Rob Frankel - The Dictator

I will write more about Rob soon - in a meantime you might enjoy reading the transcript of the MasterMind Chat we had a while ago:
 

Wanda: This going to be fun - Rob Frankel will be here... 

Terri : Good morning everyone! Rob and Wanda in the same chat! My day is complete*grin* 

Wanda: I hope that Dictator didn't forget about us! 

Rob Frankel : Wanda, I've been here since 8:58!

Wanda : Hello Rob - my day is perfect now :-) ... we will switch in a moment to a moderated mode. In a meantime my friends, feel free to plug yourself and your business.

Terri  : For anyone that doesn't know me: Recruit2Hire.com is a woman owned business making the perfect match between businesses and employees - you can subscribe to my monthly newsletter "Recruit2Hire TidBits" free at my website

Marty : Back in a minute. I see a better way to log in...

Wanda  : Marty Foley wrote a new book on internet marketing - just got it yesterday. Very good.We will have him on the chat next week. Check his site profitinfo.com

Marty: Hey, I didn't pay Wanda to say that :-)

Rob Frankel : And of course, if you want to do business instead of whine about it, join FrankelBiz for FREE at http://www.robfrankel.com/frankelbiz/form.html

Marty: Good slogan, Rob. There is too much whining...

Wanda  : We are now in the moderated mode - I ask that you don't interrupt with questions and comments - more about it in a second - and if you want to leave the chat, please do it by CLOSING the browser window - this way we don't see your exit message.... 

Rob Frankel : Thanks, Wanda Que pasa today? Any particular agenda?

Wanda  : Rob - will you bear another 3 minutes? - I see here many new faces - would be fun to see who the heck are those people :-)

Rob Frankel : Yabba dabba dooo

Gloria : Hi Rob, I'm a frankelbee

Rob Frankel : Gloria! Whatever you do, DON'T reveal our secret handshake!

Wanda  : Ok - that's it - I see no other takers for the introduction opportunity. We are now in the moderated mode - I ask that you don't interrupt with questions and comments - more about it in a second - and if you want to leave the chat, please do it by CLOSING the browser window - this way we don't see your exit message.... OK? (no need to answer :-)

Rob Frankel : (Stirring his coffee patiently)

Wanda  : Our guest today is Rob Frankel - a business opinion columnist, speaker, web branding specialist and Dictator of FrankelBiz (community where people do business together instead of whining about it). Rob, did I miss something important?

Rob Frankel : Branding Expert for the planet..

Wanda  : Right!!  Branding Expert for the planet!... We are in moderated mode, now if you want to ask a question - just type (?) ... and if you want to make a comment - just type (!) - no more exchanges of URLs or e-mail addresses - OK?  I also ask that when you signal that you have a comment - have that comment ready, so that the entire chat doesn't stop waiting for you typing (or worse: for collecting your thoughts!)

Wanda : Now, let's get to business - Rob, when and how you started your internet adventure? - tell us your story.

Rob Frankel : My career began after I was kicked out of my last ad agency to form my own, Frankel & Anderson. In 1990, we went all digital. In 1993, went all virtual. In 1996, specialized on branding ON and OFF LINE. I first used it only as a means for cheap transmission of data, not marketing

Wanda  : so - you started at the beginning of the internet. What was your biggest misconception?

Rob Frankel : Like everyone else, I thought global access meant global exposure.

Marty: ?

Wanda : Marty, your question?

Marty: More on branding Rob?

Rob Frankel : When it comes out, my book, "The Revenge of Brand X" will really lay out branding, which is the most misunderstood concept in the world right now.

Rob Frankel : Branding is so critical that it causes physical pain, right above the neck joint. The reason is that we're moving away from mass media and into niche marketing. The days of everyone watching one TV show at one time are over. Now, people look for what they want, which means their search results turn up your competitors...so they better choose you. A strong brand does that

Dale : ?  

Rob Frankel : The biggest misconception -- and this is important, so listen up -- is that branding = awareness. It does not. First, you create your brand, then you raise its awareness. Branding is not about getting your prospect to choose you over your competition; it's about getting your prospect to see you as the only solution

Wanda  : Dale - your question..

Dale : Is "branding only for the "big boys", or is it something everyone who has a website should be concerned with?

Marty: !

Rob Frankel : Great Question: Frankel's Inverse Theory of Branding states "The smaller your budget, the stronger your branding must be" because you have less money to waste on stupid mistakes. A strong brand is the small guy's best weapon, especially on the web where the playing field is level. 

Arcady : ?

Wanda  : Marty - your question?

Marty: Rob answered it- Branding is also 4 little guys

Wanda  : Rob - what about the logo? Does every business really need one?

Peter  : ?

Gloria : ?

Rob Frankel : : No, Wanda, logos are tools, just like everything else. If you need the tool, you use it. If it's not appropriate, you don't. But if you DO have one, make sure it's brand-consistent and communicates something. Don't just slap down a dopey graphic. 

Wanda : Arcady, your question?

Arcady :  Rob, is CD ROM still popular media for informational business?

Wanda :  Just a quick reminder for a latecomers. Our guest is Rob Frankel - a business opinion columnist, speaker, and web branding specialist and Dictator of FrankelBiz. We are in moderated mode. If you want to ask a question - just type (?) and if you want to make a comment - type (!) 

Rob Frankel :  : Near as I can tell, Arcady, CD ROMs are here for a good few years yet. And since all DVD's read them, I'd stick with them for a while.

Wanda : Peter - your question?

Peter :  Please review what is a "Strong Brand" by example please...

Wanda  : While Rob is answering let me remind you that I have here a couple of his best articles in the  Read and Grow Rich section and you will find many more on the Dictator's site robfrankel.com

Gloria : ? 
Stephen : ?

Rob Frankel : Peter, my man! Strong brand: Apple Computer Weak brand: Microsoft.

Wanda  : oh wow! - why microsoft weak?

Rob Frankel : The reasons are these: Just try prying a Mac away from a guy whose office uses Windows. Tough job. Then try it the other way around. Easy! The difference is the engrained brand loyalty Apple has in its customers...Microsoft has no emotional attachment to its products or its users. So the minute that someone develops a Microsoft compatible solution that's cheaper, they'll use it."  And this is the important aspect: branding is the combination of rationality with human emotion. Apple does it, Microsoft does not. You must never forget that all this technology is for the purpose of putting HUMANS in touch with each other...

Wanda : Great point!!! Gloria - your question?

Gloria :  How does one go about branding with a minimum budget?

Rob Frankel : Real simple, Gloria: Work from your strengths. Don't be afraid to lead. And over all, remember that branding is about THEM, not about you. Don't outspend -- out think them 

Stephen : In your experience what are the three most important (first) steps in creating a strong brand?

Rob Frankel : 1. Knowing your strengths 2. Accepting the mantle of leadership 3. Realizing that you are there for your end users, and not to show off how incredibly wonderful you are. There's too much chest beating going on out there. The Fourth thing that's important is making sure your brand is easy to articulate. The easier that is, the easier it is for people to refer you business. 

Wanda  : Rob - what is your opinion about integrity in advertising. Where the fluff should end?

Marty: ?

Rob Frankel : Great question, Wanda. Most advertising sucks. Way too fluffy, because they're relying on you to be lazy. These days -- and this is the whole point of my brands -- people are refreshed by clear communications, not fluff.... I still don't understand what United Airlines means by "rising". What's rising -- and where? 

Wanda  : Marty - your question?

Rob Frankel : Let me just add that telling the truth is so rare these days, that it actually works as an attention-getting device.

Marty: Expound further on "easy to articulate." Easy to spell/pronounce remember logos/domain names, not confusing prospects, etc.?

Rob Frankel : Marty, easy to articulate means expressing your brand in a way that' meaningful and memorable, so that it becomes important enough for your end-user to apply as his purchasing criteria. The easier it is for him to integrate, the better he retains it and refers it to others. 

Wanda  : What is the biggest mistake small business owners make on the internet? 

Arcady : ?

Dale : ?

Rob Frankel : Biggest mistake: not allocating enough resources to marketing. That includes time and money. I can't tell you how many business plans I kick back because they haven't allocated enough. 

Wanda  : Arcady - your question?

Arcady : Which brands are more profitable - highly specialized or more universal for consumers?

Rob Frankel : profitability is a function of market segment. You'd have to answer that one on a case by case basis. Too broad to answer. 

Wanda  : Dale - your turn...

Dale : Rob, what would be the 3 or 4 most important things for a small business to do to begin building brand? Or even the most important 1 or 2?

Rob Frankel : Honestly? Go to the archive section of my site and read all you can for free! Seriously, narrow your focus. Be great at one thing. otherwise, you confuse yourself, your efforts and your customers. 

Wanda  : What are the fastest and most effective ways for small business to establish a brand?

Rob Frankel : Gotta tell ya, the fastest and most effective way is to NOT try this at home! Doing it yourself works for suicide. Hire an outsider with an objective viewpoint. Remember, you might be great at DOING it, but not at SELLING it. 

Terri  : ?

Stephen : ?

Wanda  : Terri your question?

Terri  : Rob - we would all love to hire YOU to help us :) but assuming we can't yet, what is the BEST first thing we can do on our own?

Rob Frankel : The very BEST thing you can do is IGNORE everyone else's opinion. NEVER show anyone else your work for their reactions. There are too many hidden agenda there. Go forward with your vision no matter how unpopular. That's the cost of true vision. 

Wanda  : Rob, when working with the client - what is the process you go through? How long it might take and how much it might cost - with small business owner?

Arcady : !

Rob Frankel : First thing I do is set parameters for the project. What do they want to accomplish? We set a bullet point list. Then we apply a budget to that effort that works within their means. The whole process usually takes only a few weeks, at most, depending on the client's responsiveness. I've done programs for $5K and some for $50K....or more. 

Wanda : Arcady - your comment?

Arcady : To have success one must have brains, a little fortune, much persistence and such advisor as Rob!

Rob Frankel : Arcady, I spotted you as an intelligent person from the moment you logged on!

Wanda  : Rob - tell us about FrankelBiz!

Rob Frankel : If you're into working with people who do business over the internet, subscribe FrankelBiz (free) at http://www.robfrankel.com/frankelbiz/form.html  These are people who actually do business with each other, instead of just whining about it. And they all offer each other discounts. Even our sponsors offer each member opportunities to increase their business. The FAQ's prohibit any MLM's or Get Rich Quick knuckleheads and the free subscription includes regular issues of the Rob Frankel Newsletter.

Montana: ?

Rob Frankel : It's a fabulous, highly ethical community that has grown into the thousands. 

Wanda  : Montana - your question?

Montana: I just stopped by your site - very irreverent! I like it. What would you charge me to help me create my own brand? My problem is I'm too multi-dimensional! 

Rob Frankel : E-Mail me off chat, Montana. We'll talk. 

Wanda: 7 minutes to go! How much does it cost to become involved in the referral program of FrankelBiz? 

Terri  : !

Rob Frankel : FrankelBiz.com offers you the chance to post a banner that anyone can download and use to refer business to you. It's only $10 per month plus a teeny cut of the commission you pay. peanuts. We like people to announce their program to the other FrankelBe .TheFrankelBiz LIST , of course, is free. Last year we generated over $500,000 or real cash business between members...more if  you count barter and partnering. And we take NO money for that. It's a great resource.

Wanda : If anyone of you is not a subscriber - get some! Rob - you gave us here fabulous info, what else you want to tell us that we didn't ask?

Rob Frankel : You just post what you have or need to FrankelBiz, and you get pummeled with responses, OK? Every Monday morning I host Frankel's Free Clinic at http://www.robfrankel.com/chat/chat.html. This is the hour per week I donate my services to anyone who wishes to visit. Transcripts of past sessions are always available at http://www.robfrankel.com/frankelbiz/freeclinic

Wanda  : Thank you Rob for your time - will you come back?

Rob Frankel : Absolutely! Thanks everyone!

Wanda  : That's a wrap - thanks everyone!

Terri  : Thank you Rob! and Wanda !

Marty: Thanks everyone!

Gloria : Thank you Rob and Wanda and bye for now

Jack : Wowser! This was great! Thank you so much Rob and Wanda! 

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Wanda Loskot - Success Connection
150 Heron's Run, Suite #124 - Sarasota, FL 34232 - USA
Phone (941) 342-4203 - Fax (240) 358-7445

Professional business coach, author & speaker specializing in Internet marketing.
Business seminars, corporate training and one-on-one coaching
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wanda@loska.com