Time: 9 minutes, 43 seconds. You’ve got that to spare, right?

Featured Expert: Bill Phenix, Marketing Consultant, WXRV (92.5 The River in Boston). That’s Bill in the office of Kevin Skarritt, Chief Nut at Acorn Creative. Kevin has a cameo in this audio.

Summary: Bill says he thinks differently than most radio ad sales folks about how to best use the medium. And he’s more than happy to explain why!

Teaser Quip: “If any of you have seen the movie…Office Space, where he comes in in the morning, and 15 different people say, ‘Did you get that memo?’ It’s the repetitiveness, and how annoying it becomes with each repetition. Radio is also like that.”

Idea Path: Managers encouraging heavy investment in radio >> return on investment >> taking radio too far >> remember without annoying >> frequency and the type of situation it favors >> consistency and the long-term view >> people ready to buy “right now” >> radio station compared to a lake >> fishing metaphor, and higher-ticket items >> best case scenario - having an “equity position” >> less frequency, more consistency >> effective use of your radio ad money >> do you close your business between your advertised events? >> tagging new endings on existing radio spots >> flexibility of spots >> changes in case of dire emergency

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This entry was posted on Thursday, May 22nd, 2008 at 10:40 am and is filed under ADD Info Summits. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

How do you like our new blog?

What? You say it looks the same as it did before?

Well, that’s great news, considering that it’s been on the equivalent of the operating table for the past week. We were running what I’m told is a ridiculously old version of the Wordpress software that runs our blog.

And we’d been hearing of other folks recently, with the same version, who’d had their blogs hacked because of security vulnerabilities. We’re collectively breathing a sigh of relief that it never came to that for us.

So the nuts at Acorn Creative told us to lay off the blog for a while, and they worked us into their schedule for the update. And a fine job they did! Kudos to Renee Capen and Dan Kleiner for taking such good care of our baby for us. 

In the meantime, I hooked up with Bisson Barcelona for a blogging clinic, focused on the topic of making money with one’s blog. Our instructor for the evening was Ben Adams, owner of Spiral Media, a company which “specializes in online marketing and promotion through a combination of search engine optimization, sponsored listing services and Web 2.0 technologies.”

Traci Bisson asked me via email this morning for some feedback on the clinic (great to see you again, too!) - here’s a link so you can see the topics covered for yourself.

I hadn’t met Ben before, and for me, the best thing about it was the fact that Ben proved himself to be an avid researcher and very generous with his knowledge. I came away with a notebook full of websites and monetization opportunities, many of which I didn’t know existed (or think were possible) until Ben’s clinic. And he also referred me to some folks that, from a networking perspective, would be very good for us to know.

Ben had all his ducks in a row for the two sessions, and I’d definitely say I got my money’s worth out of the clinic.

As far as anything that could be improved, I only have a piece of advice to throw out, which applies to anyone who’s considering taking any sort of blogging class. Bisson Barcelona put up a “Must Haves” qualifier for people signing up - that they must have a “blog, have burned a feed for their blog, and have publicized to get blog readers and feed subscribers.”

I’m perhaps slightly embarrassed to say that I hadn’t burned a feed (or really knew what that meant) until the day of the workshop - our brand-spankin’ new Feedburner feed is here. And as a result, I haven’t publicized to get subscribers to our Feedburner feed. (We’ll have to get Acorn to get that onto our sidebar, I guess!)

That said, it worked out okay for me, because I know just enough about blogging to be dangerous, and I didn’t get questioned about my Feedburner status. To make a long story short, with any tech-related class, my own personal advice is to be more aggressive about the requirements - as in stating blatantly and more prominently that if you don’t meet the must haves, then don’t sign up for the class.

Why, you ask? We’ve all been in clinics where some people weren’t as far along as the rest - and yes, I’ve been on both sides of that divide. And it slows everyone else up, which makes half of your audience frustrated. I feel sorry and embarrassed when I know I’m slowing a class up, but I can’t help it. If I don’t get it, then I’m going to be frustrated. And so is the other half of the audience that’s too shy to speak up.

The session I attended was part two of a two-week clinic, and though we didn’t have this problem, Ben did say that the divide was present in part one. So if you’re thinking of taking a class, please, for your own sake and the sake of your classmates, be as careful as you can about what you sign up for.

And by the way, since I haven’t said it yet…

Ahhh. It’s so GOOD to be blogging again!

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 21st, 2008 at 2:40 pm and is filed under Blog Bits. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

During our three-week dilly-dally in Malibu, CA last month, we squeezed in a lot of great visits with friends who love and support us both personally AND professionally. (Friends like: Lisa Steadman, Rick Sanchez and Tara Zucker, Sheri Menelli, Shona Gupta, Gretchen De Castellane Wright, Lou Esposito, Matt Stevens, Brett Hedlund, Maximina Juson, and Melanie Benson Strick.)

When you get to know people on a personal level over many years, you can forget how incredibly talented, diverse, and ambitious the people in your own circle really are. For example, in that little list above there are several published authors, an award-winning screenwriter, an A-List film editor AND an A-List sound editor, the next “Oprah for Kids,” a professional musician, several big-thinking entrepreneurs, empire builders, producers, a few actors, writers, bloggers…and all-around lovely peeps.

Gee whiz, that’s a lot of talent and inspired action in one place!

Here’s the reason I’m posting. I just read a great article on Brainstorming by Melanie:

 6 Keys to Solving Any Challenge With Out-of-the-Box Thinking

They’re great tips. Don’t miss ‘em.

If you’re looking to shake up your thinking, razzle-dazzle your opportunities, or annihilate any limiting beliefs or crummy mindset habits once and for all so you can finally build your dream lifestyle business, Melanie’s the one you want. Guaranteed. (Scan her site for five minutes and you’ll see what I’m talking about.)

And don’t forget to take inventory of the like-minded friends in your life right now, too. Too often we micro-biz owners think we have to go it alone, when advice, wisdom, and support can be had by the people in your life who’d love to help you out. 

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 14th, 2008 at 4:48 am and is filed under Brainstorm Blitz. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

The Voivod household has been a little tweaked out lately. Aside from our maddeningly imperfect sleeping patterns (thanks to our rapacious 7-month old vampire baby), Allen and I are gearing up for another edition of *gulp*: Moving Forward.

In theory, Moving Forward is always the goal, and always a delight. But if you’re a solo professional or small business owner, you know the truth: IT’S SCARY.

Moving Forward requires long-tabled decisions to finally be made. It often involves a financial investment, putting the kibosh on all the distractions we’ve allowed to steal our time and attention, and getting out of our comfort zones for the gazillionth time.

Moving Forward means making commitments to new habits and admitting it’s time to kick the old ones to the curb. For us, it’s pushing ourselves to go after what we want instead of taking what’s handed to us, even though many of those things have been pleasant and lucrative in their own right, and we’re incredibly grateful for the gifts and opportunities they’ve given us.

Maybe it wouldn’t be a big deal, but last time we decided to play the Moving Forward game, we didn’t handle it all that well. We got overwhelmed, stressed out, and let our fears and insecurities dominate. As spousal-preneurs, this is NOT a good thing. We can’t leave our work at the office. When mindset goes sour, it infects our dinner table banter, our family car rides, our pillow talk…everything.

However, hindsight has shown us that the act of Moving Forward was decidedly worth it:

• We’re now a six-figure business and growing consistently, even in this “non-recession” environment
• We’re working less and having way more fun (you should see our “Fun!” calendar for 2008! It’s insane!)
• I’m staying home with our big, beautiful chub of a baby boy while Allen handles virtually all of our client work
• We’re able to go on field trips and t-ball games, gymnastics, and swim lessons for our 5 1/2 year-old son
• Best of all, we’re happier and stronger as a married couple, which makes us happier and stronger individually

I guess this is why I’m posting the following quotes right now, at 3am during an unfortunate bout of insomnia on one of the only nights that healthy-lunged kid of ours is actually sleeping for longer than two hours at a time. I need the reminder of why it’s all worth it; that wise people before me have muttered words that have been so clung to they now sound like chinsy cliches.

I know Allen and I are different people than we were two years ago. We’ve learned a bunch, we’ve grown together, and most importantly, we love our life. Our goal, then, is to make this year’s upcoming leaps of faith and insanity as joyful and thrilling as possible, and to trust the magnificent unfolding to the benevolent Powers That Be.

So…here’s the Moving Forward!

“Every moment of your life is infinitely creative and the universe is endlessly bountiful. Just put forth a clear enough request, and everything your heart desires must come to you.”

- Mahatma Gandhi

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams; live the life you’ve imagined.”

- Henry David Thoreau

“Do or do not. There is no try.”

- Yoda

“Cherish your visions and your dreams, as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.”

- Napoleon Hill

My best to you and the forward progress of your own business and vision, whatever they may be.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 13th, 2008 at 3:40 am and is filed under Entrepreneur Diaries. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Lucky me! Instead of having to dig into my brain and come up with a brand-friendly article on success and the might of the “A-Ha!” (which Allen and I define as “Bold Insight PLUS Joy-filled Action), I get to do a simple “copy-n-paste” from online marketing and power-preneur Alexandria Brown. Woohoo!

“3 ‘A-Ha’ Success Principles That Have Reshaped My Business”
by Alexandria K. Brown

Over the past several years I’ve immersed myself in learning. Because my business is marketing, I have mostly attended and spoken at marketing seminars. But I also make plenty of time to read books, attend seminars, and listen to audio programs on personal development as well.Why?

You should actually work harder on yourself than you do on your business (or job). I first learned that from Jim Rohn, whom some call the father of personal development. Some call him America’s foremost business philosopher. I just call him brilliant. (Jim was one of Tony Robbins’ first mentors, too.)There are three success principles I’ve learned over the years that I wanted to share with you. I call them my “a-has” because they put my attention on areas I’d never thought of. And following these guidelines has helped me skyrocket my business.

1. You are the average of the five PEOPLE you hang around the most.When I first heard this quote from Jim, it struck a big nerve in me. Robert Allen says something similar, that your bank account balance is typically the average of the five people you hang around the most. (Yikes!) I realized I needed to surround myself with people whom I wanted to be like. I still love my old friends, but I make a specific effort to be around people who take risks, think big, and talk about great ideas instead of the latest celebrity gossip, the price of gas, or how much they hate their clients.

What first opened up my circle of influence was attending seminars. I continually go to seminars on marketing, business, and personal development. There are so many great seminars going on every month all around the country, at all price points. You have no excuse not to get out there and meet people who are playing big!

2. Your HABITS create your future (and your fortune).Brian Tracy talks a lot about this. Your daily habits create your long-term results. Your habits today will determine your outcomes tomorrow. If you want to be a millionaire, you’ve got to have millionaire habits. If you want to be a great leader, you must have the habits of a great leader. If you want to get in shape, you’ve got to have the habits of a fit person.

What new habit can YOU put into place right away?

I wanted to put into place a millionaire habit. Because I detest budgets (and enjoy spending), I needed an easy way to save money. So now I have a set percentage of my inflow automatically go into a savings account that I don’t touch.

And because I enjoy looking and feeling great, I made the habit many years ago to exercise at least 5 days a week. To kick this into gear, I hired a trainer, which forced me to make the habit happen. It was a struggle at first, but now I feel off-balance if I don’t work out regularly.

3. Make sure your ENVIRONMENT supports you in playing big.A few years ago I had the chance to hear a dynamic woman named Artemis Limpert speak at an event in Dallas. In her talk, she pointed out that when you have a pet fish that’s sick, you treat the water — NOT the fish.

Your success depends more on your environment than you know, but it’s extremely important that you give yourself an environment that supports you at the level you want to BE at. (Note that I did NOT say the level you are at now!)There are generally 3 areas of your environment you should pay close attention to:

First, your physical environment. Do you love your office? Do you have enough space to work and plan? Are you surrounded by attractive things? Do you have a nice view or at least a beautiful piece of art to look at? I paid a pretty penny for my beach pad, but I can’t tell you how inspiring it is every day to look out at the peaceful ocean, sailboats, blue sky, and the sand. It fuels me. But you don’t have to spend a lot of money on your environment. Little touches like candles, flowers, music you love, and photos of friends and family can go a long way. (Even if your office is the kitchen table!)

Second, your emotional environment. Are you getting the support you need from your family and friends? It’s up to YOU to ask for what you need. If they cannot provide it, find a coach, a mastermind, or a support group. I find it wonderful to have a mastermind group for support. I can bounce ideas off them, ask for help with problem solving, share my victories, and sometimes just vent!

Third, your intellectual environment. Jim Rohn says, “Are you feeding your brain protein every day, or are you just giving it candy?” Most Americans sustain their brains solely on candy - that is, useless television shows, news, and gossip. Are you stimulating yourself with big ideas and new learning? Again, check out a seminar, take a teleclass, or buy some books or audio programs. (I love listening to programs on CD or my iPod, so I can learn while driving my car or relaxing on a plane.)© 2003-2008 Alexandria Brown International Inc.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown publishes the award-winning ‘Highlights on Marketing & Success’ weekly ezine with 28,000+ subscribers. If you’re ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at www.AlexandriaBrown.com

Ali has her LAST EVER Online Success Blueprint Workshop coming up November 13-15th in Los Angeles. Allen and I have been learning from Ali for something like six or seven years, in one way or another. Whether it’s been through her articles, teleclasses, ezines, or information products, she’s always delivered on her promises and has been instrumental in helping us as we continue to create the business and life of OUR dreams.

So we’re pretty thrilled to say we just signed up and will be at Ali’s November workshop. Are you interested in joining us? Please do! Sign up through this link and we’ll even treat you to dinner.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, May 8th, 2008 at 3:42 pm and is filed under A-Has in the Ether. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

TV theme songs. Groundbreaking sports milestones. Interview clips. Commercial jingles. Historical benchmarks. Famous personalities. Comedy routines. Political speeches that actually said something meaningful.

We all have a lot of aural flotsom and jetsom floating around in our heads, right? And when we’re lucky enough to hear one of our favorite soundbites from yore, it’s amazing how quickly we can be transported to another time, place…even dimension.

One guy who always makes Allen insanely happy is Vin Scully. If you don’t know about this legendary sportscaster (literally named “Broadcaster of the Century” in 2000 by the American Sportscasters Association), he’s been the play-by-play voice of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers since 1950 (!!!!!), and he’s still going strong.

Allen made it to a Dodger game with his old writers’ group buds during our three-week romp in Malibu, CA. That made him happy, but what REALLY thrilled him was hearing Vin’s voice every time he tuned into a Dodger game on TV. (Here’s a recently-discovered vintage Vin clip I found on NPR that’ll no doubt THRILL Allen once he realizes I’ve blogged about Vin: Recorded History: Vin Scully Calls a Koufax Milestone.)

I think we all have those amazing voices in our heads - the ones that defined our lives, before we knew they were being defined. Among my childhood flotsom and jetsom are: the Celtic’s Johnny Most (”Bird stole the ball!!!!”), Archie and Edith Bunker’s version of Those Were the Days, DJ Little Walter and his Time Machine, and the theme song from a silly kids’ TV show called Barbapapa.  

Which brings me to my question: Is there a YouTube-esque website that collects nothing but user-generated audio clips? I’m not talking iTunes or some other mp3-farm site, but a site that collects, categorizes, and openly shares all manners of audio snippets? And if there isn’t, shouldn’t there be?

The YouTube model is so inspiring and can be duplicated, niched-out, or tweaked in so many creative ways — many of which could likely help out your own business or industry. 

For example…

How ’bout a G-rated YouTube for kids? (If Mattel or Disney or Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network got to work on making that happen, don’t you think they’d get their money’s worth in targeted eyeballs?)

Or, a collection of “Best-Ever” radio commercials? (We pitched a blog version of this idea to the GM at Nassau Broadcasting two years ago, but he was pretty old school in his thinking and couldn’t see how this would help his sales team sell more ad space. Too bad. I still think it would be deliver a HUGE bang to the savvy radio station manager ready to use Web 2.0 for mucho financial gain. If you’re a radio GM and would like to hear more, by all means, give us a ring at 603.524.5248!)

Even something as ridiculous as audios of “Ultimate Sports Smack Talk” cribbed from the sidelines or bleachers, or a massive collection of video clips of nothing but authentically accidental groin injuries. Don’t you think these strategically-themed content meccas would call like the siren’s song to their target audiences? Having both a husband and a brother who’d eat this stuff up, I know for a fact they’d KILL.

Hey, we all eventually find ourselves lost in cyberspace, poking around, looking to be entertained or educated around the topics that ckick with our geeky little brains. Think about your target audience. What would make them smile? What would have them laughing, or feeling smarter, or just feeling better for having spent a few minutes on your website, with your brand? What would get them to send your site to their circle of similarly-minded friends?

Keep it simple. You can add on over time. If you stay true to the intent of entertaining them, they WILL come to you.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 7th, 2008 at 1:41 pm and is filed under All About Content. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.