Talk Like a Pirate Day - September 19, 2009

Now we have a day to talk like a pirate - What a country!

"Aaarrrg! Ask me what my favorite animal is?" my lead - who wore patch over his eye, a black three cornered hat, and an earring - asked at work a few years ago.

"Parrots?" I said naively - for what is a pirate without his parrot?

"Aaarmadillos," my lead answered with a grin. "And my favorite vegetable?"

We all stared at him like the stress at work had finally gotten to him and he was bonkers.

"Aaartichokes!" He smiled, exposing a some blacked out teeth.

And he continued asking us questions - all with answers that contained an "aaarrr."

No, he was not celebrating Halloween early. It was the annual - "Talk Like a Pirate Day."

And like all thing that happen annually, they happen every year. (Now, I'm talking like an idiot) :) And September 19, 2009 is the day.

Today, we see pirates through the lens of Walt Disney. They are fun and cute and lovable. Anything could be further from the truth. To sailors and their passengers, pirates were (and still are) a real and present danger for those traveling on the sea.

For all those weathering the storms of life and facing danger on our journey, there is a psalm of comfort for us:

From Psalm 107 (King James Version)

23 They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
24 These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
26 They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end.
28 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
31 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!


Related links:

Picture from everystockphoto.com
Ye Olde Drunken Pirate: everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=2733948

The Original Talk Like a Pirate Day Site: www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html

China Ready?

China ready? Are we having a fancy dinner or what? Not quite.

When Nathan Seidle asks the question - Is it China ready? - it pertains to a new product. Can he produce 10,000 units for this giant in the world market? There is even a website dedicated to this: areyouchinaready

Nathan shared lessons at the 2009 EntConnect conference of SparkFun’s recent China tour. His group learned such lessons as how their manufacturing works and the scale of it. They discovered new products and how they were done.

Often hardware and software are protected by patents and copyrights. But many, like SparkFun, take the OSH - Open Source Hardware - approach. OSH, for example, openly shares documents that illustrate how to make their electronic systems. In additon to OSH, creating modular electronic building blocks helps the hobbyists and designers to more easily develop their own gadgets.

This OSH strategy of putting their hardware designs in the public domain encourages the world to use and improve their products thus spurring ingenuity and innovation.

Nathan’s company, SparkFun, has benefited from the China - USA OSH cycle. USA design-> improved by China -> China design -> improved by USA -> …. And the improved products, which originated from OSH, are not the property of one particular entity. They are open to all to use, improve and enjoy.

One fun example of applying OSH is the first annual Autonomous Vehicle Competition - a higher tech version of match box car races. Check out the YouTube video: SparkFun - Autonomous Vehicle Competition - Course Preview

Both SparkFun employees and their customers participated in this race which put the “Spark” and “Fun” into SparkFun.

What does this have to do with writing? Writers often check out websites and blogs of those who offer their wisdom to improve the craft. This is our OSH - Open Source Help. And the bloggers also benefit by gathering a following and getting their name out there.

Two examples of such "open source help" sites that I follow for help are:

The Denver Writing Examiner: examiner.com/x-5787-Denver-Writing-Examiner
Prose from the Pros: prosefromthepros.blogspot.com

What are your OSHs? Are you one?

Related links:

EntConnect website: entconnect.org

SparkFun: sparkfun.com
SparkFun - Autonomous Vehicle Competition - Course Preview


The Denver Writing Examiner: examiner.com/x-5787-Denver-Writing-Examiner
Prose from the Pros: prosefromthepros.blogspot.com


Photos from everystockphoto.com:
China ready: everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=105956

LilyPad - Electronics you can wear!

In the beginning, Nathan Seidle, CEO of SparkFun, had

No Knowledge
No Plan
No Tools.

No Plan? As he explained to the 2009 EntConnect conference, Nathan had no plan but to relate to his current customers.

There is a parallel to writers. One type makes a detailed outline of his/her story and fills it in. This MO is much like the entrepreneur that has a detailed business plan, which is required for business loans requests or doing business with the government.

Then there is the intuitive - write by the seat of the pants - writer who has no plan but to fill the need to write. This is much like Nathan who maxed out his credit cards and launched a business from his room.


What worked for Nathan was that he fit into what Chris Anderson coined in "Wired" magazine - the "Long Tail of Economics." Nathan found a market for a large number of unique items in small quantities - the long tail. Also, his plan to relate to his current customers drove innovation and synergy with other entrepreneurs.

One great example was LilyPad, the next generation of e-textile modules for the Wearable Electronics Do-it-Yourself enthusiasts. E-textiles are hardware and software modules that interact with the environment, sown into clothes with conductive threads .

Check out some of the lastest in e-textiles at:

Talk to my T-shirt
SparkFun LilyPad accelerometer

Likewise, the intuitive writers comes up with ideas as they writes and their story take them places that they would have missed if they stuck to their rigid, detailed plan. Serendipity!

Hmmm. What "Long Tail" market is out there for writers?

Related links:

EntConnect website: entconnect.org

SparkFun: sparkfun.com
SparkFun LilyPad accelerometer: www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8462
Talk to my T-shirt: www.talk2myshirt.com/blog/archives/315

Photos from everystockphoto.com:
Lily Pad: everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=750910
Long Tail: everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=1068554

American Ingenuity

At the turn of the century (2000),Tulsa native Nathan Seidle started work on his electrical engineering degree at the University of Colorado in Boulder. His junior year, a programmer for Nathan's microprocessor project burned out, and he searched for a suitable replacement for it. In his quest, Nathan discovered a dearth of resources to purchase electronic parts in small quantities. For students like him, who design and develop prototypes, small quantities are a good thing.

The Plato quote - necessity, who is the mother of invention - came into play to fill this void in the marketplace. During his junior year in college, Nathan maxed out his credit cards and built a website to cater to customers - the designers, the developers, the hobbyists - like him. Thus, SparkFun began in January 2003, run out of his room.

By the time this electrical engineer graduated in 2004, SparkFun had grown to support Nathan full-time and another employee. As Nathan told his story to the 2009 EntConnect conference, he now has 27 employees and does business in 100 countries.

There are so many lessons here for writers. Finding a need, building a platform, and going for it like Nathan did, maxing out his credit cards and just doing it. And in the mean time growing your business and having fun!


Related links:

EntConnect website: entconnect.org

SparkFun: sparkfun.com

Photos from everystockphoto.com:

Electronic Board: www.everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=3977509

Reward them with Starbucks!

Reward what you are trying to accomplish.

This is the code of the “Queen Mother of Direct Mail.”

Selling construction additions to homes was one of Patty Coldwater’s tough direct mail assignments. Other similar solicitations rewarded contracts with a percentage off the construction job or a free air conditioning system. These did not generate much response from mailings.

At the 2009 EntConnect conference, Patty outlined how she got back to basics.

Question: What was she trying to accomplish?
Answer: A face to face meeting of a potential customer with a salesperson.

Question: What would be the reward for this face to face meeting?
Answer: Starbucks!

Patty got the desired boomerang effect as potential customers took a second look at the offer. Home owners scheduled face to face meetings to get their Starbucks coupon. And some of those meetings resulted in contracts. A few hundred dollars of Starbucks generated tens of thousands in sales.

Don’t’ underestimate the power of Starbucks.

As a writer, what is my desired boomerang effect to read my works and spread the word? Starbucks? Hmmmmm.

Will see. Definitely need to get creative to reward my audience.



Related links:

EntConnect website: entconnect.org

TMR Direct: tmrdirect.com

Photos from everystockphoto.com:
StarBucks Coffee: everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=1575436

Know Your Customer

As a writer, my customers are my audience.

At the 2009 EntConnect conference, Patty Coldwater told her real life stories of how, as a professional marketer, she had attracted customers. One of her jobs was to convert clients' expiring warranties to paid service agreements.

Today’s wisdom would be to contact potential customers with email or call over the phone. Yet, as employees now are very likely to change jobs 40% to 60% of the time in a year, databases with emails and phone numbers quickly become out of date.

Understanding her potential customers, Patty figured how they would respond best to a solicitation. Most worked in the field, away from their desks. They did not have ready access to a computer to get email nor a phone at the office.

What worked well was the old fashioned direct mail with a reply card to call a toll free number and extend the service warrantee. Using her hook - reward what you are trying to accomplish - those who responded got a prize, like a fishing lure, a calculator, or a seven in one survival tool. These were tokens, but items her customers were interested in.

Knowing her potential customer allowed Patty generated a 300% increase in sales.

Who am I targeting as my audience? Are they being rewarded for what I am trying to accomplish? This evolving writer still has much to learn. I am grateful for the wisdom Patty shared at the 2009 EntConnect conference.



Related links:

EntConnect website: entconnect.org

TMR Direct: tmrdirect.com

Photos from everystockphoto.com:
US Mail Box: everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=391665

The Queen Mother of Direct Mail

“My Goal is to be the Queen Mother of Direct Mail.”

Patty Coldwater had said this during a job interview. And that title stuck. Her business card actually reads “Queen Mother of Direct Mail" as VP of Marketing for TMR Direct (a division of The Mail Room Inc.)

One of the greatest challenges I face as an evolving writer is marketing. I love to ensconce myself behind the ivory tower of the keyboard and unleash my creativity. But stepping out in the real world to sell my wares? Well, that’s another story.

How do we sell services in a tight economy and succeed at it?

As companies strive to save money, fewer people are asked to do more work. Yet, opportunities to outsource are out there. Patty presented her experience of "Direct Marketing Ideas that Work" as the third speaker at the 2009 EntConnect Conference.

The following blogs will share Patty's lessons that apply can to any field where goods and services are sold. Especially writers.

One of her memorable morsels of wisdom: “Reward what you are trying to accomplish.”


Related links:

EntConnect website: entconnect.org

TMR Direct: tmrdirect.com

Photos from everystockphoto.com:
Queen mother: everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=2127507

Interlude

Congratulations! We covered key points of the first two speakers of the the 2009 EntConnect conference. And it only took 12 blogs.

Time for a break? Here are some memorable quotes between speakers.


About entrepreneurs:
“My job is to make your money, my money.”

About email:

“Email is where knowledge goes to die.”

“Email is like popping popcorn without a lid.”

Next, blog we will take a short break from EntConnect.