BC Podcast

In this month’s interview Jayne Burgess from Flirt Group explains why it’s important to go out and see your clients in-person. She also discusses the advantages of being flexible, and making life easier for everyone involved in a project. Tune in for Episode 47 of the Business Catalyst podcast! Listen to this month’s podcast: Simply click the play button below to stream the podcast via your browser. player AudioPlayer.embed("player-nov1323", {soundFile: "http://www.businesscatalyst.com/LiteratureRetrieve.aspx?ID=126655", noinfo: "yes" }); Alternatively, you can download the podcast in .mp3 format for offline listening. In this episode: Michael Sallander announces the BC App of the Month Jayne explains why it’s important to meet clients in person Jayne discusses how she makes life easier for those around her Two of the biggest take-aways from my interview with Jayne is how she goes out of her way to make a personal connection with her clients, and also tries to make life easier for the people around her. Get out the door. When possible, do site-visits. Meeting your clients in person will help build a personal relationship. Many of your competitors do everything online and communicate only through email. If you take the time to see your clients, you will have a huge advantage over virtual companies. You will stand out. Also, seeing your client’s work environment will also give you a better understanding of how their business operates. Understanding the “big picture” will allow you to solve their overall business problems, not just quote on a website. Make it easy. Jayne figures out how to make the workflows as simple as possible for her developers and her clients. For example, Jayne won’t make her clients log in to a project management tool if their normal workflow is email. She makes her client’s workflow easier and then adapts to get the information into the Flirt Group’s internal workflow. To learn more, listen to the entire interview. Scott B Reynolds - Thrise Resources mentioned in podcast: Xero - http://xero.com/ Flirt Group - http://flirtgroup.com.au/

In this month’s podcast, Dave Haggblad from Digital Ink Multimedia shares how he uses WHOSAYDO to make his clients' sites more successful. Tune in for Episode 46 of the Business Catalyst podcast! Listen to this month’s podcast: Simply click the play button below to stream the podcast via your browser. player AudioPlayer.embed("player-nov1322", {soundFile: "http://www.businesscatalyst.com/LiteratureRetrieve.aspx?ID=126654", noinfo: "yes" }); Alternatively, you can download the podcast in .mp3 format for offline listening. In this episode: Michael Sallander announces the BC App of the Month Dave walks through Digital Ink Multimedia’s process Dave explains the value of WHOSAYDO In this month’s interview Dave explains the three questions he asks before starting a project. He calls this process WHOSAYDO. Who are you trying to talk to? "When you talk to everybody you are talking to nobody" Build a profile of your ideal customer. Be very specific. It should really feel like you’re talking to one person. Don’t worry, the rest of your clients will still hear the message, but your target clients, the ones you love to work with, will feel like your speaking just to them and that’s very powerful. What are you trying to say to them? "You can't have a website that says 50 things. No one will hear it." What is your primary message? What is your secondary message? Everything you do with design and content should support the primary or secondary message. What do you want them to do? Make it clear how to take an action. Don't leave your visitor at the bottom of the page. After consuming your carefully crafted content, don’t leave your prospect not knowing what to do next. Don’t assume they will know how to contact you, sign up for your newsletter/course, or buy what you’re selling. Make it really clear what the next step is. To learn more, listen to the entire interview. Scott B Reynolds - Thrise Resources mentioned in podcast: Building an App in an Hour (Webinar Recording) - http://businesscatalyst.com/bc-blog/webinar-recording-build-an-app-in-an-hour-with-michael-sallander Digital Ink Multimedia - http://www.digitalinkmultimedia.com/ BC App Store - http://www.bcappstore.com/ BC Gurus - http://www.bcgurus.com/

In this month’s podcast, Megan Taylor from Kapow Interactive walks us through a typical web project from start to finish. Tune in for Episode 45 of the Business Catalyst podcast! Listen to this month’s podcast: Simply click the play button below to stream the podcast via your browser. player AudioPlayer.embed("player-nov1320", {soundFile: "http://www.businesscatalyst.com/LiteratureRetrieve.aspx?ID=126653", noinfo: "yes" }); Alternatively, you can download the podcast in .mp3 format for offline listening. In this episode: Michael Sallander’s big announcement Megan walks through Kapow Interactive’s process Megan shares what she wishes she knew when starting out Important Takeaways: Don’t forget about offline marketing. It makes sense that a web professional would market themselves online. And, in many cases this is a good strategy, but don’t forget about marketing yourself offline. Megan works closely with her local Chamber of Commerce, wraps her car with her company information, and even advertises in the local newspaper. Every area is different so experiment with your marketing, but don’t forget about traditional marketing. Say no to work, but keep in touch. It’s smart not to spend too much time with clients who aren’t ready to invest in their online business. This is why Megan says “no” to some work. However, she keeps track of these potential clients. When work is slow, these contacts can be valuable leads. Many of these contacts could now be in a better position to pay for online services. Work on your business. If you start a website-building business, you probably already know something about building websites. Put some time into learning the business. Educating yourself in sales, marketing, and accounting will help you build a successful business. To learn more, listen to Megan’s entire interview. Scott B Reynolds - Thrise Resources mentioned in podcast: Kapow Interactive - http://www.kapowinteractive.com.au/ BrowserStack - http://www.browserstack.com/ BC App Store - http://www.bcappstore.com/

In this month’s podcast, Katie Zulanas from MediaTrik walks us through the steps her company takes in a web project. Tune in for Episode 44 of the Business Catalyst podcast! Listen to this month’s podcast: Simply click the play button below to stream the podcast via your browser. player AudioPlayer.embed("player-nov132", {soundFile: "http://www.businesscatalyst.com/LiteratureRetrieve.aspx?ID=126652", noinfo: "yes" }); Alternatively, you can download the podcast in .mp3 format for offline listening. In this episode: Congratulations to the BC App of the Month developers and prize winner Interview with Katie Zulanas from MediaTrik Business Catalyst Quiz Question Stop Losing Clients. Once you do business with MediaTrik, you aren’t going anywhere. And, that isn’t by accident. Katie has put a lot of thought into creating a process where clients are quickly entered into MediaTrik’s system. This process happens quickly and efficiently. And, once your project is complete you’ll find your new team continues to support you. And, there is good reason MediaTrik is so attentive to your needs. Katie and her team know if you feel like they are a part of your team, you are more likely to buy into their other services, like SEO. To find out more, listen to Katie’s interview. Scott B Reynolds - Thrise Resources mentioned in podcast: Ugurus - http://www.ugurus.com/ Liquid Markup Lessons - http://businesscatalyst.com/bc-blog/liquid-lessons-special-offer Cross Browser Testing - https://crossbrowsertesting.com/ Freshbooks – http://freshbooks.com Freshdesk - http://freshdesk.com/

In this month’s podcast, Kristen Lindsey from Apokrisis speaks to me about her successful sales techniques. Tune in for Episode 43 of the Business Catalyst podcast! Listen to this month’s podcast: Simply click the play button below to stream the podcast via your browser. player AudioPlayer.embed("player-nov131", {soundFile: "http://www.businesscatalyst.com/LiteratureRetrieve.aspx?ID=126651", noinfo: "yes" }); Alternatively, you can download the podcast in .mp3 format for offline listening. In this episode: Congratulations to the BC App of the Month developers and prize winner Interview with Kristen about her sales techniques Business Catalyst Quiz Question Be A Business Partner “We are not just orders takers for a site, we want to have their solution to be integrated in their overall business goals.” Speaking with Kristen, I am reminded how important it is to be seen as a business partner, not an order-taker. It takes building trust and setting expectations early on, but it makes for a more valuable relationship. “Business first, then marketing” Kristen uses the business goals established in the proposal process to create a monthly dashboard showing progress towards those business goals and return on investment. This not only keeps communications open, but also allows for opportunities to help clients move towards those goals. Being a business partner makes you extremely valuable and of course leads to more work. “It’s the businesses that really try to integrate their website into their overall business that have the most success.” It’s our job to explain why this is true. Kristen, and the rest of Apokrisis have obviously have done a great job proving that the work they do is a great return on investment. Resources mentioned in podcast: Apokrisis BC App of the Month Liquid Markup Lessons Avinash Kaushik Quote Roller Mavenlink Scott B Reynolds - Thrise

My podcast strategy is to interview various Business Catalyst Partners who are willing to share their experiences with specific areas of their business. Marketing is a great place to start. After having a few conversations with Stephanie I knew she would be the perfect Business Catalyst Partner to interview about the subject. In this month’s podcast, Dave Haggblad and I start out by discussing the January 2015 system update, including date filters, partner-to-partner site transfers, and web app improvements. Then, Stephanie Campanella from Summit Web Design and Tradies Get Online speaks to me about the advantages of Niche Marketing. Tune in for Episode 42 of the Business Catalyst podcast! Listen to this month’s podcast: Simply click the play button below to stream the podcast via your browser. player AudioPlayer.embed("player-nov132", {soundFile: "http://www.businesscatalyst.com/LiteratureRetrieve.aspx?ID=126650", noinfo: "yes" }); Alternatively, you can download the podcast in .mp3 format for offline listening. In this episode: Scott and Dave Haggblad talk about recent system update Interview with Stephanie about Niche Marketing Business Catalyst Quiz Question It’s amazing what you can learn when you simply ask (and listen). Stephanie had a lot to share about Niche Marketing. Here are my favorite quotes from the interview: “It won't shrink the business, it will make it bigger” The idea of limiting your customers to a specific type may seem counter-intuitive, but Stephanie makes some powerful arguments on why it can grow your business. “There are a hundred different electricians and they have different strengths.” It’s important to realize that even in Niche Marketing customers can be similar but they not the same. Knowing your industry saves a significant amount to time on research, but you still need to know your client’s business goals and their strengths. And, as Stephanie points out in the interview, making a deep dive into your customer’s business allows for better long tail keywords. Stephanie uses as much Business Catalyst for her own company as she can, including the entire CRM. She also uses the built-in reporting tool to make intelligent decisions in her marketing, like when to schedule email campaigns. “It’s really about picking the right time to send it to the right audience. And, and the more niche you are the stronger connection to your audience you get, therefore the better data you get." According to Stephanie, another reason to use Business Catalyst in your own company is that it shows that she's committed to the platform, even for her own site. There's nothing more important than your clients knowing they can trust you. It was a blast interviewing Stephanie, and I can't wait for my next interview. Scott B Reynolds

After a year of hosting the BC Podcast, it’s time that I pass the torch. After talking it over with Adobe, we agreed that Scott Reynolds would be the perfect replacement. On this month’s podcast, Scott and I talk about Adobe MAX, what got Scott into BC, and what he is already doing with BC.Next. Tune in for Episode 41 of the Business Catalyst podcast! Listen to this month’s podcast: Simply click the play button below to stream the podcast via your browser. player AudioPlayer.embed("player-nov13", {soundFile: "http://www.businesscatalyst.com/LiteratureRetrieve.aspx?ID=126649", noinfo: "yes" }); Alternatively, you can download the podcast in .mp3 format for offline listening. In this episode: Scott and Brent talk about Adobe MAX Interview with Scott about what he did before BC What BC.Next can do right now I truly enjoyed hosting the Podcast over the last year. Thanks to everyone that helped to make this happen - Adobe, my guests, production help, and of course… you, our listeners. If Scott’s history with the BC community is any gauge, I know Scott will do great things with the Official BC Podcast. If you would like to reach out and get in touch with me, feel free to drop me a line at brent@bcgurus.com. This is not goodbye, but see you later. Until then, Brent Weaver

With the upcoming BC.Next release, many questions are arising. What exactly does this update entail? What's the release schedule? What's next? Listen in as these questions and more are answered straight from Adobe's Senior Director of Business Catalyst, Alexandru Costin. On this month's podcast Brent and I interview Adobe's Senior Director of Business Catalyst, Alexandru Costin on the upcoming BC.Next release, as well as what to expect at Adobe MAX 2014. Listen in for your chance to win a BC Gurus template credit, valued at $149! Listen to this month’s podcast: Simply click the play button below to stream the podcast via your browser. player AudioPlayer.embed("player-nov13", {soundFile: "http://www.businesscatalyst.com/LiteratureRetrieve.aspx?ID=126648", noinfo: "yes" }); Alternatively, you can download the podcast in .mp3 format for offline listening. In this episode: Brent and Adam interview Adobe's Senior Director of Business Catalyst, Alexandru Costin on upcoming BC.Next release and Adobe MAX 2014. Join the Podcast! Do you have something you want to announce to the BC community? We'd love to hear about it (adam@bcgurus.com). See you next month! Adam Ladrach

We’ve expanded our team at uGurus with the goal of continuing to deliver excellent products at BCGurus.com and BCAppStore. The newest edition to our team, Adam Ladrach, will be spearheading our expanded work in the Business Catalyst market. On this month’s podcast, Adam and I talk about what brought him to BC, where he sees the biggest opportunity, and we also talk about what he enjoys to do in his spare time. In addition, I reveal the two new Business Catalyst sessions at Adobe MAX coming up this fall: Creating Personalized Web Experiences with Business Catalyst Delivering Custom Web Applications Using Business Catalyst Don’t forget that this month, Pretty Stock Viewer is the featured app over at BCAppStore.com. Tune in for Episode 39 of the Business Catalyst podcast! Listen to this month’s podcast: Simply click the play button below to stream the podcast via your browser. player AudioPlayer.embed("player-nov13", {soundFile: "http://www.businesscatalyst.com/LiteratureRetrieve.aspx?ID=126647", noinfo: "yes" }); Alternatively, you can download the podcast in .mp3 format for offline listening. In this episode: Brent announces the official Business Catalyst MAX sessions Interviews the new uGurus BC Manager Adam Ladrach Join the Podcast! Do you have something you want to announce to the BC community? I want to hear about it (brent@bcgurus.com). Until next time, Brent Weaver

The BC team recently announced several large upcoming platform improvements and features due to release in beta later this summer: Liquid Rendering, JSON, New Editing Capabilities and Increased Performance New Module/Tag Syntax, Liquid Templating and Improved Rendering Performance Access All BC Data: JSON Output Everywhere, More REST APIs New Admin Editor I decided to grab two of my senior developer minds to get a read on what all is possible once these features hit the platform. Without ruining the podcast—the answer is: a lot, lot more. Between these developments and the release of Open Platform earlier this year, BC is truly becoming one of the most flexible hosted platforms. Don’t forget that this month, Bootstrap Builder is the App of the Month and Scott over at Thrise has been so kind to offer a limited time discount. Get it while you can. Tune in for Episode 38 of the Business Catalyst podcast! In this episode we talk about Liquid, JSON, modules, rendering engines, and a deep dive into a few technical rabbit holes around what’s going to soon be possible. Simply click the play button below to stream the podcast via your browser. player AudioPlayer.embed("player-nov13", {soundFile: "http://www.businesscatalyst.com/LiteratureRetrieve.aspx?ID=126644", noinfo: "yes" }); Alternatively, you can download the podcast in .mp3 format for offline listening. In this episode: Brian Lowry explains Liquid in plain english (well, at least as much as a developer can) Erick Stubbs admits that this might be the biggest release he’s seen in his 6 year BC tenure (yeah, he’s an old timer) And much more Join the Podcast! Do you have something you want to announce to the BC community? I want to hear about it (brent@bcgurus.com). Until next time, Brent Weaver

Pricing is one of the most popular questions I get about Business Catalyst. This conversation begins with basic questions around… What should I charge per hour? How should I structure billing? Can I markup the wholesale cost of BC? Is there services that I can bundle in to increase my monthly profit? Are there different ways I can sell time to my clients? I thought the best way to answer these questions was to rope in three long time BC partners: Mike Sallander of Chicago Digital, Devon Reehl and Jonathan Hinshaw of Ebway Creative. Don’t forget that this month, BackupBC is the Official App of the Month. To celebrate, they are selling the app for 50% off (limited time only). Tune in for Episode 37 of the Business Catalyst podcast! In this episode we talk about pricing, margins, profit, and how to make more money with BC. Listen to this month’s podcast: Simply click the play button below to stream the podcast via your browser. player AudioPlayer.embed("player-nov13", {soundFile: "http://www.businesscatalyst.com/LiteratureRetrieve.aspx?ID=126643", noinfo: "yes" }); Alternatively, you can download the podcast in .mp3 format for offline listening. In this episode: Devon Reehl introduces the priority fee Mike Sallander gives us insight into the most important box in a proposal Jon Hinshaw tells how he sells hours more effectively And much more Join the Podcast! Do you have something you want to announce to the BC community? I want to hear about it (brent@bcgurus.com). Until next time, Brent Weaver

With the Open Platform private beta shortly coming to a close, I thought it would be a good idea to bring some long time partners together for a panel discussion on the subject. In April, the BC team will be unveiling Open Platform in public beta. Which means if you aren’t already up to speed, it’s time to get moving! But what’s the impact? Is it good? Is it bad? The overwhelming response so far has been that this new development is going to change the game for Business Catalyst in a really good way. But don’t just take my word for it, listen to what these great minds have to say: Scott Reynolds of Thrise (recently launched Google Analytics Manager & Bootstrap Builder) Mike Sallander of Chicago Digital and Solid Sky (recently launched Solid Admin Menu) Phil Lockwood of Creation Chamber Adam Cook of One Creative (recently launched Dev-in-a-Box) Joe Wellborn of BackupBC Tune in for Episode 36 of the Business Catalyst podcast! In this episode we talk to five top BC partners about the impact that Open Platform will have on their business, strategies, and most importantly, their clients. Listen to this month’s podcast: Simply click the play button below to stream the podcast via your browser. player AudioPlayer.embed("player-nov13", {soundFile: "http://www.businesscatalyst.com/_literature_126641/BC Podcast - Episode 35.mp3", noinfo: "yes" }); Alternatively, you can download the podcast in .mp3 format for offline listening. In this episode: Panel discussion about Open Platform Is Open Platform a good thing for BC? How are you approaching Open Platform with your clients? Ideas for Apps Collaborating with other partners on Apps And much more Join the Podcast! Do you have something you want to announce to the BC community? I want to hear about it (brent@bcgurus.com). Until next time, Brent Weaver

Tune in for Episode 35 of the Business Catalyst podcast! In this episode we announce the winners of last month’s Project Challenge, talk about the newest release, and dig into what Pretty has been up to when it comes to developing Apps for the upcoming public release of Open Platform. Listen to this month's podcast: Simply click the play button below to stream the podcast via your browser. player AudioPlayer.embed("player-nov13", {soundFile: "http://www.businesscatalyst.com/_literature_126641/BC Podcast - Episode 35.mp3", noinfo: "yes" }); Alternatively, you can download the podcast in .mp3 format for offline listening. In this episode : Review the February BC update Pretty’s App development pipeline Open Platform App opportunities App Standards Get Interviewed! If you want to make your debut on an upcoming BC Podcast, contact Brent (brent@bcgurus.com) Until next time, Brent Weaver

Tune in for Episode 34 of the Business Catalyst podcast! In this episode we announce the winners of last month’s Story Challenge, talk about the Open Platform Beta launch, get an interview with Director Alexandru Costin, and much more. Don’t miss out, listen below. Listen to this month's podcast: Simply click the play button below to stream the podcast via your browser. player AudioPlayer.embed("player-nov13", {soundFile: "http://www.businesscatalyst.com/_literature_126640/BC_Podcast_E34.mp3", noinfo: "yes" }); Alternatively, you can download the podcast in .mp3 format for offline listening. In this episode : Brent Weaver and Brian Lowry announce the Story Challenge winners Brian Lowry gives Javascript book recommendations to get ready for Open Platform Brent Weaver interviews Alexandru Costin about Open Platform and other developments with Business Catalyst Reminder about v2 UI being discontinued Learn about this months challenge Get Interviewed! If you want to make your debut on an upcoming BC Podcast, contact Brent (brent@bcgurus.com) Win big by answering the Project Challenge! Leave a comment below with a link to a recent BC project you completed and a couple of sentences describing the project and you’ll be entered in next months contest. The top three projects will receive a FREE BC Gurus premium template credit worth $149 each. Until next time, Brent & Brian

Tune in for Episode 33 of the Business Catalyst podcast! In this episode, we announce the winners from the big Holiday Giveaway, listen to an interview with long time partner Karim Ardalan, get an update from Brent’s recent trip to Romania to visit the BC engineering team, and then get this month’s Story Challenge. Don’t miss out, listen below. Listen to this month's podcast: Simply click the play button below to stream the podcast via your browser. player AudioPlayer.embed("player-nov13", {soundFile: "http://www.businesscatalyst.com/_literature_126639/BC_Podcast_E33.mp3", noinfo: "yes" }); Alternatively, you can download the podcast in .mp3 format for offline listening. In this episode : Brent Weaver and Brian Lowry announce the Holiday Giveaway winners by doing a drawing from all the entries Learn about Karim Ardalan’s company MIS and his BC-specific projects AidBC.com and BackupBC.com Get an update from Brent Weaver on his recent trip to Romania to visit with the BC engineers about upcoming developments and features Learn what the Story Challenge is and how you can win a free install of the Homepage Slider or Client Trainer Apps Get Interviewed! If you want to make your debut on an upcoming BC Podcast, contact Brent (brent@bcgurus.com) Win big by answering the Story Challenge! Leave a comment below with your answer to the story challenge and you will get the free Apps mentioned above. Until next time, Brent & Brian