Hiring & Working with Vendors for Your Super Secret Project

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Occasionally I am asked to submit a proposal bid on top-secret projects.  No, these are not government backed secret projects for the CIA, military or anything like that.  However, to the initiator of the project, they require secrecy and information is only shared on a need to know basis.  Sometimes I win the proposal bid on the project, sometimes I lose and sometimes I decline to bid because I cannot get enough information to even submit a proper proposal.  I cannot tell you how much it will cost if I do not even know what I will be doing.

Lots of first-time entrepreneurs and start-ups begin their operations under the mask of secrecy.  I get it.  You are afraid that someone will steal your idea, but you do not have the resources and skills necessary to bring it to life.  To do so, you need to hire contractors, freelancers and vendors that have the skill sets you are missing to pull it off.

To really pull it off and bring your product or service to market, you have to be able to trust those vendors.  Because when you don’t trust them, you don’t give them enough information to do their job and you hinder the process.  This results in frustration for all parties involved.  You will be frustrated that things are not going according to plan, deadlines may be missed and the whole experience of working with the vendor may leave a foul taste in your mouth.

If they are a good vendor, they will want you to succeed.  They will want your project to stay on track and will work to help you achieve your goals with the finished product.  If they are really good at what they do, they probably don’t want to steal your idea either.  They have already found a profitable endeavor.  This is proven by the fact that you hired them.

I was curious, so I Googled “Should You Really Worry About Someone Trying to Steal Your Idea” to see what I would get.  What I found around the good ol’ web is the same general sentiment I hold from my own experience.  Being super secretive and guarded with your business idea hurts more than it helps.

I thought this article on the Making it Anywhere blog (found in that Google search), “Worried Someone’s Going To Steal Your Idea? Here Are 4 Things You Should Worry About Instead” had some great counter points to consider.  There are more important things to worry about and answering these four questions may tell you whether or not someone really would want to steal your idea:

  1. Are you solving a problem people will want to pay for?
  2. How are you going to establish yourself as a market leader? Why should they pay YOU?
  3. Does your business idea or model already exist?
  4. How will people know you exist?

If after doing the research and answering those questions you still feel the need to keep things close to your chest, consider using a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) form when requesting bids from vendors.  Most seasoned vendors are familiar with and have signed such forms before, when working with clients.  Using one should give you some measure of peace trust in disclosing the information they need to give you a proper proposal.  If they steal your idea, you can just sue them.

It is important that they have all the information they need.  They determine what information they need to quote you and draft up a proposal, not you.  If you knew what they needed, then you have knowledge of how to do it…and you would not need to hire them.  Answer any questions they have and provide them with anything they request.  Not having enough information may result in an inaccurate quote and a surprise for you when midway through the project, the price needs to be re-negotiated.

Vet vendors you think you might like to work with prior to requesting a proposal.  You can do a general overview by reviewing testimonies on their site, review sites like Yelp and their social media accounts.  If you have a good feeling about them and it seems everyone else does too, ask them if they offer a free “private” consultation.  Let them know up front if you will require their signature on a NDA prior to the consultation.  If during the consultation you are feeling even better about them, ask them to submit a proposal along with some references if you are still a bit scared.

Sometimes the best resources are found from within or through the networks you are already a part of.  Do you have a friend or family member that recently launched a business?  Some of their vendors might be a good fit to get some of what you need done as well.  Ask them if there is a vendor they are using for “XYZ” that they would highly recommend and ask for an introduction or their information.

If after all of that you still cannot trust your vendor to not steal your idea, then the aliens probably really are coming to abduct you. 🙂

 

NDA Resources & Templates:

Wikipedia Definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-disclosure_agreement

Mutual Non-Disclosure Template: http://www.entrepreneur.com/formnet/form/852

NDA 101 | Rocket Lawyer: https://www.rocketlawyer.com/article/nda-101:-what-is-a-non-disclosure-agreement.rl

 

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Are You Branding or Being Branded? Another Installment on @eZangaInc by Me.

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It’s a new month! Well technically we are already halfway through July, but nevermore…I have another guest post on the eZanga Blog. This month I am staying within the topic of personal branding and asking, “Are you branding or being branded?” Curious? Then head on over to the eZanga Blog and check out my guest post here: http://colleeneakns.me/1qbG88s

 

 

Unplugging From Technology to Take a Breather

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I recently saw an infographic in this article, “6 Myths of Social Sharing” by John Koetsier (@johnkoetsier) in my Twitter feed and I found a very interesting myth debunked.  Before I started posting more frequently on Twitter and was focusing more on my Facebook social media efforts, I operated under the assumption that people were more active on social media on the weekends.  The assumption being that people frequented Facebook more during their free time.  At the time all of the social media princesses, gurus and ninjas hailed this to be true and it probably was then.  Times have changed and apparently this is no longer true.

According to this infographic/article, 49% of people engage with shared content during the weekday.  When I really think about it, I myself fall into that 49%.  My weekdays are full of work, which is on a computer; marketing myself in the digital realm online; and an obsessive habit of checking my phone or tablet to make sure I have not missed an important email or some other notification.  I seem to have an endless stream of chimes, dings and chirps sounding off at my desk all week long.  When the weekend comes, I try to turn it all off.  I truly need a break breather to stay sane agreeable.

Not only have I been unplugging during the weekends, but I have also found myself spending a couple of evenings during the weekday to unplug, listen to music and do nothing at all.  I will not even watch television and the only sound is of my music choice for the evening.  I think we are becoming so bombarded with noise in the form of technology that people are choosing to take time to take a break from it.  You can be in the moment with constant updates on social media, content streaming, etc, but I do not think we can also be in the “physical” moment at the same time.  I think that is what people are yearning for, leading them to take a bit of time off to unplug.  I know that plays a role in why I do it.

Are you a part of the 49% of people that engage more with shared content during the weekday?  Do you take time off on the weekends to unplug?  How do you spend that time?  Share in the comments section!

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Do This, Not That When Automating Blog Posts, Social Media and Email Marketing

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One of the great digital marketing debates is on whether or not you should use automation.  It has been debated ad nauseam and I am going to add my voice and opinion to the mix.  As long as digital marketing strategies exist, this debate will continue to exist.  I believe that to be true because a part of the advances in technology, have been to make life easier in some way.  Automating tasks related to digital marketing strategies makes life easier.

I believe automation to be a great asset when used properly.  The problem is that a lot of people do not use it properly and take a set it and forget it approach.

Automating Blog Postings

Why it’s Great:  You can write at times when it is more convenient for you and schedule the blogs to post at times when it is more convenient for your audience.  If you are the sole author of your blog or the content editor, scheduling blogs to posts allows you to go on vacation without missing a beat with your blog.

When it’s Bad:  If the content you have previously scheduled to post becomes irrelevant prior to its post date, that would be bad.  If you write tips on Google’s algorithm, set it to post 2 months in the future and Google releases an update a month prior; you will be disseminating bad information and risk looking like a non-authority on the topic.

Automating Social Media Postings

Why it’s Great:  It’s a lot of work to find, read and share great content with your audience.  Add to that the time it takes to monitor campaigns, respond to commenters and participate in discussions.  It’s a lot of work and we have limited time.  It’s the one thing we cannot create more of; we can only free some of it up by maximizing our productivity.  Scheduling allows you to use time that might not be ideal to post, to find and craft your messages.  You can then schedule them to go out when it is convenient for your audience.

When it’s Bad:  Just like with blog postings, it is bad if you schedule more than you can remember, content wise.  It is also bad if you only schedule and you are not monitoring and engaging with your audience.  Periodically check to see what you have scheduled and review it.  Not only will it help you remember what you have scheduled to go out, but it will also ensure that future postings are still relevant.

Automating Email Marketing

Why it’s Great:  Many of the email marketing providers have ways that you can aggregate RSS feeds into your email campaigns.  Do you post daily deals to your site?  Use an RSS feed to trigger an email to go out with the information to your list.  Using RSS feeds and scheduling emails to go out similar to what you do with blog postings can save you a ton of time.

When it’s Bad:  Again, it’s just like blog postings and social media postings in that you do not want to set it and forget it.  You need to review your reports to make sure that what you’re sending is something that your list wants to receive, open and read.  If you are getting a lot of unsubscribes for a particular campaign, you need to review it.  It does not make sense to keep auto-generating something that no one wants.

Did you notice a theme with when it’s bad?  Setting it and forgetting about it.  Use automation to plan ahead, increase your productivity and ease the strain of doing everything in real time.  However, stay present and on top of what is going out.  If you cannot keep up with and remember what you scheduled to go out 2 months ago, then you should not schedule that far out.  You want to be able to engage with people through your digital channels.  You can end up spending more time trying to remember or re-read something that is being commented on by your audience if you schedule too far out.

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The Reason Why Your Social Media Sales Pitch Never Had a Chance

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A lot of us digital marketers use social media as a means to market, generate leads, network, advertise, etc. I lump myself into this because although digital marketing services are not what I am selling, I use digital marketing as a way to grow my business. Everyone has a different strategy for how they approach these channels and what they use them for. For me, Twitter is my online version of attending a networking event or group. It is my professional water cooler break and happy hour. It is where I go to rub shoulders with other business professionals within my industry and outside of it. Recently, I have been noticing more and more overly aggressive or too eager salesmen types at the water cooler.

You know the type, in real life they come across as pushy, pseudo genuine and somewhat too invasive. You can feel the sales pitch in every carefully crafted phrase and question. I often find myself thinking, “You’re not really interested in what I am saying. You are just looking for the golden nugget you can spin into your sales pitch.” Well, they exist in the digital realm too. They are lurking around the water cooler and hanging out at happy hour behind their keyboards. Now don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against salespeople in general, but I do against those that make me feel like I am being sold to.

If You Are An Online Salesman, Do NOT Do The Following:

Do not use a “canned” direct message/private message like, “It’s great to connect with you here – do you use social media for business or pleasure?”Your mentor, social media guru that you follow, etc may have told you this was a great way to get the conversation started and that you could also automate a task to send this response, but it sucks. Why does it suck? Because a quick glance through the person’s timeline/posts and a read through their bio would give you this answer. It is a task that would take about 5 to 10 minutes and is a red flag to me that you are not really interested in having a conversation with me. I’m just a “potential” buyer that you do not care enough about to answer your own question before approaching me. Also, if the person you are asking is following more than a few hundred people and has a similar number or higher of followers, they have probably already received that same exact message verbatim before.

Do not ask personal or invasive questions in a public setting. If their answer might not be something they would want to shout across a crowded room, do not ask it in a crowd. Take the conversation private and use direct messaging (Twitter) or some other private messaging channel. If that line of questioning is what you typically start with straight out of the gate, stop. You are a stranger; a stranger behind an avatar with a keyboard. It’s creepy; like pedophile in a van hanging out at a playground creepy. Talk to them first, without an obvious angle or spin involved. Make them feel comfortable with you. It’s kind of like being on a first date. It may take a little more work and effort, but it’s more likely to turn into an actual lead, sale or referral. That’s much better than a “block.”

If you want to appear genuine, do not ask questions that can be answered in their bio. It will be obvious that you did not read it. For instance, do not ask someone what their occupation is if that is the first thing they disclose in their bio. If they list a website, visit it. Find out a little background information about them so that you can intelligently engage with them. They will respect that you took the time to do so and will be more open and willing to listen to what you really want to tell them. This will also keep you from trying to pitch someone that would be an utter waste of your time because a) they have no use for your product/service or b) are selling what you are selling. Time is money; why waste it?

I admire and respect those that can sell something to me before I realize that is what is happening. I also respect those that have enough respect to make me feel like they are being genuine with their words. The key word today is “relationship.” It is important to try to build a relationship, even if it is short, with someone. Online we are avatars, logos and profile pictures attached to a keyboard. To be successful marketing and selling online, you have to humanize it. Engage. Build a relationship. Do the very basics of research…like reading a person’s short profile/bio. If you cannot do that, you should not be selling online…or do not expect a lot of success.

Have you received that same exact “canned” message as a lead-in to a sales pitch before? How did it make you feel?

 

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