Tibbr Partners With Box, Adds Features in Latest Update

Tibbr Partners With Box, Adds Features in Latest Update
Are Older Workers Better For Your Small Business?
9 Steps to Close Your Startup Sales Deals
7 Rules For Writing Awesome Content
Facebook Discovers a New Business Model

Posted: 03 Oct 2012 01:00 PM PDT

Tibbr 4, the latest group collaboration offering from Tibco, was recently announced and offers some new features for business users including a partnership with Box, integration with other third party apps, and a service that measures influence within a workplace setting.

Tibbr is an enterprise social network that is mainly subject-based. It gives employees tools to organize data into categories and share with people or groups, then easily find it later if needed. It is available in both on-premise and cloud versions to fit businesses of different types and sizes.

Tibbr 4 brings an entirely new design that includes social profiles for users, timelines for specific subjects or projects, sharing widgets, company insights, and mobile compatibility. The update also includes a new social graph API, which integrates some third party apps into the user experience.

This is where the partnership with Box comes in, but other apps like behavior platform Badgeville and sharing platform Wayin are also available.

And as for the new feature that gives employees Klout-like influence insights, the service measures each user's activity in the context of their work and produces a score along with charts and infographics illustrating their activity. While the score may seem a little obsolete for this type of service, the insights into actual use and activity might prove helpful to some.

These changes come just after Salesforce revealed the latest version of its Chatter social networking feature, as well as a new sharing service that offers many of the same features as Dropbox and Box.

Of course Tibbr and Salesforce are just two in a long line of services aimed at providing collaboration and enterprise networking tools for businesses. But Tibbr's integration with Box and other third party tools that are already used by many businesses certainly makes it a more attractive offering.

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Are Older Workers Better For Your Small Business?

Posted: 03 Oct 2012 11:00 AM PDT

Is it true that workers over 50 have a harder time getting hired than younger employees? Not according to the results of a new survey from Adecco Staffing US. In the poll, hiring managers in a wide range of industries nationwide say they are three times more likely to hire a worker age 50 and up (60 percent) than a Millennial employee (20 percent).

old versus young employee

Why the huge gap?

It seems older workers have what companies are looking for. Almost all (91 percent) of respondents say they consider older workers reliable, and 88 percent say they are professional. But that doesn't mean they're perfect. What are some stumbling blocks preventing companies from hiring older workers?

Slightly more than one-third (39 percent) say the biggest challenge is older workers' difficulty in adapting to new technologies. In addition, 51 percent say older workers often ask for too much in terms of salary and compensation, and 48 percent think they seem "overconfident" about their abilities and experience during job interviews. Finally, 33 percent are concerned older workers won't want to take direction from younger managers.

What's keeping companies from hiring Millennials?

The biggest obstacle (cited by 46 percent) is uncertainty about Millennials' long-term commitment to the company. About one-fourth (27 percent) are also worried that Millennials won't take direction from older managers.

In addition, hiring managers say Millennials make some common mistakes that can hurt their chances of a job offer, including “wearing inappropriate interview attire” (75 percent) and “posting potentially compromising content on social media channels” (70 percent).

As someone over 50 myself, I'm happy to see older workers' contributions and experience getting their due. Adecco also cited the top jobs for mature workers, based both on their skills and on current growth areas. If you're hiring a training/learning instructor, financial consultant or advisor, tourism guide, retail sales or customer service representative, technical writer or quality control engineer, consider an older worker, who is likely to have the right combination of traits for the job.

However, I'm also concerned about the stereotypes I see in these responses. Yes, Millennials may not be committed to your company long-term—but is that a bad thing, or is it just to be expected of entry-level employees who are still finding out where their interests and strengths lie?

Older workers may want more compensation—but isn't that a fair trade for the experience, stability and loyalty they bring to the table? I've met plenty of "overconfident" twenty-somethings and just as many "uncommitted" fifty-somethings.

As someone who's been hiring employees for more years than I care to count, I've seen a few generations come and go. Today's older workers were once young newbies themselves, shocking their elders with their inappropriate dress (I once got reprimanded for wearing pants to work in sub-freezing temperatures), refusal to listen to their elders, and "compromising" openness about their lives.

The best solution for hiring the right people for your team?

Look at people as people—not as representatives of a generation—and work with them to bring out their strengths, whatever those may be.

Employees Photo via Shutterstock

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9 Steps to Close Your Startup Sales Deals

Posted: 03 Oct 2012 08:00 AM PDT

Selling a brand new product or service is tough. And a startup selling to big companies is one of the hardest jobs around. Your product is still being built. Your team is still gelling—or coming apart—or both. You can't afford marketing support and you have few (if any) customer references. You’ve got only a few bucks in the bank. And, worst of all, you aren’t at all sure how well the rest of the team is going to execute once you actually close a deal.

high five

To give you a hand, below are 9 tips for startup salespeople:

1. Prequalify and Target Your Opportunities

Start with five companies to focus on. Too many options is confusing and leads your team to chase its tail. Once you’ve made some progress with those five, you can expand your search—hopefully with positive feedback from them. There's no need to rush.

2. Treat Your Network As a Precious Resource—Be Selective

Since you don’t know how the rest of your startup team is going to perform yet, save your big contacts and the full power of your network until you know everyone on-board is up for the challenge.

3. Take the Plunge with Cold Calling

There is no single better way to hone your pitch than cold calling. Don’t be that LinkedIn spammer who always needs introductions. Do 10 cold calls a day to companies outside your target list. That way you may land a client you may not have initially intended upon—and you’ll be ready when the boss of your top target picks up the phone.

4. Respond Instantly

You must address any indication of interest, curiosity, or objection right away. I mean employ a drop-everything-now sense of urgency. Nothing is more important than that inbound email from someone on your list.

5. Qualify Constantly and Find an Inside Evangelist

Don’t waste time on small deals, one-offs, partnerships, or anything outside the "win-win" column. Relentlessly go after the biggest companies that can pay you this year. If they respond slowly, move on. Time is your enemy. One way to close the gap is to enlist the help of an insider who already knows and loves your product. This person will push on the inside so you don't have to—and give you the all-important inside track to key decision makers.

6. Don’t Push, You Already Have a Brand Ambassador

Desperation gives off a stench that repels big companies. When the other side hesitates be the first to say, “I’m not sure you guys are ready for this. Let me come back when we have made more progress.” Your contacts will always remember you for giving them some breathing room.

7. Relentlessly Prepare for Meetings so You Don't Rely on Your Slides

You must know why the potential customer is willing to take a risk on you and your company before the meeting starts. Come up with three reasons why you're the right choice and run them by your in-house champion the week before and ask for feedback, especially objections. Polish your answers to those objections like a sword before a duel. Now that you're in the conference room, don't read off your slides, just use them as a backdrop. Discuss the product, how it will help solve the client's pain, your passion for this issue—even run a demo. Anything but mindlessly clicking through the slides.

8. A Quick No Is Better Than…

It hurts. It stings. There’s nothing good about getting rejected on a deal except for taking too long to get rejected. Respect the folks who decide quickly, and make a note to come back to them with the next version.

9. It's Not a Done Deal Until the Money's in the Bank

The only thing worse than being told “no” is having a “yes” fall apart. Unexpected and unusual things happen in corporations, and you’ll never really know what’s going on. Keep driving and stay in touch until a deal is 100 percent complete.

After the check's cleared and the client's happy, you're still not done. You have to make sure the rest of your team delivers on what you just sold. You’ve got to do it all again with other clients.

And after your huge success, your quota will likely go up next quarter. But before you dive back into the work, take a moment and celebrate the big win with the people who helped you make it happen. Those moments can be as sweet as getting your bonus check.

Closing A Deal Photo via Shutterstock

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7 Rules For Writing Awesome Content

Posted: 03 Oct 2012 05:00 AM PDT

Blogging, social media updates, newsletter, articles!

You know the drill – it's content, content and more content as you try to attract customers, show them who you are, and, ultimately, give them a reason to care about your business. The success of your business is often tied to your ability to craft a compelling message and deliver it in a way that inspires customers to act. It doesn't matter if you fancy yourself a writer or not – in today's market, you have to be.

If you've ever felt like you're just spinning your content wheels or you're looking up to tighten what's already working, below are seven writing rules to help you do just that.

1. Tell stories

Take a look at the marketing channels that are seeing the biggest play right now – Twitter, Facebook, your blog. You'll notice they all have something in common. They require that you earn someone's attention by telling them a story they want to hear. As marketers, we must be able to deliver a message that not only captures our audience, but that makes them take a desired action. That's our goal. And that requires storytelling.

If you want to improve your writing, stop lecturing to people and to start telling them stories. Stories that explain how your products can serve a consumer's need, but which do so in a way that also exposes your brand a little and shows customers what's behind the surface. Because there are a lot of products out there that will make my clothes cleaner. I want to know what's relatable about yours. I need a reason to care about you. Stories deliver that.

2. Don't hide

It's time to cut the marketing speak and the ten dollar-words that fill space but say nothing. Stop hiding! Show people what you're passionate about and let them see you getting all riled up about it. Take stands that will mean something to your customers. Maybe you'll lose some in the process, but you'll also attract the people who fall on the same side of the fence. People who won't just be customers of your business, but who will be engaged fans who will spread your word. That's the audience you want. And you'll only find it when you stop hiding behind messages that don't say anything and start letting people see who you are, your core values, and the lines you absolutely won't cross in your business.

3. Experiment

If the idea of writing another blog post makes you want to hurt yourself – your customers probably feel the same way about reading one. So don't write a post.

Make a video.
Create an infographic.
Hold a contest.
Start a poll.
Invite some new voices to your blog.
Host a Twitter chat.

Improve your writing by experimenting with new mediums instead of getting caught in the same pattern of content. The more you can try new things, the more energy and life you bring to you content.

4. Master headlines

A good headline generates interest, sets up your promise/benefit, and sparks emotion beforebefore the reader ever lands on your page. I don't pretend to be a headline master, but the folks at Copyblogger are. Read their blog and learn from the best.

5. Use power words

Another lesson I've learned from the folks at Copyblogger – the importance of using trigger words in your writing. There are certain words that elicit an immediate response from when people when they read them – words like suck, fail, overcome, seize – learn how to use them. Selecting the right words for your message can heighten the impact that message has and help it spread to wider audiences. If your words aren't getting the message across, use trigger words to spice it up.

6. Write for one reader

You're writing for your entire audience. You're creating a message that you believe they'll all relate to or that will help solve a need they all face. But think of how you feel when someone sends you a generic email or when they speak to you as part of a group – it turns you off a little bit, right? It makes it easier for you to ignore the message when you know you're just one recipient of many.

When you're crafting any piece of content, write it as if you're writing to one reader. Talk to them like it's the two of you in a room. Address them. It's a simple change of focus when you're writing, but you'd be surprised how dramatically it will change your words and help you captivate your audience.

7. Have a benefit

The goal of your content is to provide a benefit to the reader. Know what your benefit is and make explaining it your sole purpose for that piece of content. It's easy to get off track or to waste time being clever or inserting jokes (I am all too guilty of this!), but your audience doesn't care about how funny you think you are. They care about solving their problem, learning a new tactic, or getting information on a certain topic. If your goal to make them happy, not the other way around. Know your benefit, obsess over it, and over-provide.

Above are some simply ways anyone can improve writing. What are some secret writing tactics you live by

Writer’s Block Photo via Shutterstock

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Facebook Discovers a New Business Model

Posted: 03 Oct 2012 02:30 AM PDT

Sometimes the first model for even the best business idea doesn’t work as well as planned. Perhaps you intended to sell a subscription service for your online site and then realized only ad-supported content would work with your audience. Maybe you focused on one product only to discover your audience really preferred another. When a business makes such a discovery, it’s time to change course, as Facebook did recently after figuring out it has been chasing the wrong business model. Now the question is, what can other businesses learn from Facebook’s example.

Facebook Flipovers

Facing up to model mistakes. No one would dispute the unrivaled success of Facebook when it comes to building the largest online social network on the planet. But when examining the business model Facebook developed to monetize that network, it turns out the company got it wrong. Here is the story of how Facebook discovered re-targeting, and found the real key to its value. Business Insider

The creepiest network around. However, at the very moment business observers decided the social network finally found itself in terms of leveraging its data as a viable business model, some declared that approach…well…creepy. Take the recent revelation that Facebook tracks users’ drug store purchases in order to more effectively target ads. This is no joke! If your customers feel your model is icky, it may mean trouble down the road for your business. The Atlantic

Small Biz Social

Adding to your ad effectiveness. Turning things around a bit, suppose you are the advertiser trying to get attention with Facebook ads. For many small businesses out there, this is the scenario about which you are most concerned. Blogger and entrepreneur Faissal Alhaithami has collected 25 general tips that help you get everything you want and need from Facebook advertising, and then some. Fans Bridge

The cutting edge of EdgeRank. Some bloggers claim EdgeRank, the algorithm Facebook uses to measure engagement on its fan pages, like the one you probably have for your business, may have been altered recently. Though Facebook has offered no official word on a change, Cendrine Marrouat reports on some of the rampant speculation out there about what’s happened and what it means. Like it or not, EdgeRank is one example of how dependent all brands promoting themselves on Facebook have become. Let us know whether the alleged change has affected you. The Examiner

Escaping the social media death trap. While Facebook and other social media sites can be excellent tools for your business for things like networking, marketing, and collecting information, they can also be a tremendous time sink if you don’t use the time you spend on them wisely. Marketer Ti Roberts goes as far as calling Facebook a potential “death trap” when it comes to productivity. Here are her tips to escape unscathed. The Bus Ridin’ Internet Marketer

Revenue Resuscitation

The client magnet. Social media can serve as an awesome tool for building your business in other ways too. Take LinkedIn, a social networking site more specifically targeted at professionals. If you’re seeking clients for your business, there may be few better places to start your search, and here is one approach that should land you clients repeatedly from this social business driver. Corporation Centre.ca

In search of your online model. While in this post blogger Holly Hanna focuses mainly on home-based business models, which may or may not be online, the point is that the possibilities for business models are almost endless. You may wish to change your business model if your existing venture isn’t working out, or combine business models for a one-two punch that takes advantage of new opportunities. The Work At Home Woman

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