I see it often - in their marketing and sales efforts, companies "tell" their prospects what they "need to know".  I have bad news -- they don't care.

You've heard it perhaps a thousand times before:  Tell prospects about your features and benefits.  Make them understand how great you are.  Heck, you built it, so be sure to tell them about all the cool features and capabilities of your product.  But in the end, they just don't care.  I'll bet you a nice steak dinner that the majority of time that companies present their solution, many of the prospects in the room are daydreaming about their weekend plans or how much work they have to do that day.

I work very hard.  I work like crazy.  I work obsessively. Wait, scratch that last one.  I try not to work obsessively because it make me less productive and less effective.  Why is that?

Like most entrepreneurs, part of the price (and joy) of being an entrepreneur is the challenge that comes with working in a job with no real bounds, no end point, and no finish line.  Sure, many other folks work quite hard as well (you know who you are), but as a job class, few folks work harder than entrepreneurs.

But how hard do you work?  Where do you draw the line?

A friend and colleague, Steven Slater, has been focusing on the importance of embracing Web 2.0 and helping PR executives understand and take advantage of Web 2.0 services and capabilities.  His focus here is on “Taking the Mystery Out of Web 2.0” for the uninitiated.

The challenges surrounding DC-area entrepreneur networking continues, but there has been some good progress in the past few months.

It sure seems like many folks in the area are feeling the pain -- the continued lack of networking in the DC area for up-and-coming entrepreneurs.  But it is not all gloom and doom.  Sometimes we just have to get out there and network to find help.  With that in mind, there are some people and organizations trying to do something about it, too.  Maybe it's worth sketching out some of the best programs that I have found out there (though I am sure I'll miss some).

The media link is a given. After all, what is politics without an audience?

People running for political office depend primarily on various forms of media to draw attention to their candidacy, sign up volunteers, poll opinions, solicit requests for funding, solidify their base and sway the undecided to (a) vote, and (b) vote for them or their cause.

Just as entrepreneurs with a new idea or product must break through the clutter of the massive numbers of messages everyone sees, reads or hears daily, drawing attention to your candidacy is an uphill battle for those new to politics who want to enter into public life and serve their region’s constituents.

The Theory:  There are several marketing industry gurus who champion the approach of marketing to ‘influencers’ to build a brand or ignite an idea through social marketing or business networking. The premise is that some individuals in our society have more power than others. This we can all agree on. And, yes, there are those with strong networks who are activists in one way or another (e.g., in the community, in business, politically, socially). Opinion leaders, another way to refer to them, are generally respected by the people in their network and often emulated. Among those championing the influencers are Malcolm Gladwell, the well-known author of The Tipping Point, Blink and other widely read books about business and society, and Ed Keller and Jon Berry, who co-authored the best-selling book, The Influentials.