Better Business Bureau Reviews, LinkedIn Apps and More

Better Business Bureau Reviews, LinkedIn Apps and More
LG Plans Curved Phone for U.S. Market
Marketing Auto Repair Shops Becomes Easier With Mobile Apps
Julio Viskovich of HootSuite: Using Social Selling to Enter the Buying Process
Are You Just Going Through the Motions?

Posted: 15 Nov 2013 04:00 PM PST

It’s the end of another week. What are you missing that can make your business better? One thing may be that all-important news and information to help you grow your business in the future…and maybe make important decisions just around the corner.

No worries. The Small Business Trends editorial team is here to help. And we’ve whipped up this review of the week’s most important business stories just for you!

New Products & Services

Amazon introduces Sunday delivery. The new service is offered in cooperation with the U.S. Postal Service. It means those ordering packages on Friday will not have to wait until Monday to receive them. It’s also good news for affiliates and small merchants who work with Amazon.

Better Business Bureau unveils better reviews. The controversy stirred up by allegedly fake reviews on Yelp and other sites makes the new reviews big news. The BBB believes better verification is the answer.

New LinkedIn app shows you who’s emailing. Knowing who’s emailing you can help you sort important messages from spam. But it can also help you formulate the best response.

Smartphone News

LG to bring curved phone to US. The Flex G will be coming to the U.S. after all. This is after some uncertainty during the build up to it’s initial release. Will it be a fad or the shape of things to come?

Apple may introduce curved phones too. Apple’s plans are still vague rumor but reported widely in industry circles. If curved smartphones are more durable than the rest, as some suggest, they might be attractive to business users — depending upon the price.

Carriers make Apple more attractive. Boost and Virgin Mobile will knock $100 off Apple’s newest phones. However, members of our community now tell us finding at least one of these phones in stock may be a problem.

Nexus 5 part of a growing family. If you’re looking for a new smartphone for your business, Google has an option. But more importantly, this new Android phone is one of a growing number of mobile devices ready to serve a variety of needs.

Tablets for Business

New Amazon tablet gives Apple competition. Speaking of your company’s mobile options, the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 and 8.9 are now on the market. Reviewers give these devices big kudos and compare them to a major front runner.

Verizon Ellipsis may offer some surprises. Included among these are some features that may just help your business along. No, it’s not an iPad or Nexus. But take a look and see what you think.

Social Media

Bieber investing in social network. If you haven’t heard yet, teens are no longer paying attention to Facebook. Singer Justin Bieber is among those investing in what could be the next frontier for this audience.

Facebook starred reviews arrive. The world’s biggest social network is entering the review game. There are some limitations here and no guarantee it will work any better than any of the rest of them.

YouTube has new comments. And they look a lot like the one’s on Google’s social network Google Plus. That’s not an accident and Google is apparently hoping they’ll make YouTube more social.

Buffer attack leads to spamming problem. Getting unwanted spam in your social media feed is one thing. Inadvertently sending it out to your whole community is another. Here’s what happened.

Regulations

FAA rules on mobile devices change. Say goodbye to unproductive time on your next flight. The rule changes may not roll out as fast as some might hope. But look for more freedom to use mobile tech in the near future.

The Obamacare issue you might not expect. Yes, businesses with 50 or more employees must provide them with healthcare or face penalties by 2015. But here’s another requirement you may not have thought about.

Inspirational

Entrepreneurs take us to outer space. The team at Flightline Films has created dramatic aerial cinematography for movies and TV. Now they record a 128,100 foot free fall from the upper stratosphere.

Reading Photo via Shutterstock

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LG Plans Curved Phone for U.S. Market

Posted: 15 Nov 2013 01:30 PM PST

flexible phone

The U.S. market will soon see one of its first curved smartphones. The South Korean company that released the latest in what some see as a new trend in the market, says U.S. availability is only a matter of time.

LG’s Flex G phone, released in South Korea recently, follows Samsung’s Galaxy Round introduced in October. Unlike the Round, which features a screen curved along its access, the 6-inch G Flex screen curves from top to bottom.

The company says smartphones are only the beginning of what is seen as a huge market for flexible displays. In a release from the company, executive vice president and chief technology officer Dr. Sang Deog Yeo explained:

“The flexible display market is expected to grow quickly as this technology is expected to expand further into diverse applications including automotive displays, tablets and wearable devices. Our goal is to take an early lead in the flexible display market by introducing new products with enhanced performance and differentiated designs next year.”

Several Curved Phones in the Works

The Flex G’s resolution is rather unimpressive at 720 p, reports The Verge. But the phone’s flexible screen would seem to make it more durable than most. CNET says the back of the phone is made of a “self-healing” material that will make scratches to its case fade over time.

Though LG had supposedly initially announced no plans for release outside Korea, website G for Games now reports that the company does have plans for international marketing including the U.S. The site bases its report on Korean media sources. There is no word on time table or pricing.

Sources are now reporting that Apple may be planning two curved iPhones for sometime next year as well.

In the end, more flexible technology will benefit entrepreneurs and small business owners on the move who put their mobile devices through considerable punishment at times.

But price and features will ultimately determine whether small business professionals will want to jump on this bandwagon.

Flexible Phone Photo via Shutterstock

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Marketing Auto Repair Shops Becomes Easier With Mobile Apps

Posted: 15 Nov 2013 11:00 AM PST

auto repair apps

As with many other things, car owners can now turn to their smartphones for the task of finding an auto mechanic who can take care of their auto repair needs. Services like RepairJungle and RepairPal allow customers to receive online estimates for auto repair services via a mobile version of their site so customers can process requests from anywhere.

Apps like the RepairPal app for iOS and Android devices provides customer reviews and the ability to locate a shop nearby. The app breaks down estimates by parts and labor costs and even connects you with roadside assistance.

Location-Based Marketing

Auto repair shops aren’t usually highlighted on the major review apps like Yelp or Around Me. But a majority of consumers will take proximity and user reviews into consideration when they choose a mechanic and decide to make an appointment. Many times, these two qualities are more important than offering the lowest price. So it makes sense for shops like these to embrace mobile technology to reach a wider audience and offer them the information and ease necessary to aid them in their decision.

Apps allow shops and businesses such as these to promote their services through a marketing medium they are used to: Word of mouth.

The only difference is that the recommendations come via the Internet. Shops who are able to provide quality service for a lower price can use mobile apps to draw in business from other parts of town. Parts of town that may be wealthier, which makes a difference.

As John Mallette, owner of Burke Auto Body and Paint explains, ”Where you get screwed in our business is labor hours.” His Long Beach shop charges 40 dollars per hour. But he has heard of shops in a nearby wealthier part of town, Newport Beach, that charge as much as 90 dollars an hour for the same exact service.

Making the Most of Online Services

Despite the fact that more people than ever use the Web to research everything before becoming a customer – including their auto mechanic – some businesses and shops still don’t advertise on the Internet, as hard as that may be to believe.

Online advertising can be extremely cost-effective. Consider the fact that services like Google AdWords or Facebook Ads charge only when someone clicks on the ad. Compare that to the cost of running an ad in a local newspaper or magazine and you begin to see the advantages.

In addition to cost, online marketing campaigns tell the business about customer intentions, behaviors and the effectiveness of their marketing campaign. There is much information to be gained.

All businesses stand to gain a great deal from harnessing the power of online marketing through commercial apps, social media and search advertising. All it takes is some time to get familiar with the tools – but it’s well worth the investment.

Auto App Photo via Shutterstock

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Julio Viskovich of HootSuite: Using Social Selling to Enter the Buying Process

Posted: 15 Nov 2013 08:00 AM PST

While the lion-share of attention goes more to marketing, promotion and customer service when it comes to social media, using it during the sales cycle can be just as important to a company's ability to close the deal with prospects.

Julio Viskovich, HootSuite's Social Media Sensei, joins us to share his take on how to successfully integrate social selling strategies and tactics into your traditional sales methods.

* * * * *

Small Business Trends: How did you become the Social Selling Sensei?

Julio Viskovich: I like the Sensei title because essentially it allows me to absorb information as well. I work with the folks that I’m training with all the time. I’m not the end-all be-all of anything. I’m learning just as much as them. So the Sensei title applies.

Small Business Trends: You’ve been at this for a number of years at a company that everybody knows about. What is social selling? What was it when you first got started with social selling and how has it evolved?

Julio Viskovich: When I first got started social selling, realistically it was having a sales person be on social media, be on Twitter, be on LinkedIn. Nowadays, there’s a whole other piece to that. So my definition today of social selling would be augmenting your current sales process with specific social media tactics.

Looking back at the early days, there was a lot of stuff going on. A lot of people were trying to evolve this term called social selling. I think it’s kind of settled down where we’re starting to see people settle on a nice definition which is very close to what I said. That it’s sales people augmenting their current sales process with social media.

Small Business Trends: Are you seeing any of those tools actually taking the place of more traditional aspects of selling, or is it truly an augmentation?

Julio Viskovich: I think it’s really a marriage between a couple things. Trying to jump in to a completely different sales process just because this term “social selling” has been thrown around. It’s not the way to go. It’s really an augmentation and I compare it to having a Ferrari and putting your standard gasoline in it. But when you add social selling into the mix it’s like throwing high-octane fuel in that baby and watching it go. It’s pretty incredible.

Previously, people were jumping on a phone call with your sales reps and essentially having zero percent of the buying process done. Coming to them for education and to find out about the product. But times have changed with the evolution of the Internet and with digital, people are finding all that information online.

So they’re coming to the sales rep 90 percent done with the sales or buying process already. That’s a problem because if you’re not out there putting content out, being a micro-marketer putting out those content bread crumbs to lead your buyer to you, you’re going to have your lunch eaten.

Small Business Trends: What are some of the characteristics that a person should have, or needs to have, in order to become an effective social sales person?

Julio Viskovich: It really is all about listening and that’s the first thing I always recommend people to do before they jump into a conversation online. Find out where your buyers are at for that link. Whether it’s specific Twitter hashtags, just listen. Get a feel for the conversation and get a feel for how you can involve yourself and add value to that community.

I think the next piece is really making sure that you put your customer or your buyer ahead of yourself. Long gone are the days where you have those sleazy type sales people who are trying to sell cars based on the commission made on it. Now it’s about really being buyer-centric and making sure that you can put the buyer ahead of yourself in communications.

Small Business Trends: What are some of the things that hinder somebody from becoming a successful social sales person?

Julio Viskovich: I think probably the number one thing that’s going to hinder somebody’s success in this era is going for the hard sell. Applying traditional tactics to the social media part of the sales process. Now it’s there for information gathering and positioning yourself as a thought leader and putting out those social content bread crumbs that bring your buyer toward you.

But oftentimes, you still have people who are going in there for the kill. When you do that, you’ll find that the person at the other end isn’t very receptive. It doesn’t work out too well for the lifetime of that customer or potential buyer.

Small Business Trends: How does it impact the relationship between sales and marketing and even sales and service?

Julio Viskovich: That’s something I’ve been personally thinking a lot about lately. I’m in the middle of trying to make a push in coining this new term called “sellarketing,” which is a marriage between sales and marketing.

I think it’s so necessary for social selling to be successful. So on one end, you have got to have sales and marketing work together around the content you’re putting out. If you’re going to be putting out those social bread crumbs and leading the buyer to you, marketing really has to have a huge part in this. In deciding what types of content should go out. Then when you start running campaigns that are focused on certain buyers or industries, I think marketing plays a huge role in what type of content for awareness, or for consideration, or depending on the funnel stage, they have to be involved to make sure the sales people are putting out the right content.

It’s very interesting you bring up support as well. Because that is definitely another area and a touch point for customers that oftentimes, there was a divide or a silo away from sales. So when a pricing question comes into support, a traditional way of handling that for the support person might be to take a screenshot, pop it into an email, send it over to somebody in sales and it gets dispersed that way if it’s a genuine lead.

Nowadays, with tools that allow social collaboration, if a pricing question comes into somebody in support, now they can click a button and route that message directly within HootSuite, over to somebody on the sales team and they can go ahead and interact with that individual or that lead in a timely fashion. Where previously, it would have been multiple systems involved and a very time-extensive process. It’s improved things a lot.

Small Business Trends: So maybe you can tell me a little bit about the kinds of metrics that you start to use or maybe their metrics that are more traditional that are impacted by social selling? Or possibly some new metrics that help folks to understand the impact social selling is having on an organization?

Julio Viskovich: I think you’re bang on because it’s a set of metrics that sales people weren’t necessarily measured on before. I think it’s really interesting to see that progression.

So the first thing I look at is very high-level metrics when you’re looking at your entire team. Making sure that everyone’s adopted it. Making sure that everybody has a completed LinkedIn profile and a completed and market approved Twitter profile as well. Making sure that SEO is rampant throughout your entire profile, and attracting those buyers, which is one step in the right direction as far as measuring. And that’s just at a very high-level.

When I start to drill a little bit deeper though, I look at REA: Reach, engagement and amplification. It allows me to take it beyond those surface level metrics such as follower growth, or number of fans or friends, etc. That is such a bogus number because realistically you can never know how much value you’re getting out of those folks at that metric level.

When you look at people buying fans, buying followers, and realizing that just because there’s a big number there, it doesn’t mean anything. So you have to take it a step further, drill down a little bit deeper. When you start to look at, ‘Okay, I have this big x-amount of follower growth, but how much engagement are those fans doing on my page? How are they amplifying?’

So if you were talking Twitter, how many people are mentioning you? From an amplification standpoint, how many people are retweeting you? With Facebook, how many people are liking your post, commenting on it and sharing it?

The higher percentages of folks that are engaging and amplifying, you can be sure that you’re growing a community or garden as I like to refer to it. An authentic, advocate-driven garden or community.

Small Business Trends: Are there any additional tools that you use in conjunction with HootSuite to implement this social selling strategy that you use?

Julio Viskovich: One of my favorite ones is called Trendspottr. What Trendspottr does is you’re able to put a search term or a hashtag in and it brings you a list of articles that are shared currently, that are trending around that specific hashtag.

Another I’d like to touch on quickly is Get Little Bird. A nice tool that I’ve started to use lately that allows me to find influential people in certain categories. It’s amazing because it amplifies the social selling process. It sends you little missions to do throughout the day like, ‘Hey this individual here is very influential in a topic. You want to be influential and we recommend you follow them.’

Small Business Trends: Where can people learn more about this whole area of social selling?

Julio Viskovich: You can hit me up at JulioViskovich. I’m also on Twitter, @JulioVisko. And, of course, HootSuite.

This interview on social selling is part of the One on One interview series with thought-provoking entrepreneurs, authors and experts in business today. This transcript has been edited for publication. To hear audio of the full interview, click on the player above.

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Are You Just Going Through the Motions?

Posted: 15 Nov 2013 05:00 AM PST

going through the motions cartoon

This cartoon actually came out of me griping to my wife about how my day of cartoon writing had gone.

It was one of those days where you sort of spin your creative wheels and not much other than easy/lame ideas come out. In fact, I actually said, “It was just a day of going through the motions” while I motioned a sort of jerky robot dance. And then, BAM!

This mime idea hits.

I like to think that even days that aren’t so productive at least help to prime the creative pump a bit. Or maybe it was the robot dance. It’s hard to know.

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