I was very impressed with the mentor.  He seemed very eager to help the young man succeed.  I thought to myself that he is exactly the kind of person I am looking for in a mentor.  I wondered if he would be willing to take on a similar mentoring role with me.  I read the article again to see if it mentioned his contact information.  It didn’t.  All I had was his name and where he worked (BDC).  I then went on the BDC website to search for his name.  Nothing either.  I could start calling each BDC branch one at a time, but it would be time consuming. Besides, I wouldn’t know what to say to him.  Personally, I’m a big fan of email.  I like getting a conversation going through email first before a face to face meeting.  It allows the exchange of basic information.  There is also less pressure on both sides and it is less intrusive (I find it annoying when I receive a call from someone, who wasn’t referred to me by somone I know, asking to meet me…it doesn’t seem natural).  If the email exchange goes well, I then suggest a meeting in person.

The problem here was that I couldn’t find the gentleman’s email address anywhere.  I then had a great idea…a real ‘long shot’.  Anyone with a corporate email address will notice that  it usually follows one of several patterns:  lastname.firstname@company.com, firstname@company.com, “x”lastname@company.com (where ‘x’ is the first letter of the first name), etc.  What I decided to do was to send an email to all these different email combinations, hoping at least one of them would hit.  I kept the email very simple.  I talked briefly about my startup and the progress I made so far.  I also included a link to my website, in case he was interested in learning more about me.  Here is the email I sent:

Like I mentioned, this was a long shot.  The odds of reaching this person was small and the odds he would reply even smaller.  However, within a few days, the gentleman replied.  Not only was he willing to answer my questions, he insisted we meet in person the following week.  Our meeting went extremely well.  Pending some administrative stuff, we will start our mentoring partenership shortly.  This just goes to show that every once in a while, we need to take long shots in life (whether in our personal or professional lives).  It’s only our fear of rejection that is keeping us from taking these risks.

Why not just pick up the phone and ask to speak with the president of a big company to explain why your product or service can make his or her life easier?  Don’t think it will work?  It worked for a friend of mine who has his own business planning software company.  A few years ago, he called up the then President and CEO of Corel, Michael Cowpland.  He didn’t know Mr. Cowpland in person so he called the general number and talked to the receptionist.  Amazingly, there were very few barriers and within a few minutes, he was speaking directly to Mr. Cowpland himself.  He introduced himself and explained how including his software alongside Corel Wordperfect could make Corel’s product offering more competitive and help differentiate if from MS Office.  Mr. Cowpland asked him to visit his office that same afternoon.  My friend then met with Mr. Cowpland, along with senior members of his product development team.  Shortly thereafter, he won a licensing contract to include a copy of his business planning software with Corel Wordperfect.

Take long shots every once in a while (i.e. huge potential payoff, little chance of success but zero downside).  You’d be surprised at how a seemingly crazy idea may end up being one of the greatest decisions you’ve ever made.  Someone once told me that when you take risks, things happen.  You disrupt the status quo and set things in motion.  You create ripples in otherwise calm waters. Yet, one of those ripples can potentially transform itself into a powerful wave.  It’s true that the odds are not in your favor.  But then again, what have you got to lose?

I previously mentioned a great book on small business marketing called Duct Tape Marketing by John Jantsch.  In it, he introduces a great concept called the marketing hourglass.  In marketing, we often hear about the marketing funnel.  where businesses “attempt to generate leads on a broad scale and then funnel them toward becoming a client with increased contact and content”.  Though useful, it leaves out a critical part, namely, what to do with clients once they have made a purchase.

What many new businesses don’t realize is that the majority of their growth will most likely come from:  (1) selling premium products and services to existing clients and (2)  the referrals generated by theses same clients.  I was talking to my programmer recently and asked him about how he markets his business and generates leads.  He told me he doesn’t do any marketing.  All his business comes from word of mouth or referrals.  I asked another friend of mine who operates a successful translation company with several employees.  He told me the exact same thing.    In both instances, I was expecting to hear about marketing strategies related to advertising, cold calling, B2B marketing, or today’s catch word, social networking.To take into account the power of repeat business and referrals, the author of DTM introduces the concept of themarketing hourglass.  Similar to the marketing funnel, it exposes your potential clients or suspects to your marketing program.  In addition, it offers additional products and services once they become clients (i.e. make a purchase), thus the idea of the hourglass.

For example, lets say you have have a flower shop.  To new clients, flowers for personal use  may be your only product offering.  To repeat clients, however (with whom you have established rapport and trust), you can start offering premium products (e.g. premium priced flowers, decorations for wedding, special events, etc.).  This is where the bulk of your profits will be generated in the future.  Not only does it diversify your product lines, it also employs what I like to call the ‘poker mentality’.  Poker players will often show strength (by being cocky or trying to intimidate others) when in fact, they have a very weak hand.  Likewise, they will pretend to have a weak hand when in fact, they have cards that will send everyone home early.  The lesson here is deception and it can be used to your advantage.  To your competitors, you’re just a ‘mom and pop’ flower shop selling pots of flowers.  In reality, however, you have an arsenal of products and services up your sleeve that you mostly market to your repeat clients.

Start employing an ‘hourglass marketing strategy’ rather a ‘funnel marketing strategy’.  The latter is a short term model used to generate quick profits.  The former is a long term model that ensures the continued profitability of your business.

Every company needs a strong UVP.  Benefits include greater differentiation from competitors, an increase in the quantity and quality of leads, and greater market share.  Once again, remember to include tangible results in your UVP.  Statements like “the most technologically advanced system in the market” and “best in its class” don’t mean much in today’s world.  Every other company uses a similar statement and there is no way of knowing who is telling the truth and who isn’t. Ask yourself:  “What makes me different from everyone else?”, “What need am I satisfying for my target market that others have not addressed?”  You can also ask your existing clients.  Their perspectives on why they do business with you might point you in the right direction.  The following is an example of a great value proposition:

“Our company is the exclusive provider of patent-pending project management software for paving contractors, saving U.S. contractors over $34M in 2005.”

The statement is specific.  It sets the company apart (exclusive provider, patent-pending software) and it demonstrates tangible results ($34M in savings in 2005).  It answers the questions who, what, and why all in one sentence.  Here are a few other good ones:

“Tectronica offers solutions that will improve productivity by 22%.”

“Our clients are able to reduce staff by 18% and maintain productivity levels.  In most cases, their productivity actually increases.”

“Our clients have experienced pay back periods of just nine months when investing in our technology.”

I attended a great workshop at YES Montreal a few months back on negotiation, an important skill for a small business owner.  It’s a skill we can put it to use in many different situations from our dealings with suppliers and customers to exchanges with our employees.

A key part of the negotiation process is preparation and the side that is best prepared normally has the upper hand.  This includes having a clear list of your objectives and the areas that you are willing to compromise.  It also means researching your adversary, their objectives and the underlying rationale.  The more information you have, the better.  The icing on the cake is to anticipate potential areas of disagreement and having alternative solutions ready.

A key concept introduced in the workshop was the concept of “Wish, Want, Walk”.  Before any negotiation, have these 3 things ready.  The ‘wish’ is your dream goal or result.  The ‘want’ is where you think the negotiation will end based on external market forces.  This is where a majority of negotiations are closed.  The ‘walk’ is the point at which it is better for you to leave the table.  In other words, you are losing too much money, pride, status, etc. and are simply not worth it.

It is important to frame an offer before actually making one.  By framing, I mean creating a positive atmosphere and building attraction towards the offer.  It can be viewed as the momentum building phase that leads to the offer.  An example from daily life is the rousing speech given by a presenter just before the big comedian, singer, etc. comes on stage.

Contrary to what most people think, your first offer should be well above your ‘wish’ point.  For example, if your dream result is to sell your company for $1 million, your first offer should be well above this point (e.g. $1.5 or $2 million).  Studies have shown that when one side throws out a number that is higher or lower than expected, the other party has a tendency to move their opening position closer to the opening offer.

Never make the first offer if you are unprepared.  You may be setting yourself up for a big loss.  Conversely, your opponent might call your bluff and ask you for your rationale, which will reveal your inexperience and lack of preparation.  The most advantageous situation is to make the first offer (above ‘wish’ point) and being prepared at the same time.  After you make your first offer, it is important not to say anything.  You already framed your offer and elaborated your points.  There is no further need to justify yourself.  It’s now up to the other side to make the next move.  This also applies for any counter offer you make.

As you progress through the negotiation process, don’t forget your ‘wish, want, walk’ list.  As well, be sure to really listen to what the other side has to say.  If things heat up, you can always leave the negotiation table and take a break.   When things cool down, you can resume talks.  A key thing to remember is that you should never get emotional or take things personally.  Negotiation is an everyday process and you should view it as such.  Furthermore, if you are well prepared, an offer you consider outrageous or ridiculous will be very easy to ‘deconstruct’.

Secondly, the negotiation process will go a lot smoother if parties adopt a ‘win win’ attitude.  It is always better when both parties leave the negotiation table content with the settlement.  They may not have won on every point, but they don’t feel cheated.  An exception to this is when one party has a clear need for the deal.  Naturally, the ‘needy’ side will have to compromise a lot more than the ‘less needy’ side.  For example, in the recent $4.75 billion purchase of NB Power by Hydro Quebec, many people were shocked at the thought of giving up energy sovereignty to an outside province.  However, the ‘needy side’, in this case, NB Power, had been crippled by financial debt and was a financial disaster in the making for many years. One side clearly needed the deal to be done.  The process described in this post is more applicable when two parties are on more ‘equal terms’.

Keep all these principles in mind the next time you are negotiating with a supplier for lower prices or an employee wanting a big raise.  It will increase your chances of success and make the overall process a lot less stressful.

In the area of entrepreneurship, I often seek out advice from people with more experience than me.  Naturally, I give their opinions a lot of weight since being a new entrepreneur, I can’t really counter their advice with experiences of my own.  A dilemma arose when I found that I was receiving conflicting advice from my ‘circle of experts’.

The topic of controversy was sales strategies.  I wanted to know the best ways to generate sales for a new  business.  The first expert told me to use the direct mail and cold calling methods.  “Sales are a pretty much a numbers game”, I was told.  “You make X number of calls from which you can expect to book X number of appointments, leading to the final result: X number of contracts.  Typically the conversion rate is around 10%, which can vary depending on the industry, the quality of the leads, etc.”  I was eager to apply this new knowledge but doubts began to surface when I spoke to the next expert.  “Forget direct mail and cold calling”, I was told.  “They simply don’t work.  Most people will throw it out your expensive brochure without even looking at it.  The key is to develop relationships with your prospects, which takes time.  In the end, they don’t care about the product being sold. The most important thing is the person behind the product.”

By the time I met with the third expert, a marketing expert, I was outright confused.  “Think of something that sets your company apart.  Then, think of ways to communicate that.  If your company provides an ‘edge’ in language training, then you must find ways to communicate that (e.g. through seminars, newsletters, etc.).  Once you do that, sales will naturally increase.”  What I had on my plate was three different sets of advice from three equally qualified people.  Who do I listen to?

After several days of confusion, what I realized was this:  there’s no fixed formula for generating sales.  Each of these experts had their distinct likes and dislikes.  One could argue for hours whether one strategy is better than the next, but since each person was successful with their approach, nothing would be settled.  At the end of the day, we should do what gets us results.  We can experiment with different strategies and then pick and choose our favourites.  The key is to generate sales and to do it consistently.

A broader lesson in all this is that even as new entrepreneurs, we should think critically about the advice we receive.  What I’m realizing more and more is that in many cases, there is no right or wrong answer.  As a small business owner, one has to develop the ability to think critically about the problems and accept responsibility for the final decision.  If  we depend too much on the opinion of ‘experts’, we run the risk of confusion.  In a certain sense, we also no longer accept responsibility for the final decision.  If the consequences turn out to be negative, we can always blame the ‘experts’ and their ‘flawed advice’.

Consulting with ‘experts’ is always a good thing.  But take it for what it is:  a consultation.  Listen carefully to the advice being given but the final decision is for you and you alone to make.  If it ends up being the right decision, pat yourself on the back.  If not, learn from the experience and move on.  Often times, there’s no right or wrong answer.  It all depends…

A recent encounter I had brought to light the importance of effective communication.  It also demonstrated how easily a simple problem can become complex when we use an ‘inflexible’ style of communication.  The  incident happened at the local post office between two sales associates and me.  A few weeks ago, I signed up for a P.O. Box for my company.   As is often the case, I misplaced the receipt a few days later.  Several hours of searching the house was unsuccessful and I finally admitted defeat.

So off I went to the post office.  I told the two associates my dilemma and that I needed another receipt for income tax purposes.  The sales associates were not impressed.  I was met with comments like: “We don’t that”, “we don’t just randomly print receipts”, and  “it’s the customer’s responsibility to take care of their receipt after the purchase”.  I wasn’t too happy either.  I replied with comments like:  “How complicated can it be to print  a receipt?” and “why can’t you just give me something in writing?”.

Despite my pleas, I could see we weren’t going anywhere.  Just before turning around and leaving, I tried one last thing.  I told the two people that my P.O. Box address was written on the receipt and I hadn’t written it down anywhere else.  Could they at least print something with the address written on it?  Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to use the P.O. Box at all.  This time, they saw some logic in my reasoning.  Sure enough, they had all my information on their computer and it took them less than a minute to print the sheet.  When I looked at the printout, I realized there was a lot more information on it than I had asked for.  In addition to the address, there was the type of P.O. Box I ordered (business / personal), the dimensions of the box, the expiry date,  and at the top, the transaction date and the amount I paid;  in other words:  a receipt.

Later when I thought about this curious incident, I realized what had happened.  The problem wasn’t that I didn’t  communicate clearly.  Rather, my communication only yielded results once I changed  the message to better suit the people on the receiving end.  When I first asked for a second receipt, the associates immediately became defensive.  The word ‘receipt’ to them represented something very official and sacred.  It was something that could only be given in certain situations.  I was asking them to do something outside of normal protocols:  print a receipt in the absence of a transaction.  Only when I changed my request from ‘printing a receipt’ to ‘giving me something with my P.O. Box address written on it’  were they willing to even consider a way of helping me.

The lesson here is this:  when communicating, we should always keep in mind the person on the receiving end.  We will have much better success of getting 0ur point across if we change our communication style to match that of the receiver.  If the other person is reserved and shy, don’t be too aggressive in trying to get your point across.   If they’re analytical, use facts and figures to give them what they need.  If they’re outgoing, strike up a conversation before saying what you had in mind.  In my case:  avoid using ‘official’ sounding words with a sales associate if I am requesting something outside of ‘official protocol’.  Keeping the person on the receiving end in mind makes the difference between communicating to express yourself and communicating to get results.

A survey is a great market research tool with many uses:  evaluating customer satisfaction, discovering areas for improvement, and even testing the level of interest for a new product.  It is an objective way to gather and analyze responses. Customer satisfaction is particularly important in this day and age.  Disgruntled customers no longer just share their frustrations with their close circle of friends.  Now, they also go on Twitter, Yelp.com, and YouTube and make their complaints public.

Last week, Tim Horton’s had to deal with an onslaught on Twitter when a franchise owner sponsored an event by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), which is opposed to same-sex marriage.  By the time they issued a statement revoking sponsorship for the event, thousands of responses, not to mention rumors and misconceptions had been posted online.  In July, Canadian artist Dave Carroll created a video about his experience with United Airlines after spending 9 unsuccessful months trying to get compensation for his broken guitar.  Within 3 days, his video was viewed 1.3 million times, embarrassing the airline and forcing them to pay the $1,200 repair cost.

There is a vast array of online choices when it comes to surveys.  With Survey Monkey, for example, you can create everything from simple customers polls to complex professional surveys.  With a free membership, you can conduct online surveys, albeit, with some restrictions (e.g. limit of 100 responses).  For a monthly rate of US$19.95, you can increase that number to 1,000.  Another alternative is Free Surveys Online, which allows you to run a survey for free for about two weeks.  Following that period, you have to pay $14.99 to access the results.  There is also QuestionPro, a site that offers limited free service as well as  paid upgrades.

Staying in touch with customers and evaluating their level of satisfaction on a regular basis is an important part of any marketing strategy.  Word of advice:  don’t wait for a song about your company to come out on YouTube before engaging in a conversation with your customers.

A few months back, I contacted  a leading association for small and medium businesses to inquire about becoming a member.  The person on the other end replied that she could meet me in half an hour to give me a  presentation on how everything worked.  I was so impressed by this level of service that I brought my checkbook to the meeting, ready to sign up.  However, about an hour after our meeting, I walked out of the coffee shop, blank check in hand, and somewhat disappointed.  So what happened?

Few would disagree that sales is one of, if not the most important function of a company.  I believe this also holds true for the non-profit sector.  The problem is that many businesses (especially small businesses), associations, etc., continue to use an outdated sales model.

The overall sales process can be broken down into 4 steps:

1. Needs analysis.
2. Resolution of the problem.
3. The offer.
4. The conclusion.

I recently attended a workshop by a marketing expert who outlined two approaches to sales:  the traditional and relational.  In the traditional approach, salespeople spend about 5% of total time analyzing the problem or the needs of a customer.  They spend another 10% discussing the variety of solutions to the problem.  The remainder, a full 85% is spent on the offer and the conclusion (35% and 50% respectively).

In the relational approach, the numbers are reversed.   Only 15% of total time is spent on the offer, 5% on the conclusion, and 80% is spent on needs analysis and resolutions (50% and 30% respectively).  Who would you choose to give your hard earned dollars to?  Someone who spends 85% of the time trying to get you to buy their product or service or someone who spends an almost equal amount of time trying to identify your needs and the exact nature of your problem?

There are a number of benefits to turning the traditional sales model upside down, three key ones being:

1. We change the nature of the exchange from transactional to relational.  People tend to do business with someone they like and trust.  When a someone takes the time to really listen to a client’s needs, it establishes trust.  He or she is also more receptive to information at later stages.
2. It forces the seller to really learn their product or service.  Why would someone need it?  Equally important, who wouldn’t need it?  What kind of needs does it address, etc.?
3. It encourages repeat business.  I still remember an encounter I had when I was 17, looking to purchase a pair of sneakers.  Even though I didn’t purchase anything the first time around, the service was so exceptional that I went back to the same store over and over again for future purchases.  In his  classic book on marketing, Duct Tape Marketing, author John Jantsch  writes that for most businesses, the greatest opportunity comes from selling to existing clients and from referrals.  The relational approach to selling facilitates success on both fronts.

Going back to my meeting with the representative, she spent a full 45 minutes of our 1 hour meeting explaining all the positive things about her association.  She explained some of their key accomplishments, which were very impressive.  She went on to talk about the size of their membership and specific cases of how a member directly benefited from their intervention.

It wasn’t until after 45 minutes when I mentioned I had to leave that she asked me if I had any questions.  I said that it was great that so many business owners were a part of their association.  I had just finished developing my language training product and I was now looking for clients.  Since I was targeting the corporate sector, I naturally wanted to join associations and local chambers of commerce where I could come into contact with key decision makers.  I asked her if her association  held periodic events (e.g. networking events, workshops, seminars, etc.) where I would have the chance to meet other members?  She replied no.  The bulk of their efforts focused on lobbying the government for regulatory changes (something they were exceptionally good at).  They didn’t offer much in terms of networking activities.

I replied that being at the start up phase of my business, I wanted to direct my limited marketing budget to things that would get me sales.  Although I believed in the importance of lobbying for the small business community, it wasn’t my priority at the time being.

Naturally, she was disappointed, especially after all the effort she put into her presentation.  However, if she had  spent more time in the beginning trying to understand my motivations for joining, she would have been able to assess that their was a mismatch between what I wanted and what she had to offer.  She could have also done this over the phone and saved 1 hour of her time.

Too often, we get so caught up with all the great things about our product that we forget the client in the process.  The whole reason behind its existence is that it meets a particular need.

How can you sell me something if you don’t know what I need?

The power of color struck me recently as I was wandering the aisles of a local drugstore looking for a particular product:  the Starfrit Chopper, a great a little kitchen aid that saves hours of manual chopping and slicing.  I had a good idea in which aisle it might be.  But as I almost walked past one of the aisles, I caught a bare glimpse (through my peripheral vision) of a color combination almost halfway down the aisle.  I looked directly this time and started walking towards the product to read what was written on the box.  Sure enough, it was the Starfrit Chopper.

I’m not the type who spends hours memorizing the packaging colors of kitchen aid products so naturally I was a little surprised.  But the fact is, the colors used be Starfrit in its packaging (the yellow and red stripe on the top)  stayed in my memory even though I noticed it only a handful of times.  And it was strong enough for me to notice using my peripheral vision.  This story serves as a good introduction to color and the conscious and subconscious attributes we associate with them.

Here are some of the positive and negative ‘learned associations’ we attribute to different colors, some of which are backed by actual research.  Note that not all these associations are universal and some may vary  from one culture to another.  The next time you are choosing your company colors (logo, packaging, etc.) keep them in mind.

• Red:  Some positive things we associate with red are:  sense of power, strength, power, and sexuality.  People tend pay more attention to detail when they see red.  A recent study by the University of British Columbia found that the color had a significant impact on cognitive performance, boosting test scores by as much as 30%.  The color helped them focus on detailed tasks (e.g. solving a math problem, editing a complex document, etc.). On the flip side, there are also some negative attributes that we tend to associate with red:  anger, aggressiveness, violence, and impatience.
• Blue: Positive associations:  tranquility, patience, openness, creativity, exploration.  The university study I mentioned earlier found that blue inspired creativity, allowing students to think outside of the box (the students came up with twice as many creative ideas in brainstorming tests).  Some of the negative attributes include: fear, coldness, passivity, and depression.

Here are a few other colors along with their positive and negative associations (not discussed in the study above).

• Green:  Positive associations include:  money, health, food, nature, growth, freshness, cooperation.  Negative associations include:  envy, greed, jealousy.
• Black:  Positive attributes:  dramatic, classy, committed, serious.  Negative:  evil, death.
• White:  Positive attributes:  pure, fresh, cleanliness, goodness.  Negative attributes:  blind, winter, cold, distant.
• Yellow:  Positive attributes:  caution, brightness, intelligence.  Negative attributes:  laziness, criticism.
• Orange:  Positive attributes:  courage, confidence, warmth, energy.  Negative attributes:  ignorance, inferiority.
• Purple:  Positive attributes:  royalty, sophistication, religion.  Negative attributes:  bruised, foreboding.

Source:  “How to choose your website colors” by Jason O’Connor (2005).

About a month back, I attended a great workshop by Tina Serano, co-owner of Beavertails, the company behind the delicious pastry that goes by the same name (and no, it’s not actually a beaver’s tail…it’s just shaped like one).

Tina had some great quotes on the topic of branding and small business in general that I wanted to share with my readers.  Branding, as its name suggests, refers to a company’s brand in the marketplace.  How do customers view the company? Why do they choose to do business with them?  Is it because of their  low cost? Quality? Fast service?

Branding is sometimes confused as being synonymous with ‘company logo’.  The latter is part of the branding process, as is other marketing materials such as the website, brochures, business cards, etc.  However, branding also includes business processes, strategies, and even people.  It is the overall customer experience your company offers.

Here are some of the gems that Tina shared with the audience:

“What you do has to represent you.”

I liked this quote since it establishes that we must have an emotional connection with what we do.  One of the reasons why I think many professionals are unhappy with their work is that they lack this connection.  They are reduced to a company function or job description.    They don’t see how they, as individuals, connect to the big picture, and so they feel unfulfilled.

“If you don’t buy into it, you won’t believe it and so you can’t sell it.”

Similar to the first quote, it establishes again the need for a connection between the person and the product.  It’s what makes the difference between selling a product or commodity and  selling an experience.

“Choose one branding word.”

This exercise really forces a business owner to think about what he or she has to offer.  Some examples are “service”, “speed”, “quality” or in the case of Beavertails, “addictive”.  Personally, I would have preferred a short sentence (7 words or less), but the idea is the same.  Keep it simple.

“You can’t change people’s perception of you.”

Once you establish a perception among your customers, it is very difficult to change it.  In other words, get it right the first time around or suffer the consequences.  It’s much easier to brand than to “re-brand”.

“When you create a brand, you want loyal customers.”

A strong brand differentiates you from the competition.  It creates repeat customers since you are able to deliver a unique experience.

“Don’t pay for media advertising.”

Tina is not a fan of big expensive marketing campaigns.  They’re costly and the return on investment is difficult to measure.  Instead, she encouraged us to use low cost marketing strategies (e.g. business to business marketing or cross promotion, free offers) to generate buzz.  She also talked briefly about guerrilla marketing,  the idea that costly marketing can be replaced with low cost strategies that effectively use time, energy, and imagination.

At the end of her presentation, she also mentioned a few of her favorite books:

“The tipping point” by Seth Godin.

“What happy people know” by Dan Baker.

“The monk who sold his ferrari” by Robin Sharma.

She also mentioned two cool websites worth a peek:

99design.com:   Have a pool of designers create a logo for you at a price that you set.

trendwatching.com:  A site tracking consumer trends worldwide.

The two books I would personally recommend for removing the mystery surrounding marketing are:

“Duct Tape Marketing” by John Jantsch.

“Guerilla Marketing” by Jay Conrad Levison.