Last week, after having 5 consecutive months of highest ever client reaches delivered week after week, the partners at Richter10.2 decided to move to a true pay per performance model for their clients, with no money due up front from new clients and no monthly fees due until Richter10.2 delivers the promised product. The company founders, Robert Cornish and Wil Seabrook, felt confident, based on past and current client results, to step fully into a model that removes all risk for the client and puts it on their company. Robert, Richter10.2’s CEO, stated, “In this market we have seen prospective clients tend to be more cautious and conservative when making decisions. We wanted to address their concerns and relieve them of any worry about risk related to spending based on the single fact that we knew we would perform and earn our fee based on that performance. There are not a lot of companies who can take this type of stance financially. We are pleased based on our track record that we can.”

With Richter10.2’s pay per performance model, their clients have no upfront costs but rather work out their target public audience and the number of reaches (as specifically defined in their agreement) that need to be delivered to their business development team monthly. These reaches are real relationships with strong interest in the client’s products or services. Only once these targeted reaches have been delivered will the client be obligated to pay.

COO Wil Seabrook is also happy with the new approach. “Since starting Richter10.2 with a handshake and a great idea, we’ve been working towards a model where we could deliver not only cutting edge online and new media PR but give the client measurable, real world results that clearly impacted their bottom line. The number one complaint we’ve heard from clients and prospects is that in their past experience PR companies often talk a great game but can’t deliver the goods. We’re very pleased to say that we offer something no other PR agency can.”

Richter10.2 Media Group is a new media PR agency focused on creating reach and developing sales for their clients. For further information, please contact us at 727-447-3600

We recently introduced our Pay Per Performance model which takes all of the risk off the clients and strongly motivates our team to produce results. While discussing this over and over with many prospective clients, the question of a lead vs. a reach has come up frequently and so I wanted to write a brief note to clear it up.

While it’s easy to confuse a reach with a lead, they are distinctly different, one supremely better than the other. By the explanation below, I’ll let you be the judge to decide which one is better…

Lead: It’s just that – a lead. It’s someone that may have some interest. It’s a possible business connection or a possible business development opportunity.

Reach: It’s someone reaching, interested, with a relationship already established. They already know about you, have heard about you and have a general understanding of what you do and now they want more. It’s the diamond of prospective clients that you wish you had daily.

Now let’s look at the dictionary definition of each as taken from The American Heritage College dictionary:

Lead: 9. To begin or open with. To go first or guide. 3a. Information pointing toward a possible solution; 7a. The introductory portion.

Reach: 4a. To succeed in getting in contact with or communicating with. b. To succeed in having an effect on. 3a. Range of understanding; comprehension. 1. To stretch out or put forth; extend 3. To arrive at; attain

So from the above definitions, it’s clear that a lead is the start, an introductory part or a beginning and a reach would be much further along than that and in fact is closer toward the end of the cycle. A reach entails someone reaching out for something. The introduction and start have all taken place and now it’s at the point of stretching or reaching for more.

So as it relates to business development and new client procurement, which would you rather have?

Our agency exclusively deals with reaches for our clients … not leads. Our performance model is based on number of reaches which to me, is the most valuable thing to our company and and our clients companies.

For more information about our services, click here to view a presentation on SlideShare.

Communication is the very essence of business as well as the economy. The more you can create and the faster you can get it going, the more revenue flows.

Currently it seems there is quite a problem with communication. As a business owner myself, I find the importance of communication to be extremely high. I demand from my staff that a lot of communication go out to the world and more specifically, to our target audience. I also demand that we handle communication rapidly, as fast as we can, and keep our flows moving fast.

If I get an email related to someone interested in our company, we instantly reply to move the cycle forward. Phone calls are returned the same day and everyone in the company has a mobile device that allows for immediate response via email at any given time. Additionally, we developed the Social Media Press Kit (http://whywebpr.com/smpk) for the purpose of making ourselves more accessible in every imaginable way, be it text message, email, Skype, Facebook, Linkedin or to download our communication details through a vCard.

We rate communication highly. However I have noticed that not everyone operates this way. People delay in getting back via email or phone. They are slow to communicate many times, if at all. This type of operating procedure hurts them and their company. Procrastination has no place in the business world. Slowness is not a strength and being out of communication is damaging.

Take a look at your communication systems this week and test them. Do you immediately respond to emails? Phone calls? How much communication are you sending out to the world daily? Your company? Is that enough?

If handled, your revenue will skyrocket. Get yourself and your company into communication with the world. Send communication out, even if you simply start by sending out 6 hand-written letters per week or 10 emails to introduce yourself to people you would want to do business with. Get communication flowing and fast.

Robert Cornish
CEO
Richter10.2 Media Group

How do your prospective clients find out about your company? How do you make the initial contact or the initial introduction to cultivate interest?

Times have changed. What used to work – going to companies door to door to get an appointment or cold calling a specific prospect to try to get 2 minutes are not as effective as they once were. New rules of business etiquette have interrupted these strategies. People are busy and they don’t want to be interrupted with uninvited visits or random phone calls.

We have experienced over and over that the name of the game is relationships and making smart introductions to the right people. The online world and, more specifically, new media have created an avenue to replace old systems of making introductions and building relationships with new ways that are generally acceptable in this day and age.

You don’t have to email blast 1000 people to hope for a response rate of 1-2% – you only need to make one connection, one introduction, to the right person with the right message to penetrate and gain interest and reach.

The methods of reaching out to prospective clients and making your company a known quantity as well as sparking interest have changed. Successfully adopted and utilized correctly, they will dramatically change your sales as well.

If we took the flea approach to business management we would discover many valid points related to a strong business strategy and operational management discipline. So here are the flea’s rules of engagement:

1. Persist – Never, ever, ever give up. The name of the game for any business owner or any person in business for that matter is sheer persistence. Persist on a given target no matter what the obstacle is and you WILL achieve your goals. Fleas persist and persist and persist, putting their enemy into apathy and winning small victory after small victory until their opponent is defeated and most likely moves or burns their house down.
2. Growth – Focus on ways you can grow, always. How can you expand your company, expand your team and spread your reach as far as possible. Always focus on aggressive growth targets and never contract. Strength in numbers. More staff, more clients, more market share, more awareness, more PR, promotion, advertising, etc. Fleas always grow and spread until they have dominated and taken over the desired territory.
3. Speed – Do it fast! Don’t hesitate for anything. Don’t delay decisions. Make fast decisions and even faster actions. Speed is the secret to your expansion. Slow actions relate to slow thinking and a slow company that gets sluggish. Be fast, use speed as your ally and be nimble. Fleas don’t hesitate to pounce on their target; they move fast and grow fast, quickly taking over what was once a virgin territory to attain their victory.
4. Attack your targets – Focus on what your targets or goals are and attack them head on. Don’t get distracted. Write them down and focus on what you are exactly going after. Be relentless with your targets until they are attained and checked off. Fleas focus on what they are going after and attack with ferocity in numbers to completely take over the target (cat or dog).
5. Become resistant to attacks – Develop a level of immunity. Don’t let attacks on you bother you or hurt your momentum. It’s all business and part of the game. You will get attacks from competition or unreasonable complaints from a few clients or other means of attack. Don’t let them phase you. Become resistant and continue to grow and expand regardless of the attacks. This will knock your enemies into complete apathy which will allow you to grow more. Fleas become incredibly resistant to sprays or shampoos or anything for that matter that tries to stop them.
6. Work in teams – Always work in teams. Work well and coordinate with your team. Business is a sport – treat it that way. Build your teams, encourage your teams and develop your team skills. Take your targets down as a team. Make sure your entire team understands and acknowledges the agreed upon goals and works together toward them. Fleas are experts at working in teams that build and build until they have completely taken over the target.

Here is to a prosperous 2010 with a flawless application of the flea management principals.

Cheers,
Robert Cornish
CEO
Richter10.2 Media Group

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet

It was a great experience since I deal with the Internet every single day, as do most of us.

I have found over and over that many people have mixed up concepts, mistaking the Web for the Internet or just generally don’t have a full concept of what it is and how it works.

My advice to you is to take the time to read the entire Wikipedia page about the Internet. It will dramatically improve your understanding of it and help clear up any concepts you had that may have been inaccurate.

-Robert Cornish

Happy Holidays from the team at Richter10.2 Media Group!

We also re-vamped the Social Media Press Kit site that explains the kit itself in detail, you can view that site here:

The Social Media Press Kit also comes with an email signature button that will help gain attention for you every time you send an email.

To learn more about the Social Media Press Kit, drop us a line:

http://www.richter10point2.com/contact.php

Richter10.2 Media Group

- What is the learning curve?

- Who is going to handle it and aren’t they already busy doing what they should be doing?

- If you hire someone, what is the ramp up, how much will it cost, and is it comparable?

The reality is that while many things sound like a good idea to “handle in-house” – you most likely will way under-estimate the time and money involved.

You should always spend your time and money on your core competency only – which is whatever it is that you do best. The other stuff should be left to specialists like accounting firms, public relations agencies, ad agencies, etc. Why work harder when you can work smarter?

Be realistic when looking at initiatives within your company and estimate the situations correctly before making bad decisions related around the “idea” of saving money. It’s easier to pay the money and spend your time making more money anyway. Don’t waste precious time and resources on initiatives that you really shouldn’t be spending any time on.

-Robert Cornish

Richter10.2 specializes in using every available cutting edge internet tool and platform to create a footprint for clients online that goes well beyond a simple website. Using their line of custom sales and information products, coupled with sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other popular destinations, they organically help clients build up a thriving network of the exact audience they want to reach.

“In today’s technological society, where the internet fits in your back pocket and people are being bombarded with messages every hour of their day, it’s difficult to know what will impinge,” says Robert Cornish, Chief Executive Officer of Richter10.2 Media Group. “Our new Strategic Introduction Service positions the client perfectly to create interest in the exact demographic they’d most like to reach. This is the laser guided missile approach that is fast replacing the old shotgun methods of traditional marketing and PR.”

About Richter10.2 Media Group LLC
Web PR (http://www.richter10point2.com) company Richter10.2 Media Group, LLC, was established in April 2008 in Clearwater, Florida, by co-founders Robert Cornish, CEO and Wil Seabrook, COO. They are a new media PR agency. They build strategic online PR strategies that use new media as a platform to communicate with their clients’ target public in order to build authentic relationships and create business opportunities. They are focused on gaining the maximum amount of attention for each client while utilizing every tool available to make their client known to the exact target audience most likely to need that client’s products and services. Their mission is to make strategic introductions and causatively put their client together with their target public audience so a profitable opportunity can occur. For more information visit http://www.richter10point2.com/our_firm.asp