Greetings,
With this latest major heat wave under our belts, I’m reminded that SBEs like you and me show up and need to perform at high levels every single day… no matter how we’re feeling. Hot? Cold? Storms? Power outages? Burnout? It doesn’t matter. We’re on the job chasing our vision and working to meet commitments we made to customers and the people who work for us.
That’s why we’re a different breed. And that’s why this life is not for everyone. Let me know: Are you an SBE Lifer?
This month we had 3 entries and one incredibly enthusiastic SBE–and we always enjoy those at the Supplier Spotlight. Anyway, that enthusiastic SBE led her company in an end-to-end victory, earning 3/4’s of all votes cast! And the winner is…
… “Trouble Communicating? Get Writing!” by HurleyWrite, Inc.!
This entry won because everyone at HurleyWrite drove their people to the Spotlight blog through social media and their direct outreach channels. This is a canvass-style contest, and if you ring the most doorbells, you’ll get the most votes. It didn’t hurt that their entry was excellent, focusing us in on the importance of clear communication (something we could all stand to pay attention to the more we relegate it to short-hand emails & dashed-off text messages). The ability to differentiate your SBE is the difference between Life & Death for every small business.
So congratulations to HurleyWrite, and thank you so much to Clutch Global Logistics & US Eco Products Corporation for entering!
This contest is sponsored by Supplier-Connection, an initiative where 21 members have committed to connect U.S.-based SBEs to their supply chains. Registration is open to all U.S. Small Business Enterprises.
Supplier Connection SBE Updates
August 13th Supplier Connection Twitter Chat with NMSNetwork
Join us August 13th at 1PM EST for a Twitter Q&A-style chat with the National Military Spouse Network (NMSN). Supplier Connection and NMSN share common goals of supporting small businesses and economic development in the U.S. This #ConnectBiz Twitter chat will be a Q&A session where small businesses can ask questions and get instant answers from the experts about Supplier Connection and the National Military Spouse Network.
You can join the Twitter chat by using the #ConnectBiz hashtag, or log onto Twubs to follow along and participate. Save the date! Register for a calendar reminder here: http://bit.ly/13CeWlX
Coming soon from The SBE Lifer: How to Crowd-Fund Your SBE
My last post on The SBE Journal details my experience at crowd-funding through Kickstarter. The lessons I learned apply to running a small business. The days of walking into a bank and walking out with a loan are over, but the days of crowd-funding (or crowd-investing) early-stage start-ups and expansions are just beginning. So, much like my 5 Simple Steps to Increase Your Social Media Impact, I’m in the early stages of writing another free primer on how you can crowd-fund your SBE–stay tuned!
The Prize for Winning The Supplier Spotlight Monthly Contest:
In exchange for their efforts, HurleyWrite Inc. has earned the following opportunity to promote their company on Supplier-Connection through the month of August, and highlighted throughout September, too:
– Company logo and links prominently displayed on the Dashboard (New! Check it out now), highlighted under The Supplier Spotlight banner on the Get Connected page, and links to their profile from the Home Page.
– A 200 word description of their business posted beneath their logo
– A link to their website, Facebook page, Twitter account, company blog(s), etc.
– A link to an online sales presentation with audio
– Link(s) to product videos, commercials, and/or their YouTube channel
– Posted links to white papers they might have written
– A link for interested Member Partners or SBE Suppliers to schedule an online sales meeting
– A promotional email gets sent to all registered buyers from the 18-Member Companies
And finally…
– If HurleyWrite can attribute any new customer order to this promotion I’ll follow up by interviewing Pamela Hurley, and post the interview on The SBE Lifer blog.
The August 2013 contest starts NOW!
And, by now, you know The Supplier Spotlight contest starts all over again on August 1st. And with 21 Members, 550+ registered Corporate Buyers, a growing number of registered SBEs, along with our daily Social Media campaign driving more SBEs (follow me http://twitter.com/dnagallo) to The Supplier Spotlight blog; you’ll agree Supplier-Connection is where all SBEs who sell B2B should want to be seen.
ACTION ITEM: Look at how you run your business. Review the innovations you’re deploying that have improved your performance. Remember, this is not your chance to sell your service, it’s about sharing ways you improve your company’s performance. Write them up and email the best ones to me no later than 8:00PM Eastern August 8th. Send them to dangallo@allassogroup.com to qualify for August’s contest. (For details on how The Supplier Spotlight works, click here).
Remember… You can’t advertise on the Supplier-Connection portal for any amount of money.
No. You cannot.
The only thing we’ll accept is your best ideas.
SBEs are a journey… may the best idea win!
Dan Gallo
Small Business Advocate, Supplier Connection
Managing Director, The Allasso Group, LLC
Chief Operating Officer, myVRM
Let’s Connect!
CLICK HERE to FOLLOW for my SmallBiz focused Twitter feed – @dnagallo
CLICK HERE to JOIN The Supplier Connection Discussion Group on LinkedIn
CLICK HERE to READ my blog: The SBE Lifer
CLICK HERE to LIKE Supplier Connection on Facebook
CLICK HERE to go to Supplier Connection: Visit the Get Connected page before Thursday, August 1st to read about the winner of last month’s contest: Innovision Advertising, LLC
To submit an entry in The Supplier Spotlight contest you need to be a registered member of the Supplier-Connection initiative with a completed registration. Registration is FREE. For more information you can watch this 1.5 minute video or read a lot more on the Supplier-Connection portal.
