Why we went:
The last time we sent anyone to the Search Engine stategies conference was in 2001 - I think. Not because we were really interested in that
technical stuff, but because we thought our readers might be.

Only two of us went and found very little that seemed relevant. At the time our readers, established successful mainstream companies, were just getting serious about their Internet presence.

When John Jowers went to work at his father's appliance company, he never thought it would lead to a sideline business restoring antique refrigerators. But now their "cool" appliances are doing a hot business on the web.

Those of us who are, to put it politely, in our prime, may remember a time when a refrigerator wasn't just a big, rectangular box in the kitchen.

Heather Lloyd-Martin's presentation about successful search engine copywriting, was held on the second day of the 2006 Search Engine Strategies conference in New York.

By then I had concluded that I would focus my comments in all my stories) on the needs of mainstream established companies-since those are the people I know the most about.

After three days of search engine emersion therapy last month at the Search Engine Strategies event in NYC followed by three weeks to work it all out, the answer is clear, it is both!

If you are an Internet entrepreneurs, you already know this stuff. You are already tweaking your Web sites constantly, you are jumping on and off the latest sure-fire bandwagons, attending seminars and conference calls all the time.

When I interviewed Kevin Rosen of Junior's Cheesecake here in NYC it was to ask him what he and his family want the Internet to do for them and their business.

I met Kevin when he appeared on a panel of business owners taking their companies online, sponsored by Crains Publishing Company at its annual Expo.

In fact I interviewed over 50 successful long established Main Street companies, asking many of the same questions that I asked Kevin.

The sweet taste of success! Blair Candy Company, a third generation family business, has taken their company from Altoona to Fargo- through cyberspace.

Blair Candy came to our attention through Dave Dadurka, a staff writer for Distribution Channels, a publication of the American Wholesale Marketer's Association.

Dave knew that Blair Candy exemplified exactly what we were looking for: a family-owned brick-and-mortar company that has added an Internet component to grow their business.

Modern technologies like the Internet have revolutionized the way many of us do business, and have opened up many opportunities for new enterprise.

And yet, all of these innovations pale in comparison with the "old-fashioned" values of hard work, fair business, and sheer strength personality.

The Nathan Kimmel Company, started by Nathan Kimmel in 1956, is an prime example of how one family's hard work, lead by a memorable man with an unwavering philosophy of how to do business, laid the foundation for a company that continues to thrive a half century later.

If you expect to succeed as a professional solution provider - coach, consultant, etc., you first have to last. Just last long enough and you'll be the only person who got started when you did, who is still around.

After all, 80-90% of the folks who got into coaching or insurance or whatever when you did, will fail and leave the business and it will all be yours.

When my daughter and I meet for lunch in Greenwich Village, we always pass by Bigelow's Apothecary.

I asked her if she shopped there, and she remarked that their Alchemy mascara is the best ever. (I had to take her word for it.)

I spoke with Bigelow's current proprietor, Ian Ginsberg, and the Bigelow's story is both a fascinating piece of New York nostalgia, and a demonstration of the importance of change in business.

The number one mistake we all make is not fine-tuning our niche tightly enough. It's possible that if there are 100 of your ideal target prospects in your normal marketing area - you will be able to make achieve your goals for a lifetime of endless new business.

By now I hope you have invested time and energy considering precisely what your ideal clients look like.

No matter which stage of development your client's company is in - there are issues requiring your services. You can help them see around the corner ahead - because you know what's coming. You may be the voice of reason. You may be the outsider they are looking for - no hidden agenda, no ax to grind, no previous advice to protect.

Or are your services no different than your competitors?

Really, why should people do business with you and not one of them? You've got to have a very good answer for that, or you are on your way out of business.