How does it work?

In short, money is lent to entrepreneurs from all over the world.  The money is paid back, not given away.  The recipient of the micro-loan, faced with poverty, decides to better their situation by becoming an entrepreneur with a business plan (perhaps, buying chickens to sell the eggs, fixing up a car to start a taxi service or even buying inventory for a small corner store). Benefits? Many.

The loan recipient receives 100% of the funds and helps themselves by creating a thriving small business.  The poverty cycle is broken and the loan is repaid — enabling the lender to re-loan again in a perpetual fashion. Everyone wins.

So, where does Kiva.org fit in all this? They handle all the overhead when it comes to microcredit lending including locating those in need, creating profiles, mentoring, handling the loan application process, funding and repayment process, connecting lenders with entrepreneurs, etc.  Their website makes it easy for anyone to locate an entrepreneur in need, lend them money, track their progress, and re-lend again.

During this holiday season… or any time of the year, join us in giving back to others who might not have received as many gifts or fortune as you.

Visit the Bizlink Kiva lender page.

You see, there are dozens… even hundreds of email blast and ecommerce/shopping cart tools, but I don’t consider those to be “marketing automation”.  Yes, email marketing systems like SilverPop, ExactTarget, ConstantContact, MailChimp and others are a great place for a business to start.  However, true marketing automation players extend far beyond just email marketing.  They include things like lead scoring, trigger and tripwire marketing, anonymous lead tracking (monitoring pages visited even before the visitor fills out a form and becomes ‘known’), sequential campaign management, offline marketing integration, nurture marketing, deep integration with CRM systems, and more.

Recently, Lauren Carlson (a CRM market analyst with Marketing Automation Software Guide) put together an interesting map of all the serious marketing automation players.  If you’re interested in going down the marketing automation path and you’re starting your research… or you just want to see who’s in & who’s out, take a look.

1. Super easy to set up your new account
2. Web-based & secure… I was able to generate an invoice and email it during a plane ride to visit a client a few weeks ago
3. Their try-before-you-buy model has been very well thought out. They let you keep a free account until your fourth client gets added to the system. So, you can add unlimited expenses, run reports, generate invoices for up to 3 clients unlimited, etc… all for free. By the time you add your fourth client, it’s easy to justify the low monthly cost. Again, their adoption model has been very well thought out.
4. Can accept payments via check, credit card, Paypal, etc.
5. Invoices look professional… clients can log in, view their invoice, print, pay, etc.  Makes me look like a champ.
6. A fast-growing online community that provides answers to your questions, ideas, etc.
7. Customer service that rocks!  Upon exiting the system, you get prompted with a survey.  One day, I took the survey and mentioned how much I enjoyed the service and their model.  The next day, I received contact from a support rep asking my shirt size and mailing address.  He wanted to send me a ‘thank you’ for my comments.  Three days later, I received a package shipped from Canada where they are based.  Sure enough… inside was a hand-written letter and a Freshbooks T-shirt! (See picture below).  The only other place where I’ve seen support folks connect with customers like that is at Zappos.
8. Integrations with 3rd party apps… like ShoeBoxed.com… so I never have to enter another expense receipt – ever!

If you ever get tired of your current accounting/invoicing/billing/financial system… or you’re just starting out and want to do it right, I highly recommend Freshbooks!

Click here to learn more about this final Dreaming Room, Dec 9-11 in Carlsbad, CA.

This event significantly changed the path Infusionsoft was on.  What was started as a small family business turned into a multi-million dollar marketing automation company.  This was due to the experience I and two other executives from Infusionsoft had during our Dreaming Room session.

So, why am I writing about this?  Because Michael Gerber is giving his very last Dreaming Room on December 9-11 in Carlsbad, California (near San Diego).  Over the years, I have encouraged all my entrepreneurial friends and associates to attend.  Don’t miss out on a chance to experience the final Dreaming Room Mr. Gerber will be giving personally… and the focus, purpose, and vision it will provide you in your business.

Click here to learn more about this final Dreaming Room, Dec 9-11 in Carlsbad, CA.

Michael Gerber and Dave Lee in The Dreaming Room

Marketing Experiments published a study demonstrating that 80% of leads are squandered due to poor follow-up. The study also demonstrated that by optimizing your lead management strategy and following up with leads at least eight times, you will increase your conversion rate. The results can be quite dramatic, as illustrated by the case study of a partner who increased sales by 375% simply by doing a better job of following up with leads.

Despite the overwhelming evidence in support of nurture marketing and effective follow-up, far too many marketers let their leads fall into a black hole. However, if you stay in front of prospects, educating and building trust along the way, they’ll come to you when they are ready to buy. Here are a few simple tips for using nurture marketing to convert more of your hard won web traffic into buyers.

Don’t be afraid to follow-up.
A lot of marketers don’t follow-up with leads because they don’t want to seem pushy or annoying. The hidden truth is people do want to hear from you, especially when they opt in for something of value, such as a free report or newsletter series. As long as you continue to provide valuable, relevant content to your subscribers AND give them an easy way to opt-out, you will be welcomed in the inbox.

Get permission to keep in touch.
Just because someone fills out a form on your site doesn’t mean that they want to get added to your mailing list. So before starting any email follow-up, be sure your contact WANTS to receive the information you’re sending. Whether you include an opt-in checkbox on your web form or send a double opt-in email request, getting permission isn’t just a good idea…it’s the law!

Set the right expectations.
Set proper expectations up-front regarding the frequency of your communications (weekly, monthly, etc.) as well as the content of your messages. This will help you minimize SPAM complaints and help you develop a strong and responsive email list.

Create a multi-hoop system.
The objective of nurture marketing is to educate prospects and move them progressively towards greater commitment. A multi-hoop follow-up system enables you to do exactly that. Think of the initial opt-in form on your website as the first hoop. Once a visitor fills it out, offer them additional content and resources in exchange for more contact information (deeper commitment). Continue the process until your lead is ready to buy or engage with your sales team.

By giving your leads the flexibility to advance through the sales funnel at their own pace, you develop trust and goodwill, which over time results in sales. Plus, as a natural side effect of nurture marketing, the most engaged leads bubble to the surface, allowing your sales reps to spend time hunting for hot leads.

Get the most from your SEO efforts.
In the end, it doesn’t matter how great your SEO strategies are if you don’t capture those leads and convert them into buyers. To learn how to get the most from your SEO, register now for the webinar “Nurture Marketing 2.0:  How to Convert Your SEO Traffic into Qualified Leads and Paying Customers,” presented by the follow-up experts at Infusionsoft. During the webinar, you’ll learn how to:

• Capture site visitors using lead gen magnets
• Convert leads into customers through nurture marketing
• Turn customers into repeat buyers and raving fans
• Automate your marketing and sales to save time and money
• And more!

Register now!

If you’re an entrepreneur or small business looking to learn the latest in web marketing, be sure to register for and attend the Conquer the Chaos event this Thursday & Friday in Las Vegas.  Infusionsoft is the main sponsor and they’ve put together a list of very impressive speakers.  If you plan on attending, be sure to swing by the Bizlink booth and introduce yourself to us!

If you’re a larger business using Marketo as your marketing automation platform, the Marketo User Summit is being held in San Francisco on October 13-14.
Hope to see you at one of these events!

• The Internet is THE medium for achieving success (advertising, running your business, communications, etc.)
• True entrepreneurs are innately driven to grow their businessEntrepreneurs have too many tasks to complete and always find themselves working IN their business.  Rarely do they get time to work ON the business.
• Too many entrepreneurs use old methods to market, sell, and manager their customers.
• Timing is everything:  People buy when they are ready to buy, not when you (the business owner or sales rep) are ready to make a sale.
• Even though the Internet is the medium, when it comes to getting deals and sales done, it’s about relationships.
• The more successful entrepreneurs I know use a lot of “personality marketing” (use their own voice, share pictures, videos, talk about family vacations, things that bother them, etc.).
• The most commonly overlooked value in any business is the customer and prospect list(s).

This, of course, is not a comprehensive list, but a handful of things I’ve observed.  What other lessons have YOU learned as an entrepreneur?  Feel free to post a comment and share!