What happens when Click-n-Clack meet Tom Peters ?

A couple of months ago, I was invited to participate in the Odeo beta. (Amazing who they invite when all you have to do is sign up on their handy webform : – )

One of the first podcasts I signed up for—just out of curiousity—was the PRI show Brain Brew (odeo page), the product of Doug Hall and his Eureka Ranch product- & business-development consultancy.

It’s rapidly become one of my favorites.

It’s a stage for idea-guy Doug to talk with small business owners to help solve common problems.

After listening to four or five shows his basic formula for small business success is pretty clear:

1. Define a unique benefit to the user (or in Doug parlance, “leave a 30-second voicemail”)
2. Reach your audience via: – Direct mail (in Dp, “don’t make cold calls anymore”) – or a channel strategy (always based on creative, persistent BD)
3. Include samples if at all possible
4. Use your website to reinforce the benefit-related pitch and to take orders

Simple huh? Of course the devil’s in the details and the entertainment’s in the delivery. Doug’s off-the-cuff honing in on product benefits for specific markets and suggestions for creative BD efforts are really enjoyable.

The producers pick a great cross-section of novice & experienced business owners with varying types of problems as well as experts on everything from passion catalyzing to tax advisors.

I definitely recommend the show to all current and aspiring (small) business owners.