Add You - Business

Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?
When business people converse, the terms “small business owner” and “entrepreneur” are used interchangeably as if they mean the same thing. Yet I discern two very different connotations. Is this a matter of semantics? Or is there an important distinction to be made?According to government statistics, “small businesses” comprise the vast majority of enterprises across North America, most of which close their doors before their fifth anniversary. What is more interesting to me is that I have never seen a government study that discusses the flailing “entrepreneur.” Then again, perhaps the only people who write about entrepreneurs are entrepreneurs.I have an admission to make. I expect less from a small business owner than I do from a self-proclaimed entrepreneur. Think about it this way: if you were just introduced to someone at a local networking event, and he asked what you do, which of the following answers are you most likely to give?“Hi. My name is Joe. I’m a small business owner.”OR“Hi. My name is Joe. I’m an entrepreneur.”The first statement feels a bit more comfortable, doesn’t it? The second one, however, conveys a forthrightness that seems to presuppose a certain level of pro

ull-time employees, operating budget) 3. Chief Staff Executive - which uniquely enough provides a photo of the executive director printed in the directory along with his or her background information 4. Officers and Management - including direct-dial phone and fax numbers and e-mail addresses 5. Government affairs office and phone 6. Committees 7. Foundations - research, education, fundraising and contacts 8. Branches 9.Publications including editors, frequency, and content 10. Board 11. Meetings - conferences, seminars, dates and locations and 12. Mailing list availability and contact.

The listings in The Associations Yellow Book are supplemented by eight indexes: Industry; Geographical—alphabetically by state; Budget—alphabetically within five budget classifications; Political Action Committee; Foundation; Personnel—all names are listed alphabetically; Acronym; and Master Index of Associations.

One of the most outstanding features of this easy to use directory is the quality and depth of information about each association. For example: the full page and one-quarter listing for the International Association for Management Education shows not only the 18 officers and management personnel with their individual direct dial phone numbers and extensions, their affiliations, education and email addresses, but the listing also contains the names and affiliation of each of their 23 board members. Even the receptionist gets her name mentioned with her phone number. So if you’re looking for the person who just handles the conventions, or the publications, you can write or call directly to him.

The clean layout and extensive coverage in each li

Job Applications - Common Interview Questions Part 2
What is your greatest weakness?No one likes admitting to weaknesses, but this is a favourite interview question, and one you need to be prepared for.This is not the time to confess your deepest secrets or expose embarrassing mistakes you have made in previous jobs. You should choose an area in which you don't have quite as much experience or confidence as you'd like - something which you will have the opportunity to work on in the job for which you are applying.It should not be something which you are expected to have already mastered, but something which will be useful for the post and can be developed over time. If you will be expected to give regular presentations, for example, saying that you find this difficult won't go down well. However, if this isn't expected at your level, but would be once you've moved up the ladder, you might say that you find it a bit nerve wracking and could do with more practice.Check the job description and person specification for essential and desirable skills and be sure to choose something which is non-essential. It could be that you are unfamiliar with a particular software package which only plays a small part in the job.Once you have decided on your weakne

If you’re in direct marketing, you’re continually looking for new list sources — everybody’s tired of mailing to the same lists. If you’re not in direct marketing and thinking about putting a mailing together, here’s something a little different: take a look at marketing through associations.

Why would anyone ever market to associations? They’re great targets: try sending a press release to an association’s publication - whether it’s a newsletter or a magazine. Why, you can alert an entire industry of your products or services with one or two well-placed news releases.

Since the magazines and newsletters of associations are not the mainstream prospecting tools of most marketers who market through more traditional channels association publications receive just a fraction of the press releases and promotional articles that go to major publishers. Yet the comprehensive lists of over 23,000 associations go astonishingly deep in most major and minor markets. In addition, association publications are usually well regarded and lend excellent credibility to the firms that get ink in their house publications.

Why else would you market through associations? Maybe you’re an affinity marketer - and you’d like to have the 96,000 members of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association apply for the special trial rate of your new credit card. Or, maybe you’d like the National Electrical Contractors Association - with 80 people on staff, and a budget of $10 to $25 million to support their 4,000 member firms that comprise 118 local chapters (along with the entire personnel of each member firm) - to apply for your new phone service. Associations can deliver thousands of their members - new customers for you - with a just a few contacts and a modest budget.

You’d definitely market through associations if you’re part of the hospitality industry and would like to arrange a convention - complete with hotel rooms, ballrooms, and services for the complete screaming regime of whoever shows up - of the 2,300,000 members of the National Education Association of the United States. Or go for a smaller piece of their $100,000,000 budget - give or take a few million - get hired as a speaker or on-site entertainment, or snag some of the the association’s printing business. Association lists work for all the above. Associations are key targets for the entire hospitality industry sales force: hotels, convention space, caterers, promotional products, printed material, ballrooms, ground services, and on-site entertainment, to name a few.

Quite frankly, I realize the big organizations are not for everyone. Not everyone is looking for the big numbers, even in lists. Some people are just looking for a short cut - an entry wedge into an industry at the top level. For this purpose, association lists are also useful in marketing to the elite leaders of select industries.

For example: If you wanted to get in bed with all of the 53 companies who belong to the Biscuit and Cracker Distributors Association, a reference book showing detailed information about their association may be just your cup of tea. You’ll find their address - along with their association size, annual budget, history, newsletter and publication detail, meeting and convention dates, website, email address, and their executive director’s name - on page 179 of the National Trade and Professional Associations of the United States directory.

The 828-page National Trade and Professional Associations of the United States ($99) reference tool lists 7,600 associations, and is published annually by Columbia Books, Inc. (www.columbiabooks.com; 888-265-0600, fax 410-810-0911) along with its companion, the State and Regional Associations of the U.S. directory ($79). The state and regional association guide is particularly useful if you are targeting specific geographic areas and want access to top local association contacts not included in the national book. The State and Regional Associations of the U.S. directory also has a higher percentage of association managers who, while managing multiple associations, cross many industry lines when sourcing vendors or affinity marketers.

Information in both Columbia Books directories is cross-referenced by association index, subject index (500 subjects/alpha), also by budget index, geographic index, executive index, and acronym name index. Association management companies are also shown. All of their data is available on disk. These two reference tools fit in your briefcase, and make surprisingly great reading, if - like me - you’re a marketer and have no other life outside of marketing and occasionally watching cat- dog on TV (ask your kids!).

Association lists and data are also available in the Encyclopedia of Associations by The Gale Group (800-877-GALE) on disk, CD, and on- line through Lexis-Nexis. This hardbound, three-volume set ($505) is the motherload of associations - showing detailed information on more than 23,000 local, state, national, and international associations. Gale says that seven out of every ten Americans belong to an association, and now I believe it: they all show up here in this extensive directory set.

Referenced and cross-referenced in every which-way possible, you can reach the 30,000 members of Retinitis Pigmentosa International, the 200 members of the 1954 Buick Skylark Club, the 20 members of the Vacuum Cleaner Manufacturers Association (VCMA), or the 10 members of the Holy Innocents Reparation Committee with equal ease.

Another great resource of associations is The Associations Yellow Book from Leadership Directories. While it doesn’t have the number of associations found in Gale’s Encyclopedia of Associations, it has an exceptional depth of information about the top thousand or so associations, arranged and presented in an attractive and logical manner. So if you’re looking for the top players in the association field, this resource tool may be just what your doctor ordered.

The Associations Yellow Book is 1,400 plus pages, and profiles 1,045 of the leading U.S. trade and professional associations. Included within these profiles are 42,159 officers, staff and board members, 263 political action committees, 437 foundations, and 725 branch offices. 1,036 associations with Internet sites are included.

To be listed in The Associations Yellow Book, associations must operate on a national level and have annual operating budgets of at least $2 million. Each listing is broken down into 10 logical sections: 1. Name and communications information 2. Description (association mission, number of members, number of full-time employees, operating budget) 3. Chief Staff Executive - which uniquely enough provides a photo of the executive director printed in the directory along with his or her background information 4. Officers and Management - including direct-dial phone and fax numbers and e-mail addresses 5. Government affairs office and phone 6. Committees 7. Foundations - research, education, fundraising and contacts 8. Branches 9.Publications including editors, frequency, and content 10. Board 11. Meetings - conferences, seminars, dates and locations and 12. Mailing list availability and contact.

The clean layout and extensive coverage in each lis

Don't Clone Your Book or Business Marketing
Remember that the miracle of cloning sheep has its drawbacks. The main one--dying young.Don't let your business die young by following the herd. Instead, think of the natural ways you like to market.Here are some marketing ideas that make big promises, and don't always deliver. And, when followed by investing a large amount of money and time, only a few who follow these expensive programs will get the results they hope for.One. Make your book a #1 best seller on Amazon. This idea teaches authors that if they offer $1000's of bonus books, reports and the like, and tell all their email lists to buy the book on a particular day at Amazon, they will make extreme sales.In many sales letters that give away $1000's more than the price of their book, it looks a little suspicious or gimmicky. "Killer copy" and other web sizzle language doesn't bring confidence to most business people. The programs sold are over $2500. An old saying came from Robert Allen something like: "You make much more money teaching people how to make money than they ever will implementing the skills."Two. Optimize your web site standings in the search engines with ads placed in Google.com and through pay-per-click advertising.Fo

service. Associations can deliver thousands of their members - new customers for you - with a just a few contacts and a modest budget.

The clean layout and extensive coverage in each li

What is a Notary Signing Agent and How Do You Start a Business?
A Notary Signing Agent is a Notary Public who has acquired a familiarity and understanding of mortgage loan documents either via experience or training. This individual will work as either is hired as an independent contractor for signing agencies, or as a self-employed person receiving assignment through his/her own marketing and advertising efforts.The job consist of ensuring that real estate loan documents are properly executed by the borrower(s), notarized, and returned promptly for processing to the title or escrow officer. This is an important and vital service for borrowers and closing agents, without which a mortgage loan transaction would not be able to be consummated.The Statue of Frauds and the Patriotic Act seek to maintain integrity of a signer’s signature to authenticate a document, and to identify the borrower for tax reporting and anti-money laundering regulation. This is significantly role for a notary very important, now that so many more transactions are being conducted online or by telephone.A Notary Signing Agent will travel to the customers home or office at their convenience to execute loan documents instead of having the borrower interrupt their busy schedule to drive to a the title compan

their executive director’s name - on page 179 of the National Trade and Professional Associations of the United States directory.

The clean layout and extensive coverage in each li

Be Supported In Your Business
When you are in business for yourself, you wear many, if not all of the hats. It’s a lot of work to be all things to your business, and be its biggest fan. To make your business run smoothly you must be sure you are getting the support you need. Support comes from the people you surround yourself with, the environment you work in, and the equipment and tools that you use to run your business.1. PeopleHands down, you are the biggest cheerleader for your business. No one gets as excited about your business as you do. When you have a new idea, or are going through a rough time, it’s important to have people in your life that can relate to you. But, what do you do if no one close to you can relate to what you’re going through? If no one else in your family or your circle of friends has ever run a business, chances are, they have no idea what you’re going through. And, as much as they care about you, sometimes, it’s hard for them to know how you need to be supported.It’s important that you find people who can share in your joy, or can give you ideas when you need them. Great places to meet people are networking groups, or industry associations. There are many groups you can join online or off-line. Do a Google search on

re than 23,000 local, state, national, and international associations. Gale says that seven out of every ten Americans belong to an association, and now I believe it: they all show up here in this extensive directory set.

The clean layout and extensive coverage in each li

Private Investigator in Houston
Morris has been a Texas Ranger for 15 years. This officer would go on patrols and respond when an emergency occurred. Having lived in Houston while growing up, it was easy to do the job.One night, Morris met a friend who left the force 4 years ago. This person now had a private investigator service in the city. Business was good and it was time for it to expand.The friend needed experienced people who used to work in law enforcement or have a military background to also work for the firm. Feeling that Morris gave a lot of years to the state, a reasonable offer was given so that this individual can move on and get rich.Less than a month later, Morris was already working as a private investigator for the new employer.Houston is a peaceful city. Most of the assignments were investigating a spouse for alleged infidelity or doing background checks. The new job then was very easy since this is nothing compared to solving a murder.Morris will usually do a little surveillance by following the subject around and shooting a few photos. Activities that could not be seen will just have to be checked on the computer or asking someone from the bank about deposits or withdrawals made by the subject.This indiv

The clean layout and extensive coverage in each listing (plus all those photos that we think are a nice visual touch) make this excellent reference tool one of the favorites around our offices. I can assure you it’s heavily used, and we recommend it.

The Associations Yellow Book is available from Leadership Directories, Inc., 104 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. 10011; Telephone 212/627-4140, Fax 212/645-0931; web address: www.leadershipdirectories.com. Published semi-annually, the subscription cost is $245 for two issues. Additional subscriptions to the same address are $172. Subscriptions include access to their Internet association database which is updated daily.

Marketing to - or through - associations may turn out to be a key component of your campaign; don’t overlook these great resources for their membership lists or for opportunities for joint ventures in affinity marketing.

Association directors represent key players who are in charge and in tune with virtually any industry, so they make great resources if you need information. Sometimes mailing or faxing a few simple questions to an association headquarters may produce more information faster than an entire year of researching books or reading trade periodicals. The foremost goal of most associations is to educate their members - might as well have them educate their members about your products and services.

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