libby’s testimonial videos.

Home Page:

Blog:

Newsletter: 

Click on our portfolio page collection to view other sites and strategies we have created.

In this podcast interview, Pam Harper, President of Business Advancement Inc., interviews Chad on the topic of creating an effective Internet strategy and synchronizing business and web objectives.

Click below for podcast to start

and now also on iTunes

Click Here for entire podcast series table of contents

http://www.chadbarr.com/pam-harper-interviews-chad-barr/

© Chad Barr 2009. All rights reserved.

Click here for our latest August newsletter.

Featuring the new site for Patrick O’Neill of Extraordinary Conversations, my article Where should you be tomorrow? First, determine where you are today and Patrick’s article The Four Failures of Leaders.

I am pleased to announce the new bilingual site we’ve developed and launched for Steve Savage of Savage International, located in Marietta, Georgia. Steve focuses on helping businesses throughout the world to dramatically improve their sales and marketing.

Click on the image below to visit the Web site:

Click here for Steve’s videos.

Click on our portfolio page collection to view other sites and strategies we have created.

A couple of minutes ago I decided to quickly research the web and see what people are publishing about growing an email distribution list. I launched my browser and googled: “How to grow your distribution list” and to my pleasant surprise I noticed that the second result listed at the top of the Google page was one of my own blog posts: “How to Grow Your Email Distribution List” which I wrote back in March of 2007 and is still a great post I must add.

That triggered my thinking and sharing with you the following points:

1. Have you Googled yourself lately? This is one of the topics I discuss during my speeches. Why not use Google and possibly other search engines to research the web and discover: what is being said about you, what your competition is doing, how is your brand improving, where are your articles positioned? Get the point? You may be pleasantly surprised as well as learn what others are doing.
2. I constantly think of new ideas for my new articles as well as refine existing ones I have previousely written. I then modify and improve my original posts and either write a new blog post to feature this revised article or use Twitter to announce it. For example, four days ago I added more call to actions to the “What’s your call to action” thread I wrote a while back. I used Twitter to announce this, which is found here, and is also automatically linked to my Facebook account. This allows me to revive and repurpose older posts (as I am doing here) while publishing improved newer content.
3. Writing ideas are all around us, we just need to pay better attention to our surroundings.

A great question was recently asked on an online forum my company implemented, which I often participate and help moderate:

“Lately I have been hearing people talk about having their websites done on a WordPress platform so they can make quick changes on their own. Is anyone doing this? If so, is it as easy as others are making it sound? Are there any other benefits to switching over? ”

WordPress (WP), which is the tool or technical engine we use for this blog and many others we develop, is a great option to consider not just for the development of blogs but also for the creation of robust web sites as well. We have developed quite a few sites already using this tool and including the amazing and upcoming site of: Alan & The Gang.
Here are some of the pros and cons whether to use WordPress to create robust web sites:

Pros:

1. Allow the site owner to publish their own content updates and create new pages. Most such content changes may then be accomplished by a non-technical person.
2. Easier ways of integrating video and audio podcasting.
3. Give complete flexibility to your technical team to design the site to have a unique and outstanding look and feel that does not resemble a blog structure at all.
4. Enable easier interface with RSS so visitors may subscribe to automatically receive your site updates.
5. Take advantage of WordPress improvements to advance your site functionality.
6. Gain access to a WP community to learn new ideas and implement new software functionality via plugins.
7. Empower yourself with the ability at your leisure to quickly publish revised and new content on your site.

Cons:

1. Security is the biggest issue from my perspective. WP sites are possibly easier to hack into than other sites. I therefore recommend you do update your site and install security patches often.
2. When you update to the latest version of WP, some of your installed software functionality programs (plugins) may not work anymore.
3. The need to update the software and plugins often.
4. You must become familiar with the plugins concept to avoid the possibility of installing harmful code on your site. If you are not sure, read this horror story.
5. May become time consuming to stay on top of the necessary knowledge.
6. Updating the content does require some technical knowledge which not all people are apt to do.
7. Although it may seem that a non-technical user may be able to use this tool, don’t fool yourself. There are many issues that require the knowledge of an expert and when one is used this point should be place in the pros section above.
8. Backing up a worpress site is a bit more complicated than a static site since it contains databases. As basic as this sounds, do not underestimate the importance of backing up your site on a daily basis.

Upon review of probably thousands of web sites over the years, I have come to the conclusion that in order for your organization to be successful on the Internet, 3 key elements must be accomplished to generate such success:

Design: Your site ought to be professionally designed, attractive and engaging and be easy to navigate in order to quickly gain the visitors’ attention and interest. Good use of images is important as well as the use of action shots of you with your clients.

Content: Your site must focus on your visitors’ interest and addresses the question of what’s in it for them and how to improved their businesses and lives. To accomplish this, strong content must be developed in the form of products, services, and intellectual property while constantly evolving.

Strategy & Tactics: What should the business look like and how should it position itself online. What Internet components are critical to make the business a success. How should you reach and communicate with your current and future customers? Should they be able to purchase products, read articles, subscribe to newsletters, communicate through blogs and online communities?

With that in mind, please review the chart below and notice the obvious at the points of interaction of the circles:

1. The Missing Map – This organization has a site that is well designed with great content yet no defined strategy and tactics to create an Internet success. It’s like driving a great car without a GPS system or an effective map to follow. You’ll be wondering why you are not reaching your destination.
2. The Ugly Book Cover – This organization has a site that has great content and powerful and effective strategies and tactics yet the site is poorly designed and navigated. Most visitors would either close their browsers or press the back button to go to their previous site.
3. The Boring Show – This organization has a site that reminds me of going to see a theater show that was well advertised and promoted with great and colorful posters. Yet when you get to finally watch it, there is nothing there. Just a terrible and boring show. Some site unfortunately suffer from the same syndrome.
4. Success - This organization is reaping the most benefits of effective web strategies. Any missing element and success is either delayed or non-existent. Yet when all three circles and elements intersect that ultimate success is achieve.

Where are you?

© Chad Barr 2009. All rights reserved.

I am pleased to announce a new site we’ve developed and released a while back for Robert Veninga, Ph.D. Bob is an award-winning author and one of America’s most trusted speakers. He has spoken to over 1,000 audiences throughout the world, including presentations in Europe, South America and China. Four of his presentations have been featured in the prestigious Vital Speeches of the Day which publishes the best speeches delivered to national and international audiences. He operates out of St. Paul, Minnesota and provides inspiring speeches to a wide range of audiences including Fortune 500 companies, financial service organizations, hospitals, government agencies, faith-based organizations and educational institutions.
Click on the image below to visit the Web site:

Click on our portfolio page collection to view other sites and strategies we have created.

You don’t create a blog or a web site or participate in social networking or whatever and hope your clients will come – especially your CEOs or CFOs. Most consultants are making this mistake over and over and are still waiting for the phone to ring! You drive the value to your customers and prospects by creating amazing products and services, publishing great stuff, shamelessly promoting it, and leveraging every component of marketing gravity you can and guided by your Internet strategy.

Let me also suggest (and I am ok if you all hate me for this) that quite a few of consultants’ web sites out there are quite weak (to put it very mildly), with minimal or zero perceived value. Many want to become world-class consultants, yet their web sites and intellectual property make them look like amateurs.

Blogs are only one component of your overall Internet strategy and Internet marketing gravity. Here is one example of how you may leverage your blog to target CEOs and CFOs (I am inserting in the quote here):

“Dear Bob, (Name of your fictitious CEO or CFO – you pick the real one)

I have assembled a brand new and exciting collection of special reports, podcasts and videos to help CEOs and CFOs. This collection is my creation and innovation of a repository of powerful and unique ideas to help my clients with issues they are bringing to my attention. Issues such as: [list areas of your clients' challenges and where you can help them raise the bar]

I am updating this repository area quite often and I am also planning on bringing some fascinating thought leaders as guest contributors. Names such as: [List some great names you are planning on bringing as guest contributors] This area is becoming “the place” for CEOs and CFOs to hang out, get the answers they are looking for and participate in a like-minded community.

To preview this new place, simply click on this link www.ChadGrowthIdeas.com (you probably should use your own name)

I am also attaching my latest special report: “Top 10 mistakes successful CEOs avoid making”
And please checkout next Thursday my upcoming video: “Thriving in tough economic times.”

I will be in touch with you shortly to share some new exciting ideas.

Best,

Chad”

I realize this takes courage, creativity, investment and hard work. But heck the good news is that there are only a few successful thought leaders out there. The rest simply follow or not.

So what do you think? Please post your comment below.

© Chad Barr 2009. All rights reserved.

BMW has just delivered my new transportation vehicle – the BMW 650i. It sure explains why they named it “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” The drive is fabulous, the computerized system is amazing and driving with the top down, music playing through the awesome sound system is a stupendous experience.

Talk with you soon while I am probably blogging and tweeting from the road.

Life is good.

Last Thursday I received an urgent email and a voice mail from a consultant and speaker, who is also a colleague of mine whose identity I will keep anonymous who is not my client and is not hosted on our server. She reported to me that her web site was infected (see slide below) which presents a serious risk to all visitors arriving to her site. Upon further investigation, not only did we find out that her own site contains serious viruses but the server her site was hosted on was reported to contain thousands of viruses and malicious content.

This is an example of a credible, competent, successful professional who is using the services of amateurs and a hosting company that threatens infecting all the sites hosted on their server if not already done so.

This is also an example of what happens when one selects a cheap solution that may have greatly damage their repute. Can you imagine being the client visiting this site, only to find out that the consultant you’ve trusted over the years, has just infected your computer and potentially your organization with viruses?

Not only should you do business with people you trust, who are extremely competent and highly recommended but you ought to think twice before you select your hosting company.

(Click on image to enlarge)

© Chad Barr 2009. All rights reserved.

How does one become successful and what does it have to do with blogging and online surfing? Well, let me share this brief story with you. I’ve been monitoring a bit of the online chatter on some of the social networking sites for an article I am working on. Although I find the bulk majority of posts to be utterly ridiculous, boring and a complete waste of time, the one that caught my attention the other day was from an Internet marketing consultant who claims to be quite successful. In his post on Twitter, he was looking for someone he could share a cab ride with and save $5. Well, give me a break!

This demonstrates that not only should you concern yourself with what others may be writing or saying about you but you ought to carefully watch what you may be saying about yourself and your own organization. Language is everything and if you claim to be successful, I suggest you pickup the tab for others to ride with you or even perhaps suggest you use a limo rather than a cab.

And since we are on the topic of success and how to become successful, here is an article I wrote that you may find to be of help: Key Elements to Success. How to Work Smarter not Harder.

© Chad Barr 2009. All rights reserved.

Many writers I meet (self included) share with me that they often look for ideas for writing and especially when faced with writer’s block. Recently, I published this article: I think I’ll invent something new - What are the best ways of developing new ideas? where I explored the best ways and places to generate creative and innovative ideas.

It also occurred to me that one of the best sources for generating new ideas is actually during my conversations with my clients and prospects as well as colleagues and trusted advisers. As probably happens to you in your conversations, it is quite common for such individuals to share with me their challenges and ask for my opinion and advice. So some time ago, I’ve decided to keep a note book and digital file of such questions which help generate ideas for my next blog post (such as this one), or my next article or product.

The key for me obviously to generating creative ideas for writing or for creating new products and services is to listen carefully. What do you think?

Please click on the “Comment Now” link below and share your thoughts with us.

© Chad Barr 2009. All rights reserved.

Listen to this great podcast where Chad interviews award-winning speaker, executive speech coach, sales trainer and author, Miss Patrica Fripp and listen to them discuss:

• How to use speaking to promote your business and market yourself as a speaker
•  Effective web strategies and how Fripp leverages the Internet to grow her business
• Her famous brother Robert Fripp
• And much more

Click below for podcast to start

and now also on iTunes

Click Here for entire podcast series table of contents

http://www.chadbarr.com/chad-barr-intreviews-patricia-fripp/

© Chad Barr 2009. All rights reserved.

In an article I wrote some time ago, To infinity & beyond – Nine practical techniques to take your web site to the next level, I emphasized the importance of effectively testing your web site. This means that you need to test your site not only when you are ready to launch it for the first time but also when you make frequent changes to it. Let me show an example:

You may already know that when typing a web address in your browser you may save the amount of keystrokes and elect to take a shortcut. This means that you do not need to include the “http://www.” or the “www.” before the domain name. So for example, if I wish to enter this blog name in my browser I may type “chadbarr.com” instead of “www.chadbarr.com” or instead of the entire “htttp://www.chadbarr” which is often used by many.

Some time ago, a colleague recommended I check the blog by David Meerman Scott who also wrote the book The New Rule of Marketing & PR which I highly recommend. I launched by browser and typed “webinknow.com” and got this error screen suggesting the domain name I type was not found:

Upon further search on Google I found the blog I was looking for:

I then realized that the person who set up the blog did not take into consideration setting it up in such a way that enables visitors to type the shortcut into your browser. No big deal you may say, and although I may slightly agree, why not make it easy for your visitors to find your sites and reduce the chance of annoyance or creating the wrong assumption that your site is down or does not exist?

I then decided to visit David’s main site. When I got to his home page (as displayed below) I  was unable to click on the top right two links which are the Blog and Bio options although they both worked on the interior pages.

This error is quite common in my experience and I am not suggesting that I am immune of it in our own work. But I do suggest however is that if it happens to the best of us it may happen to you as well. Why not take the extra few seconds and test your sites thoroughly and on an ongoing basis?

© Chad Barr 2009. All rights reserved.

Since we are on the topic of new web sites, here is one I have yet to announce on my blog which is due its proper recognition. Angie Katselianos is the President of Platinum Performance International, located in Milan, Italy. She helps her clients establish the strategies and skills they need to succeed.

Click on the image below to visit the Web site:

Some time a go we were  thrilled to launch the new web site for my good friend and colleague, Stuart Cross, of Morgan Cross Consulting, located in Newark, England. Stuart has been helping world-class companies find new ways to drive substantial, profitable growth. In just two years he has attracted market-leading clients including Alliance Boots, Avon and PricewaterhouseCoopers and his work as a consultant, speaker and coach has taken him to six countries across Europe as well as North America. I am also delighted to announce that we have also just  launched Stuart’s new blog Cross Wires which is already loaded with great content, articles, process visuals, videos and podcasts.

Click on the image below to visit the Web site:

Click on the image below to visit the blog:

Click here and here for Stuart’s videos and click here for his new podcast series.

On a recent vacation trip to Israel I realized prior to boarding the plane, and to my horror, that I forgot the power cord for my MacBookPro laptop. You all know how ornery I get if I don’t get my daily access to my Mac. I quickly used my iPhone to email my friend Dov Gordon in Jerusalem asking him to make the connections necessary to see where I may get such cord. Upon landing eleven hours later, fully rested in first class, and greeted by the beautiful Israeli afternoon, my iPhone email inbox and text messages quickly notified me that I might be in luck. Dov, with the help of technology and probably the Israeli secret service, informed me that the only place in Israel that may have my desired cord is the Mall of Ramat-Aviv, located in an affluent suburb outside Tel-Aviv. So we (my wife and I) picked up the Hertz rental car, turned on the GPS and on our way we were to the mall.

Less than thirty minutes later I parked the car, turned off the engine, smiled and said to my wife: “We’ve made it. Let’s get the cord and start our great vacation.” She smiled and said: “And what a better place to start than this great mall.”  As I opened the car door and stepped out of the car, my keys dropped out of my hands. In a split second, and to my true horror this time, I realized that they fell into a grate and from the sound of it I could tell that it was quite deep. “Oh shoot,” I yelled. (Well it kind of sounded like that.) “What happened?” asked my wife. “I dropped the darn keys in this hole in the ground,” Frustrated I explained. For a moment she thought I was kidding but she quickly learned I was not.

Looking for a quick solution or perhaps a miracle such as parting of the red sea since I was in the holy land after all, I noticed the security booth around the corner. I quickly ran there and explained my situation to the friendly guys. “Not to worry,” said one of them. They quickly grabbed the ladder, gathered the troops, well three does make a troop right? They rolled my car off the grate, lifted the grate and explained to their buddy that they won’t need the ladder while grabbing his legs and dropping him into the hole in the ground. He was mumbling something while going down and seconds later, my keys are flying in the air and land in my hands while the guy is pulled out of the dungeon. I thanked them profusely and rewarded them with American dollars as a sign of my gratitude.

“The cord you are looking for is on back order,” said the clerk at the store. My life flashed before my eyes. Well, not quite but you get the point and the seriousness of my situation right? Yet, I was determined that there is no possible way I am walking out of that store without a cord. After much schmoozing, we find out that this guy helping us at the store, traveled the US quite a few times, he has a family in Cleveland which my wife happens to know quite well and he admits that someone just turned in their laptop for repair with the cord attached. It took all of my positive influence, talent and mastery of the language (begging probably had a lot to do with it) to finally convince him to sell me the cord for a full price. It was double the price I would pay in the US but who cared at that point. I was able to convince him to take the back order cord when it comes in and attach it to the item being repaired. We paid, thanked him and ran out of the store before he changed his mind.

Luckily the stores and coffee shops were still open so it turned out to be a fabulous evening as we gladly invested in the local economy. See pictures below as proof. On the way back to the car I held the keys tighter than ever before yet realizing that in the midst of all this excitement I forgot to take some pictures or videos that would have made my story believable. Well, it truly did happen, really, I mean it!

Chad drinking as known in Israel “upside down coffee” or simply  latté in the US.

Laurel after another successful shopping day

© Chad Barr 2009. All rights reserved.

Where would we be without the innovations that have gradually and progressively evolved into the modern-day technological advancements we now enjoy?

While, at the time, many people considered each breakthrough unthinkable (in the unimaginable sense of the word), gradually these advancements evolved and became so widespread that they became unthinkable (in the commonplace sense of the word). With each breakthrough, social and interactive along with other types of shifts also occurred.

How we go about finding the root meaning of the words “stagnant” or “evolve” today versus how we would have done so twenty years ago or even hundreds of years ago, demonstrates how things have dramatically changed.

Before Gutenberg’s Moveable Type around 1450, we would not have had access to words in print the way the moveable type made possible. To find out what the word “evolve” meant, we would have probably had to ask someone else who may or may not have known how to best state it. Hopefully, someone we knew would have told us that “stagnant” means to stay the same, slow-moving, sluggish or declining and “evolve” means to progress, advance or transform.

With the advancement of moveable type, multiple copies of text could be created and distributed to many more people than were able to read the handwritten books and materials that were limited in number and availability. After moveable type, ideas progressively became more accessible through the printed word in newspapers and books—including the dictionary where we could then look up the meaning scholars had previously discussed and debated and decided to put into print.

Not only were ideas beginning to advance, but so were people. With the advent of automobiles, trains and airplanes, it became easier to ship goods and send out people around the world progressively faster, cheaper and safer. The exchange of ideas and new experiences opened up new worlds to those who were privy to travel and returned to share what they learned.

When it may have seemed that modern technologies had almost evolved to their pinnacle, the landmark technology of The Internet (circa 1990’s) marked a new domain that soon exploded into multiple domains across the world, allowing people to communicate and interact via the digital typed word and now through audio/video faster than ever before imagined! Yesterday’s fast seems slow to us today as we move towards new and improved versions of technologies that become faster, cheaper and better.

The internet (and all the interrelated technologies connected to it in this era) has opened up a whole new world like never before in regard to accessibility and reach. Some of the latest technologies and amazing innovation are increasingly being combined in powerful ways that enable people to enjoy the benefits of multiple ways of connecting with ideas and with others, including: cell phones, text messaging, Twitter and other social networking platforms, blogging, internet sites and strategies that enable you to effectively market your business and allow you to gain information, knowledge and wisdom and all within minutes or seconds.

While some people may be hesitant to utilize the full force of the internet, others are continually upgrading their technology and technological know-how to maximize their businesses. Those who choose to be stagnant are being and will be surpassed by the many advantages offered by those who choose to evolve along with technology, which offers increasingly improved speed, interactive capabilities, spreading of ideas, more focused searches, exploring new buyers and opening new markets and opportunities globally.

There are people today who still see technology as being somewhere on a spectrum between a necessary evil they tolerate to a complex world they fear. What’s important is how do you see it, think about it, use it and most importantly, how you leverage it. The option is up to you to decide how to reach your customers who are increasingly seeking the best of minds to help their businesses. Are you constantly evolving yourself and positioning yourself as a world-class thought leader who delivers great content, products and services to your customers?

Many times I enjoy reading a hard copy book while other times, I enjoy listening to books on my iPhone or even reading them on this great technology. I love reading the Wall Street Journal print edition yet at times I enjoy reading it online. There are always choices in our lives for us to make, but remaining stagnant in business or stagnant with your web presence is unimaginably unthinkable.

© Chad Barr 2009. All rights reserved.

I am excited to announce the launch of the recent new site, blog and newsletter strategy for Patrick O’Neill and his team at Extraordinary Conversations, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Patrick and his team are committed to helping their clients lead positive change by mastering the areas of: the power to envision a preferred future, the power to articulate that future into being and the power to lead others on an existing journey to positive change. By mastering these three competencies, Extraordinary Conversations helps their clients generate breakthrough results.

Click on the image below to visit the Web site:

Click on the image below to visit the blog:

Also, click here for Patrick’s videos and click here for additional articles and resources.

For our latest July newsletter, click here: www.cbsoftware.com/cbnn/2009-7_index.php

Featuring the new site for Dr. Alan Weiss of Summit Consulting Group. Our Million Dollar Web Sites joint venture, my article To Surf or Not To Surf? and Alan’s article Nine Steps to Marketing Email That Will Be Read.

One of my dear and senior clients sends his emails all typed in uppercase or capital letters, perhaps not realizing the internet standard for shouting is all uppercase (although I am not sure who invented that standard). Unbeknown to me, one of my younger staff members received several emails for this client thinking the client may have been unhappy and is “yelling” at him. An interesting conversation followed with each one of them as I was trying to bridge the generational gap.

Although we all live in a diverse world offline, the internet has connected people online in ways that allow us to interact with other people we may or may not meet in person. Some may make the assumption that all internet users use technology the same way as we do to communicate. This assumption needs to be examined more closely so we become aware of the need to be sensitive online as we may already be in our “offline” world. There are cultural, generational and gender differences among people—not to mention the all-important difference of technological awareness, exposure and capability that affects how people use and interpret the internet.

On Facebook—one of the most popular social networking sites—it is easy for people to connect with friends, colleagues and clients so they may stay in touch. It is quite common for people to change their online status and to comment frequently about what they do at the moment. I find the phenomena of mundane comments such as: “I am having breakfast”; or “going to workout”; or “it’s time to go to sleep” not only silly, but somewhat obnoxious, a waste of brain cells, digital ink and Internet energy.

Some time ago, I actually used my status on Facebook to post a simple yet provocative question: “I am wondering why are most so addicted to these silly status messages and who out there really cares?” I did get several replies. Some on Facebook and some in my private email. Some were nice and tried to explian their position yet others suggested I don’t get it. I’ve come to realize that many (perhaps those fitting the friendly stalker mindset personality) love to read what others are doing, spend much of their time following others and also use it to find out where to hang out with their friends. Moreover, some love to see pictures of others and often request you post them when you attend events. My personal preference is to post and read helpful, valuable thoughts and tips and even watch good quality entertaining moments. Since I speak, write and consult on this topic, I do make a strong attempt to be aware of those online differences so I may communicate effectively with others.

So whether it is the realization that uppercase emails do not necessarily mean the person is yelling at us, I also realize the important fact that it is often impossible to interpret the sender’s voice intonation in emails. I suggest we recognize that even or especially online some are introverts and some extroverts and there are many behavioral styles and preferences. I am respectful of people’s Right to Interact, Right to Surf, and Right to Post. Yet as I recently wrote on one of my Twitter posts: “You are right. I only pay attention to the brilliant stuff, the other I have learned to ignore. Now what was it that you said?”

© Chad Barr 2009. All rights reserved.

Hysterical spin on our technologies from comedian Louis C.K.

I initiated a conference call this morning using GotoWebinar – a product I use to conduct such calls and webinars, which I have done many times before. The call connected attendees from two continents and allowed us to use our computer speakers and microphones to join the call or simply use a regular phone. I’ve elected to use my (USB) headset with the built-in microphone. As soon as the attendees joined the call I noticed that they all sounded like Minnie Mouse. Not knowing if this issue was due to me not having enough coffee yet or perhaps some software setting I inadvertently changed, I immediately changed my mindset to that of Mickey to the rescue, switched to my regular phone and all was well.

Shortly after the call was over I inquired with GoToWebinar technical support: “Oh yes, that is a problem we are working on which only happens with the latest software version of the Mac and only if you use the USB headset.”

“That’s all folks”

(oops sorry, wrong character)

I am excited to announce the launch of the recent new site of Peter Bodifee, the president of Bodifee Consulting Group, located in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Peter’s main focus is in helping his clients leverage information technology for dramatic success and maximum profitability. This site was built with content management integration which allows Peter to easily change the content of his own site.

Click on the image below to visit his site:

I travel the world quite often and here is a powerful lesson I would like to share with you that I witnessed on one of my business trip to the Bahamas. Being in a new environment, especially one as beautiful as the Bahamas, heightens my senses of natural, everyday occurrences. My colleagues and I were engaged in great discussions outdoors as we were also enjoying the fabulous cocktail party and the various assortments of food. I couldn’t help but notice some uninvited guests: The birds.

Discovering the opportunity to join the party and be fed, it did not take the birds long before one would wait the perfect opportunity to dive in, grab the treat, and leave. Quickly to be followed by another and another.

As I observed their behavior, I was thinking how remarkably they have mastered and adjusted their survival habits. They combined their need to feed themselves with an unbelievable desire to succeed, a fierce focus and a natural sense of timing. Yet they were doing it elegantly and with what seemed to be a sense of playfulness and enjoyment.

Birds adapt to their environment, where their strategy may be similar but different when it is an entirely natural setting versus a combination of a natural setting and human-made setting. In either type of setting, birds demonstrate patience in waiting for the perfect opportunity, yet they also use prowess in knowing when to change locations to seek other opportunities. My amusement centered on what seemed to be their natural instincts vs. perhaps their learned, internalized and mastered skills. Here is the process they were following:

•    Holistic view of the environment.
•    Quick analysis of the situation.
•    Tremendous focus on the objectives and goals.
•    Wait for the perfect timing.
•    Take action.
•    Reap the reward.
•    Life balance enjoyment.
•    Repeat the cycle

Their careful watch regarding proximity of people to the food helped the birds time when to act and when to withdraw to safety. When they observed momentary distance between people and some food, they would zoom in and zoom away quickly. They repeatedly grabbed their food in this manner over the course of an hour and a half. Their repeated success demonstrated sustainability of success when given the right opportunity and desire. It’s important to note that they had no fear in taking this constant risk and also if they waited too long to act, their opportunity may have disappeared.

So let’s pause here and think about it. What I am suggesting through my analogy is that reaching life and business success and getting the results we want is easier than we sometimes make it to be. We overcomplicate things at times, which are possibly due to fear, lack of knowledge and not following a successful process. By being able to narrow our own path to the success we desire, we first have to define what it is we are trying to accomplish, then seek the right conditions that will increase our ability to be successful and then take strong, focused and concise action. The birds have an innate sense of what their needs and wants are; whereas ours are sometimes clouded by the disconnect between what we want and what we truly need. Aligning this disconnect between want and need is quite important.

So with the power of illustrating through an acronym and the playfulness spirit of the birds, here’s a quick way to summarize the simple, but important survival strategy lesson I learned in The Bahamas:
B – Be
A – Aware
H – How
A – Action
M – May
A – Affect
S – Success

BAHAMAS reminds me to “Be Aware How Action May Affect Success.” Just like with the birds, there are many factors that go into knowing when to act (and when not to), which are essential to getting the results we seek. Being prepared with a strategy can help us know how to get to the right place at the right time—when the opportunity knocks, take action! It’s not just for the birds!

© Chad Barr 2009. All rights reserved.

I am delighted to announce the new site we have developed for my great client, friend and colleague, Kim Wilkerson, President of Wilkerson Consulting Group, located in Cedar Rapids, IA. Kim’s main focus is in helping her clients achieve dramatic results such as: build effective management and leadership, improve sales, individual and team effectiveness.

Click on the image below to visit her site:

Reflecting on this day:
I am proud to have served in the Israeli military service.
I am proud to have become a US citizen.
I am fortunate to have an amazing family and friends.
And my utmost respect and gratitude for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and have given their lives so we may enjoy our freedom.
God bless.

http://tinyurl.com/qkcgd7

I am delighted to announce the launch of the new site of Aries Technology Group, located in Knoxville, TN. Positioned as a software, technology and consulting firm, Aries Technology helps create wealth for their customers. John Shaver, president and founder, is a strong believer in achieving effective business results and his customers’ testimonials are a powerful indication of such.

Click on the image below to visit site:

Below is a powerful video testimonial I’ve been fortunate to get from Alan Weiss, which is something you should consider doing with your clients.

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In this podcast, Internet strategy guru Chad Barr interviews Dr. Pat Lynch, the president of Business Alignment Strategies, Inc. In this interview we cover topics including appreciative inquiry, the biggest obstacles executives face, things the best companies do well, accountability, and Team in Training, the fundraising arm of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Click below for podcast to start

and now also on iTunes

Click Here for entire podcast series table of contents

© Chad Barr 2009. All rights reserved.

If you have an iPhone and a blog I recommend you purchase the BlogPress app from iTunes. It is a great application which will enable you to post directly to your blog from your iPhone. So now there should be no excuses for you or for me to post such interesting threads which I am doing from my iPhone right now. The landscape keyboard and cut, copy and paste which I use for my signature below are awesome additions as well.

And attaching photos is a piece of cake. Even my dog Noodles agrees since you can see him wagging his tail.

My wife and I just went to Moxie which is one of our favorite restaurants in the area. We noticed a new item on the menu, the Mediterranean Sea Bass which was highly recommended by our waiter. It was an outstanding dish we both agreed. When chatting with the waiter and commenting on his superb recommendation he said: “You know, when we had it on the menu as the Bronzini Fish, we could not sell any. So we’ve changed the name to the Mediterranean Sea Bass and we can’t keep enough in stock.”

The power of the internet is that it is ubiquitous – which can be a good thing if you are maximizing what your website says about you and your business. Does yours reflect Walking your Talk and Talking your Walk?

Often times during my seminars I ask for volunteers to allow me to demonstrate their sites effectiveness. Most cringe and avoid any eye contact with me. You can almost read them silently say: “please, not my site.” In fact, that may be just the reason why many become our clients since they know that they need to invest in getting their talk and walk in sync.

Your Walk is who you are, what you do, how you do it, why you do it and so forth. It is the action you convey. By being aware of what messages you are sending through your actions, you can adjust them in order to align them so that what you do also tells your customers how your products and services meet and/or exceed their needs and wants.

Your Talk is what you say, the language, that connects you and your customers with what you can do for them. One of the most powerful ways to talk about your business today is through your website so that it says what it needs to say and how it needs to say it. The quality of your website speaks volumes about your business through your powerful language, audio, video and visual messages. Another and probably even more powerful ways of talking about your business, is to let your customers do that through testimonials and commentary.

Here are a few tips to help you analyze both Your Walk and Your Talk online and offline. Go through each of the tips and individually consider Your Walk; and then repeat it with analyzing Your Talk. Make a list of action steps you can take to get them in sync so that your online and offline walk as well as your online and offline talk are synchronized through and through.

1. Is your value proposition (VP), which defines how your clients are better off by virtue of working with you, prominently displayed on your home page? What sections of your site demonstrate and prove your value proposition? If your VP talks about dramatic growth of your clients, you should incorporate testimonials and articles demonstrating and explaining such growth for you and your clients.
2. What is your vision and mission statement and how does your site substantiate them? A client investing six-figure investment with us shared with me that he felt we have similar philosophy. When I asked him to articulate further he said that it was based on similar vision and mission statements that he read on our web site.
3. Are you using effective language to increase credibility through your clients’ list, testimonials, case studies, client results and your intellectual property and expertise? Do your articles show examples and how-to tips based on successful track record with your clients?
4. Who is your audience and what is your market and what are the products and services that may greatly benefit them? Are you constantly adding new such products and services and receiving happy clients’ testimonials that are displayed on your site?

By refining and aligning what your website is saying about you and your business, not only will you eliminate the cringe, but you may find that you are finally proud for the whole world to see it.

© Chad Barr 2009. All rights reserved.

This is one of my favorite lines from the fabulous movie Awakenings, featuring Robert De Niro. And I am glad to report that although and thankfully for a different reason but I am back. The past several months have been very exciting for me personally and for our organization with many outstanding clients’ projects and personal growth projects, but more on that later on. In the mean time, thank you for tuning in and here comes my next post.

© Chad Barr 2009. All rights reserved.

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I love the time of year of the Jewish High Holidays. I find it to be a remarkable close time with family, a time to reflect, for inspirational search, remembering loved ones and committing to renewed excellence and to making this a better place.

Many of you know that I love to brag about my wife who has a remarkable voice and is the cantor at Temple Emanu El in Orange Village, Ohio. I have decide to share with you some of my favorite music selections from the most recent services of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Hope you find this to be as moving spiritually as I do.

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When browsing recently through my digital pictures album I came across some pictures I took while visiting San Francisco when speaking at the Odd Couple marketing for speakers workshop. It reminded me not only of the fabulous time I had with my friends Alan Weiss and Patricia Fripp but it also reminded me of how much I enjoy mixing work and pleasure to the point that I often can’t tell one from the other.

Below are pictures I took from my beautiful Hyatt room and another of Alan and Patricia during a rare odd couple contrarian disagreement that needed a resolution once and for all.

In anticipation of the upcoming Jewish High holidays, I am honored to have my firm work on the new blog we’ve just launched for Rabbi Steven Denker of Temple Emanu El in Cleveland, Ohio. The focus of Rabbi Denker’s blog is:

•  To share his “take” on the affairs of the Jewish people and all humanity through the lens of Jewish Tradition and from his vantage point as an American congregational rabbi.
• To reflect on Jewish texts, traditions and Holy Days so as to imbue today with the timeless truths of Judaism.
• To give us all a Jewish place to share our thoughts on the ideas and issues that are important to our lives.

Click here to visit the new blog and enjoy.

Here are ways to develop interest in your organization and have your target customers contact you:

1. Start speaking professionally, deliver your expertise and talk about how to improve your clients business with web strategies.
2. Add testimonials and clients list to your web site.
3. Start a monthly electronic newsletter and deliver genuine value to your target audience.
4. Write and publish your intellectual property in print and on the web
5. Network and discuss how you help your clients
6. Comment on others’ powerful blogs with useful tips
7. Write a book or start with a booklet
8. Get interviewed on radio and TV
9. Work your referrals aggressively
10. Create a breakfast club and invite your target audience to attend a breakfast and learn.
11. Purchase a database list of your target customers and send them powerful valuable content to entice to opt-in to your newsletter list. Once they do, keep offering them value.

Although it depends on your industry, below are my top seven effective marketing choices:

1. Public speaking and/or speaking in webinars
2. Publish your intellectual property in print and the web and often
3. Search Engine Optimization and Paid advertising
4. Leverage social networking especially online communities
5. Blog and comment on others’ blog
6. Publish a book
7. Create a valuable electronic newsletter

The blah factor is my fancy technical term to describe web sites (not blogs) that have way too much text on their home page. I came across the site below and am depicting it as an illustration of the ubiquitous nature of this problem on the web. During my speaking engagements I often compare and show effective home pages to highway billboards and/or the front cover of most effective books. You only have a few seconds to grab your audience attention and establish credibility. This is not going to happen with vast amount of text and words to convey your message. Remember in this case: “Less is more.” I recommend you significantly reduce the amount of text on your home page, replace it with engaging and professional images or sections, with powerful sound bytes to grab attention that entice the visitor to click, learn more and explore.

The three screen shots below represent the scrolling through the home page of this site that its main focus is to help you become more productive with your time management issues. I suggest they help us become more productive by eliminating most of the text and getting a grip of their home page.

1. It provides another serious and viable option to traditional marketing, which is already and successfully being utilized by the vast majority of organizations.

2. It enables individuals (Customers, suppliers, your staff) to interact with each other, share their experiences of using the products and services, create additional exposure and buzz.

3. It is often quick and rapid to implement.

4. It is often quite economical.

5. It reaches beyond borders and with global exposure.

6. It creates a virtual 24×7 salesman.

7. It allows your customers to interact with you at their convenience.

8. It enables your customers to get instant answers to their questions.

9. Dramatically improve your time to market, which means, leverage the Internet to rapidly introduce and launch new products and services.

10. Stay better connected with your customers, suppliers and your own organization.

11. When the first car was introduced, there were probably quite a few people rejecting the new technology and insisting they keep using their horse. As Henry Ford said, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have asked for a better horse.” Are you the one to embrace technology or reject it?

12. One of our clients that sells large and expensive machinery used to have to take pictures of their inventory, print them and FedEx them to interested buyers. The buying decision took days or weeks to be made. Then came digital cameras and email, and we expedited the process significantly. And then came a fully integrated web site that enabled the customer to make an instant buying decision.

13. We have just scratched the surface with what is available to be done with the Internet and how to strategically use it to grow our business. Don’t find yourself left behind.

To develop fresh ideas I would recommend the following:

1. Read the Wall Street Journal, Business Week and such publications and pay attention to what is reported and discussed both in print, online blogs and online forums.

2. Read books on the topic of innovation, Internet marketing and such

3. Attend workshops / seminars

4. Follow blogs of successful thought leaders

5. Meet smart and interesting people, ask questions and start a dialog

6. Create or join a mastermind group

7. Write often

8. Solicit the advice of experts

9. I get tremendous amount of powerful ideas from an online community my company implemented and I moderate http://www.alansforums.com

10. Speaking in conferences or webinars has always generated tremendous mount of great ideas for me when listening to my audience questions

Ideas are all around you, all you have to do is start paying better attention.

I am truly delighted to announce the launch of the new site of Marie-Josée Loiselle, the president of Nuno ID, located in Dorion, QC, Canada. She has been involved in economic development since 1996 and has developed investment attraction strategies for the US and Europe, presented business opportunities to Fortune 500, helped new ventures establish in Montreal and, headed economic missions in Canada, the US and Europe. Marie-Josée draws on her experiences, education, travels, learning, success and failures and uses them in current interventions to create sustainable client results. Marie-Josée is fluent in both English and French.

Click here to view Nuno-ID new site.

Click here to view Nuno-ID new branded newsletter.

Click here to view all New Sites Launch category or our portfolio page.

Home Page:

Newsletter:

1. Unless you have good, interesting and valuable starting content on your forum why would anyone spend time there or consider joining? They are not going to.
2. I would suggest you create a repository of intellectual property (IP) that is available to forum members only and is uniquely position with how-to information.
3. Market to all of your current and previous clients, prospects and anyone you know and share with them the exciting new place / community you have created (after you built the initial content) and invite them to check it out and join.
4. I would charge for membership yet select a smaller group of subscriber that would become the initial group (for free) to start the momentum of posting going.
5. Promote and market your new site and forum in every possible media: news release, networking events, verbally with anyone you talk with, speeches, newsletter, blog, your paperwork (invoices, correspondence), get people to interview you on their blogs (written, audio and video podcasts).
6. Feature the best of the posts in your monthly newsletter (assuming you have one) and create enticements to have new members join.
7. Strive to become “the place to go” for the greatest and latest of your industry wisdom.
8. When possible discuss “success stories” and share on your site and inside the forum.
9. Create a referral network both domestically and internationally that would send your target audience to the forum and to you.

1. Funeral Homes
2. Security
3. Nursing homes and elderly care
4. Baby food
5. Weight loss
6. Wealth creation
7. Do it yourself
8. Home based business
9. Any business that would generate a minimum of 10 to 1 ROI for their clients

Any others that come to mind?

1. Become an entrepreneur
2. Live on less than 85% of your income and invest the rest
3. Invest in your health and life balance
4. Create proper business and personal insurance for you and your family
5. Invest in your continued learning and education
6. Hire the best (staff, advisers and consultants)
7. Re-invent yourself often
8. Find a successful mentor with a proven track record
9. Constantly look for ways to help your clients improve their business and life
10. Give a lot
11. Laugh a lot

Your turn please.

1. Strong entrepreneurship spirit which means not being afraid to fail

2. Willingness to take risk knowing that the potential outcome and success can be enormous.

3. Strong desire to work for myself and exit the “employee” mentality

4. Have complete control of decisions and my own future and destiny

5. Ability to enjoy discretionary time and life balance

What do you think?