From the Desk of Sean Royer: Major Announcement (Donald Trump Parody)

Here is a parody video I did of Donald Trumps Announcement he made on October 24th to President Obama. The Parody is a play on Hubspot; a marketing software we use within our organization at SyneCore Technologies.  The parody calls Hubspot as the least transparent marketing company...EVER. I am interrupted at the end of My Big Announcement only to hear that they are actually the MOST TRANSPARENT company. I had a lot of fun with the video and pretending to be Mr. Trump himself. Watch the video and enjoy!

Living Like An Entrepreneur - Time Management

I recently posted the following quote on my Facebook profile:

"Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people wont so you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t"

At the time I posted it I was looking for a good quote that exemplified the true nature of Entrepreneurship  As the week went on I couldn't stop thinking about the quote and what it meant. I repeated it over in my head more times than I can recall. I started to ask myself if I was exemplifying this status quo. Slowly I began examining my life, priorities and how I was going about my daily routine. It clicked that there were some areas of my life that I could be devoting more time to building my business.

My business is approaching 23 months in operation. I look back to the beginning 8 months where I spent hours upon hours working on the business; some nights even sleeping in the office. Sixteen hour days were the norm. Even today was a 13 hour day. As entrepreneurs we don't see it as work or count the hours on the time clock. We don't work a 9-5 but rather a start to finish.

If you're an entrepreneur and thinking of starting a business, time management is critically important. There have been countless days when the clock hits 6 pm and I realize that I didn't get done what I had intended that day because of the unexpected e-mails, phone calls and random tasks. If we don't set our priorities and have a to-do list to navigate through the day we end up wasting a lot of time.

As entrepreneurs we work tirelessly to make out dream come true, working hard in the beginning to pave the road to our future.

Please subscribe to my blog by putting in your e-mail or follow me on Twitter @royersm87

{EAV:928630dc38dc75b0}

Attitude is Everything- Positivity is Key

Everyday we wake up we have choices to make, some are automatic and some take some forethought and deliberation. Our attitude greatly effects the choices that we make and how we make them. I'm often faced with negative attitudes, comments and personality types. Honestly, it's flat out crippling to live life under all the negativity. Our attitude impacts not only ourselves, but others around us in the workplace and those we cross paths with on a daily basis. Take time out of your day to adjust your attitude to one that is positive; after all, our attitude is a choice.

Positive Thinking Is a Mindset 

For those naysayers that immediately are thinking well our attitudes are responses to the events and situations that happen I challenge you to think another way. Everyday we wake up refreshed and ready to take on the day. It's almost like hitting the reset button on the previous day. Imagine we wake up joyful and full of gratitude, meditating on positive thoughts. As we go about our day we hit every green light on the way to work, your boss is unexpectedly nice, your work day goes by without any hiccups and the day ends beautifully. You'd be in high spirits and at ease because nothing brought you down.

Now, reverse the situation and imagine you stubbed your toe getting out of bed, got a flat tire that made you late to work and none of your appointments went as planned. Your day is ruined, you have a negative attitude and your hating every bit of the day. When will it end?

Try taking a positive look at everything that happened that day to get you thinking in the right direction. You stubbed your toe but you're thankful that you didn't break it. The flat tire made went flat but luckily it did not blow out and no one got hurt. The meetings didn't go as planned but give you a challenge to succeed on the next one and you gave it your best.

Life does not stop because we are in a bad mood or something went wrong it keeps going forward. There are going to be good days and bad, better and worse, excellent and terrible but it's how you deal with those bad days that defines who you are and your happiness in life. Remember that in life we are never done learning. Life teaches us lessons in ways we never thought possible. Look for the positives in every situation and prosper from them.

I have a saying that I live by "IT'S A FEEL GOOD DAY." What it means is that no matter what your day brings you and what comes your way you have to channel the positive energy to better your life and others around you. Those that are close to me know that for every negative that is thrown out 2 positives must be said to counteract the negative vibes. You may think it's nerdy, but it teaches us to look at the positives and promote a positive energy that creates an electrifying atmosphere for all. We are all here on this earth to help each other out. That help can be in many forms such as holding the door, smiling or asking if someone needs help. These random acts are contagious and they don't have to be done on a grand level.

We are amazing humans with powerful abilities to influence each other, let's promote positive energy to better the workplace and each other.

Don't be afraid to talk Pricing with your cold prospects!

I recently ran across a LinkedIn question asking when it was appropriate to introduce pricing to a sales prospect. After I read through the responses, I realized that a lot of sales professionals have no clue. Furthermore, most of the responses were dated and irrelevant. If you are in sales, you should not be afraid to talk pricing with your client when the time is right. In the following post, I'll highlight my philosophy, and how I navigate the choppy waters of a sales call.

First, it's important to get one thing straight when you’re prospecting: the more "at bats" you have, the more home runs you will hit. Every NO that you get is one NO closer to that YES. It also might be worth noting that timing is a key element in every sale made. Just because you get a No today doesn't mean it's a No forever.

As a side note, if you don't have a sales management tool, I suggest that you start researching one. I personally utilize Salesforce (www.salesforce.com)

THE INITIAL CONVERSATION

When talking with a new prospect, you first want to gather all the information that you can. Begin the call by introducing yourself and why you're calling. Avoid the small talk. Don't BS yourself- you're not friends with person on the other end of the line...yet. After you’ve introduced yourself and explained why you're calling, ask an open ended question that gets the prospect talking. Don't ask a question that qualifies as a Yes or No response. You want them to talk as long as they will. With every word uttered, you’re gathering information. Now it's time to shut up and listen.

During this time of listening, you should be looking for complaints, problems, or anything that gives you ammunition to relate their pain points to your solutions. My goal is to fish out at least 3 or 4 problem areas. I keep asking open-ended questions until I have enough information. This stage of the call is called the discovery phase. After you're done playing Sherlock Holmes, take a moment to concisely sum up what you just heard, weeding out the fluff that doesn't matter. A good line that I use is "I think I understand what you're saying. What I just heard is that: ________________"… fill in the blanks with something like "sales are down because of the economy, or you don't have the resources to incorporate a new marketing strategy" From there you can Spin their problem and present your solution.

Only present solutions that honestly address their problems; this will show the prospect that you have been listening and understand their needs.

After I’ve presented my solution, I make sure the prospect is still "following" what I'm saying by asking a question like, "Our marketing solution is geared to help you generate more warm leads and reduce the amount of time spent chasing after dead-end prospects. If I was able to help you reduce your cost-per-lead and increase your revenue, you would be interested in learning more about our solution, right?" Ask them questions that get them saying YES!

Remember that you must value the prospect’s time. Now might be a perfect time for them to continue the conversation, but most often they want to schedule a more in-depth conversation at another time. No worries; just make sure that you schedule the call no more than a few days out so they don't forget about you.

THE IN-DEPTH FOLLOW-UP

The next stage is the in-depth follow-up. At this point you have your prospect on the line (literally and figuratively); now all you have to do is pull them into the boat. Gather all the remaining information to find best product for their needs. This takes about 40-45 minutes for me, assuming things are going well. Toward the end of the conversation, I start moving to the close. Pricing can be an intimidating topic to introduce to any prospect, especially if your product is a high-ticket item. The key here is to present your product as a value-add rather than a cost. Many sales professionals will tell you that you’re selling the solution, the features and benefits, and the value of the product. Seems obvious, doesn't it?

At this point, you've data mined the prospect to find all the golden nuggets you need, and you've explained your product and its feature and benefits. Presenting a brief overview of the call and what you've learned will help ease the pain of the pricing discussion. Ask the prospect if he/she is truly interested in the product and if it would solve the problems they've previously indicated. If no, you must find out why and start tackling those objections.

When the prospect says yes, you're halfway to victory. Now is the time to talk money. When presenting my price, I typically use this line: "John, I'm glad to hear you’re interested in our services. I understand you’re a busy guy, and I respect your time. It seems clear that you have a need for our services, and that we can help increase your bottom line. Before we go any further, I want to discuss pricing. Our services start out at $________ a month to get started. Knowing the benefits of our services and the increased revenue they will generate for you, is the price going to be a problem?

You will get one of two answers: yes or no. Either way you win. Why? If your prospect says no, you have the green light, as you've gotten past the budget objection. If they say yes, they either don't have that kind of money, or they’re not ready to commit. Now you have the opportunity for a rebuttal. Try to ask questions about where they’re spending their money to see if they may be able to reallocate funds to your product.

If not, you've just saved yourself and your prospect a lot of time.

Warning: Sales methods are going to vary depending on the products or services sold and price-points. Keep in mind, this is the process I use to sell high-end marketing retainers.

I welcome your comments. Tell me if you agree or disagree!

Follow me on Twitter: @royersm87

Sean Michael Royer

SyneCore Daily Challenge!

It's been a while since my last blog post. Admittedly, I've been a little busy with networking and growing the business. As a company we strive to keep coming up with new and innovative ideas. As a team we want to involve our dedicated fans of SyneCore and show them that we are a fun, innovative company. We can all admit that being professional is of utmost importance, but there are times where we bust out our creative fun side. Recently we incorporated a daily challenge where members of the office combat each other in different crazy tasks.

Starting a company is not always easy. You're always weighing the consequences of your actions against the benefits. There is no doubt that I considered the negative consequences of exposing our "fun side" but then realized such thinking was plain dumb. In today's world, people are looking for a company they can relate to. Why do we have to be so concerned with the minutia of a perfectly professional appearance? This is what sets us apart from the tight-collared corporate big wigs.

It's my philosophy that moving forward companies will strive to be innovative, creative and transparent. At the end of the day we all go to the same drinking well. Moving forward it will be an initiative to keep inspiring to set ourselves apart from the boring and mundane.

Take a minute and think about how the creativity helps keep the new ideas flowing and keeps us alive inside! What do you do on a daily basis to promote your creative side?

I encourage you to give me your feedback on this issue. Many of you may disagree complete with my logic. Check out our daily challenges on our Facebook page by visiting http://www.facebook.com/synecoretech. You can check out what we are doing by going to our home page at www.synecoretech.com. Don't forget to subscribe to our Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/SyneCoreTech?feature=BF

#dailychallenge

Sean Micahel Royer

Cracking the Code- Digital Display signs

SyneCore Technologies started out as a digital display company offering advertising mediums for small and medium sized businesses. 32-42 inch televisions screens were installed in venues with high traffic and above-par retention rates. Clients paid a price to advertise their company on the screens. A complimentary mobile marketing plan was the cherry on top for many companies.

The network now stands idle at 12 screens throughout the Southwest Metro. After analysing customer testimonials, market trends and industry statistics a clear understanding of the screens' value was missing. Many consumer find the screens as intriguing, new and exciting but we weren't able to deliver a quantifiable product that the market accepted.


A trip back to the drawing board paved the path for another round of inspiration and hope. We listened to the critiques of the previous clients and have fixed the bugs. The screens are now quantifiable with the aid of tracking URLs and mobile marketing. Landing pages help gather more intelligent data from the end user. Creative design work coupled with simplistic ad copy mold together , to create an ad powerful enough to strengthen any brand.

"The digital signage industry is only just beginning to hit its stride and move into more "non-traditional" areas such as education, hospitality, retail. We are seeing a rapid drive of broader-range environments that are finding that they must "bid, compete" for people's time and attention. Waiting areas in pharmacies, health care institutions, call centers/support organizations, offices are using digital signage to present a high-interest, highly-effective, controlled message. Even in manufacturing operations and employee communications, firms are using their intranet to keep employees abreast of company and industry information as well as to enhance their training/education." Jeff Hastings, January 9th 2012

We are on the brink of something exciting, fresh and new. Digital signage will be more dominate in the coming years and you will see more companies using it as a way to target niche markets.

Have you seen or heard of digital display advertising? If so where?

Check out our digital display signs here: Request more information to get 2 months free.
http://www.synecoretech.com/digital-display-signs





Quote Source" http://www.digitalsignagetoday.com/blog/7241/What-to-look-for-in-2012?rc_id=312

Missing the Million Dollar Mark!

"I will be a millionaire by the age of 25, own a house on Lake Minnetonka, be married and have 3 kids." I reflect on this goal often. I won't hesitate to admit I have none of these, and am honestly far away from checking them off. So, what went wrong?

Saturday February 4th marks that monumental checkpoint in my life, a quarter century of being. Damn, I missed the bulls eye. Hold on, let's not be so negative. Sure, I didn't achieve the goals I had lain out for the past 10 years, but is that the point. I say no.

Setting goals is a healthy way to priorities our lives. My achievements demonstrate success. A high school diploma, class speaker at graduation, bachelors degree from a reputable university, a long time girlfriend of 5 years, 2nd degree blackbelt and a start up business not too shabby. Even though I'm not quite a millionaire, nor do I have a family just yet the underlining point is that I never lost sight of my goals.

You will learn life has a funny way of throwing in detours and challenges when you least expect. Just remember, it's not about the problems and challenges that arise, but how you overcome them and stick to your guns to achieve your goals. Keep your eye on the prize and you will get there.

Try using the SMART goals acronym. It stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time. Keep these in mind when you set your goals.

Remember set your goals and come back to them often. Post them on your wall or desk, tell everyone about them so they can remind you. It's not always easy, but that's not the point.

"If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else."
    - Yogi Berra

Rebuilding 38 Years of History- Can it survive?

After 38 years of building a business it's now time to move on. John's Variety & Pets has been a major part of my life for the last 10 years and the catalyst for my love of entrepreneurship. We are now faced with the decision to move on or to re-build our  store. We are not ready to throw in the towel just yet. The biggest hurdle won't be packing up the store, finding a building or pulling off such a move but rather rebuilding the history in the walls.

Store Front: 2281 Commerce Blvd, Mound Mn

Excuse me, for those of you not familiar with John' Variety & Pets ( JVP ) it was previously a Ben Franklin. Pets, sewing needles, fabric, toys, seasonal, stationary, health and beauty, framing, home goods are only a small sample of what you can find on the shelves at JVP. As the saying goes "If you can't find it at John's You just don't need it." Early in 2011 a big box store,  Walgreens, put in an initial offer to purchase the property. After almost 8 months of negotiating and waiting for city approval the project is somewhat underway.

How does one craft a new location with the same nostalgic feel as the former location? Can You? It's questionable. I often ponder the future of the stores' integrity. Will this move damage the stores image or strengthen it?

The building is set to be torn down sometime late this year. I will continue to post updates on the sale of the store, learning points and anything worth sharing.

Connect with John's on Facebook.

Social Networking Sites

It's not what you know it's who you know. Chances are you have heard this phrase a time or two, but how true is it? It's a cheesy phrase but it goes a long ways. When you're in sales you quickly learn that people buy from people they know and trust. Social networking allows you to form relationships that you otherwise may not have had the opportunity to form.

Here are a few of my favorite online networking sites:

1. Focus.com
• Interact with professionals by posting a question or an answer. Meet individuals who share similar philosophies as you do.
• Benefits: establish a professional image, network with business professionals, access to research
2. Linkedin
• People buy from people they trust and Linkedin helps you achieve those trustworthy relationships. Network with colleagues in discussion groups or messaging.
• Benefits: get recommendations from your network, status updates, grow your professional network
3. G+
• Not an expert on G+ yet but understand the power of having dedicated groups to segment the data that I share with a particular group. Video chat option is certainly a great add-on. 
• Video chat features, separate who you share information with, your opinions show up in Google's SER algorithm
4. Empire Avenue 
• Just joined earlier this week but has quickly gained my respect. Meet new people withing the first 10 minutes. A social online "stock market" your network determines your wealth. 
• Grow your network fast, motivation to pursue new social networks
5. Twitter 
• Share messages in 140 characters or less twitter gives you access to news and information in short but frequent spurts on a live feed. 
• easy to use, quick easy post, user can retweet your post to their followers  
6. Xeeme

• Manage your connections and monitor your social footprint
• Allows you to share multiple social media profiles with one link. Check out my link below!

Connect with me: http://xeeme.com/SeanRoyer


There are many other sites out there that I didn't include in this post. I welcome your thoughts on this list or additions to the list.

Sean Michael Royer