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MainStreetChamber's monthly magazine. Articles, business tips from Houston's business leaders. Plus stay current on local business deals and specials!
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2013
Dec
10
a
North Loop1445 N. Loop West Suite 1000Houston, TX 77008(713) 861-3231
ChaNNeLview 15201 East Frwy. Suite 225Channelview, TX 77530(281) 457-2847
Katy20065 Katy Frwy.Katy, Texas 77450(281) 994-5050
Sugar LaNd16126 Southwest Frwy. Suite 200Sugar Land, TX 77478(281) 207-2770
Med CeNter/aStrodoMe2201 West Holcombe Suite 220Houston, TX 77030(713) 664-3400
LexiNgtoN11767 Katy Frwy. Suite 505Houston, TX 77079(281) 679-9340
FM 1960/BaMMeL112 Bammel Westfield Rd.Houston, TX 77090(281) 893-8835
La porte400 W Fairmont Pkwy.La Porte, TX 77571(281) 471-0750
daLLaS4925 McKinney Ave.Dallas, TX 75205(214) 528-9990
hoNoLuLu/uNioN pLaza1136 Union MallHonolulu, HI 96813(808) 536-3405
extended hoursSe habla español.
State of the Art, Lifetime Dental Excellence
General Dentistry and All Specialties providedin office for your convenience!
Visit us online at: www.gMSdent.com www.facebook.com/GMSDentalNorthLoop610
• Orthodontics Braces, Invisalign• Endodontics• Oral Surgery• Implants• Periodontics
• Cosmetic Care Porcelain Veneers, Bonding & Bleaching• Philips ZOOM! One-Hour Teeth
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Table of Contents
Feature Article - Grant Sadler ............................................4
Feature Article - Bertrand McHenry ..................................8
Feature Article - Dirk Cummins ......................................12
MSC Spotlight Blog - Doug Meisinger ...........................18
Feature Article - Wesley OkeKe .......................................22
Feature Article - Rod “The Storyteller” White ..................24
Sponsors ..........................................................................30
MainStreet Chamber Chapters ........................................31
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GRANT SADLER
Be a Rainmaker! Make it happen.“There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love; there’s only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.” — Wayne Dyer
We are now on number eight of the Key Take Away Points for Small Business Success, Be a rainmaker! Make it happen. A rainmaker is defined as “a person who generates income for a business or organization by brokering deals or attracting clients or funds.”
Rainmakers create buyers for their product or service. In my teens, I was a Watkins door-to-door distributor. My supervisor gave me the more affluent part of town which consisted of people who were not the traditional buyers of door to door products. I took my demo kit back to him after the first few hours and said, “You can’t sell this stuff.” He said, “Sure you can,” and asked me what the problem was. I told him that he’d given me the toughest territory. His response was, “You’re right, come on I’ll show you how to get it done.” So he went with me, and we started pounding on doors in the same neighborhood. To my surprise we did quite well that day. I learned a lot from Bill Kelloway that still profits me today. One of the key lessons that I learned about rainmaking is; it’s not only what you sell, but what you say that makes the sale. More important it’s how you determine the Buyer’s needs and desires and package your sale to meet them!
Bill saw potential and invested additional training time in my career, and fortunately as a result we set and broke sales records for Watkins Product each year and I eventually made my way to the “good territory” side of town.
But you have to start the process by developing a strategic plan. According to Bill, if you pounded on a minimum of 100 doors a day, you could walk away with a pretty nice income. So I would map out the 100 doors on which I would call the next day and I hired another teenager to distribute the Watkins Products catalog that had my name and telephone number on it to those same 100 doors. My call to action on each catalog was, “Ask me about tomorrow’s free give-away.” I would show up the next day, and since some of my potential customers
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would have read the catalog, they were ready to make a purchase. This marketing prelude sparked customer interest in the product; they could make a wish list of which items they wanted to buy and elicit excitement about the FREE gift all prior to my sales presentation the next day. I was getting my umbrella ready for all the “rain” that would be falling profusely as a result of my efforts.
Watkins would have product price promotions like any other business. Two of the most popular products were the “sneeze proof” pepper and the “double strength” vanilla extract that were often coupled together at a discounted price. As a distributor, we would buy the items at a discounted wholesale price. However, as an alternative we would look for bargain price household items that we could obtain for a song to use as giveaways to sell the coupled items at retail and make a larger margin of profit on the items while making the customer even happier with the purchase. I remember one example where we purchased a whole truck load of pitchers which retailed for $1.99 for a nickel each from a trucking company whose 18 wheeler accident on the freeway caused them to sell the entire load for what they could get since the accident precluded selling the load to the original buyer.
As a salesperson, I increased my sales exponentially by buying the popular Watkins products at a discounted wholesale price, selling them at the full retail price and offering the $1.99 pitcher as a premium which I got at a tremendous discount. That’s rainmaking. The customer is happy, and you are ecstatic all the way to the bank. This is one example of nontraditional thinking, and I’ve made it a habit in my career to think out of the box or beyond the norm to make it rain regardless of the existing economic weather conditions.
At GMS Dental Centers, we utilize one of the more popular cosmetic procedures in dentistry, One Hour ZOOM Teeth Whitening, for marketing and rainmaking. The traditional way to whiten teeth is very cumbersome.
— Grant Sadler, Presidentgroup MaNageMeNt ServiCeS
gMSdent.com
Continued on next Page
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GRANT SADLER
Make it happen... continued
— Grant Sadler, Presidentgroup MaNageMeNt ServiCeS
gMSdent.com
You make some custom trays, take some gel home and wear it at night while you sleep, or you buy strips from the drugstore or grocery store and apply them. These all require the patient to “work” for the results. What happens is that people tire of the process after a while and don’t complete the process. With ZOOM, your teeth get 7 or 8 shades whiter in one hour!
When Groupon first came out, we latched on to it and determined that is a great way to get in front of new patients. So we discounted our ZOOM Teeth Whitening service because of its popular appeal. We created an ad that asked a very thought provoking question, “How would you like to have whiter teeth for your date tonight?” Our first Groupon campaign was priced at $179 for new clients only. It ordinarily retails at $475.00. When we made this offer to the general public in three days, we sold 1,027 to new patient candidates generating $184,000 in revenue. They had six months to use the coupon, but we get the payment up front. I instructed the staff when the potential new patient calls in to redeem the Groupon to greet them with hearty congratulations. When they came in for their ZOOM whitening, they were also met with a big banner that said “Congratulations and Welcome Groupon Users.” We usually convert about a third of those patients to regular ongoing GMS Dental Center patients. Approximately that amounts to 340 people who have an average of 2.5 members in their family resulting in us prospecting potentially 850 new patients who may opt to take advantage of our multi-specialty “one stop shopping” concept to dentistry and the dollars keep adding up. That’s rainmaking!
John F. Kennedy said “Things do not happen. Things are made to happen.” At GMS Dental that’s one of our most profitable assets, we tend to make things happen. Just think, this all originated on the training field of a young Watkins Products salesman in Bakersfield. Thank you Bill Kelloway for a tremendous business strategy that keeps on causing rain to fall on GMS Dental, decades after this valuable lesson was taught.
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BERTRAND McHENRy
Want to TweetUp? A Modern Twist On a Classic! Now that Twitter has reached critical mass, many people are asking “What is it good for?” It is good for many things, but the all involve communicating with people. My favorite use of Twitter is as a networking tool. I have “met” people I would never have had the chance to get to know otherwise.
If you’re already using Twitter, you too, have probably found amazing and interesting people right in your own town that you never expected to find. Are you ready to meet them in person? Then you need to create a TweetUp.
What is a TweetUp? It’s simply a meeting (a meet up) of people that gets arranged on Twitter. Messages on Twitter are called “tweets” so calling it a “TweetUp” is a play on words.
It’s very simple, you just put the word out as to a time and place, then see who shows up. It could be one-on-one. This is as easy as inviting someone you’ve been talking with (or “tweeting” with) for coffee. But to really make a splash in your town and to really get the local scene even more connected to each other, you need to create a general TweetUp.
Here’s how to do it:• Make sure you have enough people in the local area who are engaged and
talking with each other. If you don’t have a lot of local followers, make sure you’re connected to someone who does. Remember, this is just word-of-mouth (via Twitter). So you need a lot of mouths moving.
• Test the waters by suggesting an event to see what kind of feedback you get. If you see a lot of messages asking when and where, there’s interest and you’re ready to go. Otherwise, your area may not be ready, or you don’t have enough reach…yet. See if you can recruit some ambassadors to help you spread the idea.
• Use a free polling service such as TwtPoll to get an idea of the best time for the most people (this also helps create more interest in the event).
— Bertrand McHenry, President/OwnerreFerraL iNStitute houStoN
ReferralInstituteHouston.com
• Choose a location that is convenient and attractive. Since Twitter is still in the early adoption stages, there are probably a lot more people under 40, so HomeTown Buffet is not your best bet. You might find that a local restaurant may be willing to provide some free appetizers if you are going to bring them 30 or 40 people at once who will all want drinks. A nightclub or bar probably isn’t your best option, you want people to be able to talk and hear each other.
• Create an invitation on TwtVite and start sending it out. Ask people to RT (retweet) and pass the invitation along.
Here are a few more suggestions:
• Keep it as simple as possible; you already have a job. This is a gathering of potential friends, not a formal meeting of any kind.
• Have name tags and ask people to use their Twitter name and real name. Provide a Sharpie pen and have people write big
• Plan it no more than a week or two in advance. Too long of notice and the excitement dies down. Plenty of TweetUps have been created on-the-fly, but give it a week or two for the most attendance.
• It’s okay to tweet at a TweetUp! You’ll engage those who couldn’t attend and help them feel less left out. And the point of Twitter is the immediacy of the medium. You’ll also drum up more interest in the next one.
• Be willing to let “ownership” of the event go. It will take on a life of its own. It doesn’t matter who gets credit, everyone will benefit, including you.
When you create a TweetUp, you are giving people an opportunity to create new friendships, solidify relationships, and expand their comfort zone. Use these great new social media tools to make your home town more social and you’ll find great benefits for yourself and others.
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Dirk Cummins
Natural Laws
I was driving between appointments and I was listening to talk radio when the host announced he was going to be talking with Judge Andrew Napolitano. As is the norm, the host and Judge Napolitano talked about a case where the defendant pleaded not guilty and was using the self-defense strategy. The Judge went on to explain that the reason self-defense is an allowable defense in all states is because it based on “Natural Law”, and Natural Law is part of our constitution. Every person in this great country of ours is governed by the Natural Laws of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, enumerated in the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed to us by our Constitution. So when one protects one’s life from a perceived life threatening event it is the hard wiring that is given to us at birth that takes over and we fight for life.
The ‘Natural Law’ theory originated in Aristotle’s idea that everything has a purpose, revealed in its design, and that its supreme ‘good’ is to be sought in fulfilling that purpose. Natural Law was further espoused by Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century, Napolean Hill in Think and Grow Rich, numerous authors and celebrities in the 21st century through the release of the movie The Secret, and just about every author, sales trainer, and guru in between. I know my life and career has been enriched when I follow the rules of Natural Laws.
Today I am writing about how following and trusting in two of the Natural Laws benefit us in both our professional life and our personal life. The two laws are the laws of reciprocity and the law of attraction. These 2 laws are the dynamic duo (for all you Batman and Robin fans) of Natural Laws. If employed in the correct order, using one law triggers the success of the other law.
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— Dirk Cummins, PresidentMaiNStreetChaMBer
Dirk Cummins & Associates
If you have been following our broadcasts, you know we frequently talk about how and why we use a “give first and expect nothing in return” lifestyle to achieve success in out networking efforts. The reason that this works is because it is in alignment with the “Natural Law of Reciprocity. According to Wikipedia, Reciprocity refers to responding to a positive action with another positive action, rewarding kind actions. As a social construct, reciprocity means that in response to friendly actions, people are frequently much nicer and much more cooperative than predicted by the self-interest model. In other words, what goes around comes around. Further, people like to be around people they like and we know in business, people like to do business with people they like.
In summary, when we give first and expect nothing in return, people want to reciprocate. When they reciprocate, they do this because the like us. When they like us they introduce us to other people they like (Law of Attraction), and the chain goes on and on.
If you use the Law of Reciprocity, then the Law of Attraction automatically is triggered.
Dirk is an advocate of the MainStreetChamber philosophy of “Give First and Expect Nothing In Return”. Dirk, a serial entrepreneur, reaches out to small businesses every day to help them grow their business by creating revenue where none existed before.
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DOUG MEISINGER
Winter? Not a fan.
I hate cold weather. No, really…I HATE it. I live here for a reason. I love to be near the water. I’m not sure how I managed to survive all the years before I moved here. As a very happy member of Carefree Boat Club, I love being able to take one of the boats in the fleet out in the Bay and fish, drive around (throttle like you stole it!!!) or just drop anchor and relax. The sight of my son’s smile from the bow of a boat is the face of God to me. I love riding my golf cart around the island of Clear Lake Shores (Home Sweet Home) and watching the sun make his appearance or exit. I love spending the day at the beach with a good book. I love eating dinner outside, on a patio or deck at any of the amazing restaurants we have around here. Most of all, I love t-shirts, shorts and flip flops. To me, dressing up is putting on the OluKai’s instead of the Reef ’s. I’ve been fortunate enough to spend most of my adult life in a career that allows me to dress like I’m 15. I do own a couple ties, but that’s only in the event that someone dies or gets married (hopefully, neither will be me).
I’m looking at my iPhone and the temperature is 45. Seriously? 45? This makes all the things I love impossible (or at the very least, uncomfortable) for me to do. Over the last month or so, I would see friends on Facebook post about how much they are loving this wintery weather and I just don’t get it. This weather makes me genuinely miserable. I don’t want to go anywhere (it’s too cold out). I don’t even want to get out of bed in the morning (floor’s too cold). My least favorite holidays are Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. I associate them all with being cold.
My Mind Races in Flip Flops
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June 20th can’t get here quickly enough. I celebrate the first day of Summer (I know you’re not supposed to capitalize the names of seasons, but Summer always gets an exception with me) the way other people might celebrate a birthday. I miss the sun, the heat and even the humidity. They’re like my kids. They’ve been out too long, it’s past dark and I’m ready for them to come home.
Doug Meisinger is the General Manager of Clear Lake Today. They are the official online marketing company of the City of Kemah, TX, a Media Partner with KHOU Channel 11 and along with the Houston Chronicle, Chamber Partner with the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce. Prior to Clear Lake Today, Doug enjoyed a long career with Virgin and EMI/Capitol Records, back when people used to pay for music. Doug currently serves as Media Ambassador for Main Street Chamber.
— Doug Meisinger, General ManagerCLear LaKe today
ClearLakeToday.com 19
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WESLEy OKEKE
5 Mistakes Tech Entrepreneurs Make When Starting UpHouston is taking the technology startup scene by storm. Ranked by the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity as a top city for entrepreneurs, many are flocking here over other major metropolitan areas. In fact, TAKE ACTION it is estimated that 400 out of every 100,000 residents in our area is considered an entrepreneur, eager to change the world with their awe-inspiring idea.
However, many Houston technology companies know firsthand that a revolutionary idea and the momentum to pursue your dreams to reality won’t guarantee a successful business launch. This may leave you wondering…
Why do some tech business ideas succeed while others fail?
For starters, savvy entrepreneurs know how to maneuver around the trouble areas that ransack progress. Many successful founders have failed ideas, but they’ve learned from the common mistakes that turn technology dreams into startup nightmares. But… you’re not really reading this article because you want to know about failures, are you? You’re looking to grow your idea to fruition! We’ve created this cheat- ‐sheet of typical mistakes entrepreneurial mistakes you need to know, and most importantly, how to avoid them:
1. Excessively Planning Your Start Up’s Launch: It’s always better to be over prepared than under prepared, right? Wrong! While preparation is important, implementation is critical. Proficient entrepreneurs know that paralysis by analysis will kill their ideas. Take Action: Prioritize, simplify, and manage your ideas. Start with a business plan that clearly states your goal and achievements within a certain time period. It may seem overwhelming at first, but a defined process will refine your focus, clear your path, and can even help you obtain much- ‐needed funding.
2. Trying To Tackle Everything Alone: It’s natural to want to protect your vision. It’s your idea after all. So, while it may be feasible to go it alone, experienced entrepreneurs know that it’s not healthy to take the entire burden onto your shoulders. TAKE ACTION: Let qualified people help you. There’s a saying that it takes a village to raise a child. It’s no different in this respect so don’t be afraid to utilize the help of
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entrepreneurial resources like technology incubators. They can help you maximize your time and effort without straining your budget.
3. Entrepreneurial Naivety: The possibilities of your great idea are endless, but so are your questions around accomplishing them. The truth is certain methods work better than others and, besides costing you time, mistakes can deplete your financial security. Research shows that 87% of companies utilizing incubator programs during their starting stages have a higher chance of surviving as opposed those who don’t join an incubator. TAKE ACTION: Research and validate your technology idea by talking to people who’ve been there, done that. Attend seminars or presentations and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Hands- ‐on experience your start up and vision approach. For instance, incubators like Fruition Technology Labs provide a backbone for transitioning your ideas to your successful startup.
4. Botching your budget: It’s one thing to invest time into your idea; but when it comes to investing your money, things get complicated. Do you put some towards research? Hiring sales? Renting out office space? Just where should the money go so that you can stretch your resources to achieve the maximum potential? Astute Entrepreneurs know that frivolously spending and/or under- ‐utilizing your money can be a kiss of death for your business idea. TAKE ACTION: Speak with a qualified financial professional for advice on creating and implementing a reasonable budget.
5. Limiting yourself to one idea: Seasoned technology entrepreneurs will tell you that innovation doesn’t sleep. Some of today’s most innovated products started off as completely different concepts and ideas. TAKE ACTION: Keep a journal handy to record new ideas related to your vision. Don’t be afraid to incorporate other side ideas that manifest during the development process. You never know if the other ideas that stem off of the primary vision could prove to be integral to your start up. Growing a company from idea to fruition is an epic adventure with lots of twists and turns along the way.
While some techprenuers choose to venture it alone, the majority of successful startup founders take along a knowledgeable team to help them avoid these common mistakes, keep them in check, and guide the way.
— Wesley OkeKe, PresidentFruitioN teChNoLogy LaBS
FruitiontechLabs.com 23
roD “The sToryTeller” WhiTe
BRANDING Versus Marketing – Closing the Gap
In the last issue, we discussed the differences between branding and marketing. Now we will discuss how to close the gap. Marketing is what we do after our brand has made us recognizable to a desired segment of our target market.
The easiest way to close the gap is by eliminating procrastination. Procrastination, a close relative to call reluctance, is the biggest obstacle to closing the gap. Call reluctance is that annoying little hesitation that stops us from taking the action every day, necessary to achieve our sales goals.
Taking proper and immediate action is the key. Theoretically and conceptually, I can virtually guarantee success by using the following formula. Budgeted number of sales / Number of workdays in the month = number needed each day. Simple enough, right? The formula means nothing until the moment we take proper action.
Let us practice the above, but put the formula on steroids! How do we do that you might ask? Simply go back to your monthly budget… Determine what actions to take in order to achieve your total monthly budget within one day!
Example – if the objective is to sell four, and to sell four you must present to sixteen people each month, then the best way to achieve the goal is to take actions that will put you in front of sixteen people each day!
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Before you call me crazy consider this… in order to set sixteen appointments, you must get started now! Pick up the phone make the calls and those calls will lead to a steady flow of sales. In the event that you set, eleven appoints for today and five for the following day you are still golden! Repeat the process every day and what you will discover is that your pipeline/funnel will have grown exponentially! Moreover, you will never have to worry about where your next deal is going to come from.
There really is no magic potion, only action. All we need to do is to position the brands that we build in front of our prospects every day. There can never be a day without speaking to customers. Branding is about your company… Marketing is about your customer!
Take action now! Lose the reluctance and close the gap. Remember, Salespeople with call reluctance tend to have skinny kids!
— Rod “The Storyteller” White, Presidentrw & aSSoCiateS, LLC
RWassociates.net 25
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MSC SUGARLANDRod “The Storyteller” White, President(281) [email protected]/chapters/sugarland
MSC HOUSTONBertrand McHenry, Interim President(281) 401-9852bertrand@referralinstitutehouston.comwww.mainstreetchamber.org/chapters/houston
MSC HOUSTON BAyBertrand McHenry, President(281) 401-9852bertrand@referralinstitutehouston.comwww.mainstreetchamber.org/chapters/houstonbay
MSC PEARLANDPhil Lloyd, President(832) [email protected]/chapters/pearland
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