Marketing Advisor Update

Can You Recognise the Time to Start Selling?

2011-09-14T07:56:00.001+10:00

One of the maxims I have developed is:
Marketing Creates Leads; Sales Creates Clients
In practice, for companies that sell services or technical products, there can be a significant overlap between the Marketing and Sales zones. Let me explain.

Professionals and service providers that work on a project, or ongoing engagement basis, usually find themsleves in frequent contact with clients (and other providers or vendors) while they are delivering their services.

There are project update meetings, discussions with client personnel, vendor meetings, formal reviews and casual conversations over coffee or lunch.

Customer Service and Service Delivery

This type of client contact often falls into the category of ‘customer service’ or ‘service delivery’. That is, you are providing the services that have been previously scoped and agreed to.

However, in many circumstances these points of contact with the client (or vendor) can also be seen as marketing opportunities. These occasions can be treated in a proactive manner. For example you will be reinforcing the knowledge or expertise held by your firm. Or you will relate client success stories to demonstrate points during your discussions. This giving of information (demonstrating knowledge or expertise) is a marketing activity.

Recognise Sales 'Triggers'

During those conversations with clients you could hear comments that may indicate they have a need for additional services or products. I call these comments ‘triggers’ because they can trigger a sales-oriented conversation whereby you can explore their requirements and determine if in fact a sales opportunity exists.

It’s at this point – the ‘trigger’ point – that you need to switch from service delivery mode into sales mode.

The idea of switching into ‘sales mode’ can sound scary to many professionals and technically oriented staff. They don’t want to be perceived as a pushy money-hungry sales person. The good news is, you don’t need to act like the stereotypical sales person.

Sales Mode

Switching into ‘sales mode’ means that you need to do two things:
1) Ask intelligent questions
2) Slow down and listen

Pretty simple really.

But to do this well, you need to have a strategy. You need to know what to ask, and how to respond to possible answers. Importantly you also need to know what to do next. In other words, if you discover a potential need what will be your next steps?

Have you assessed your client interactions so you can recognise the time to start selling?

Creative Boost workshop in Brisbane Oct 7

2011-09-12T11:46:00.001+10:00

I'm very pleased that my friend and expert from Belgium on applying creativity in business, Cyriel Kortleven, will be back in Brisbane for a special workshop on Friday October 7.

Get details and register now for Early Bird rate. Limited seats.

Marketing vs. Gardening - is there a difference?

2011-07-06T16:32:00.000+10:00

Here's a picture of our latest garden bed... ready for a fresh crop of vegies. But what's this got to do with marketing.

You see, when I put in the first set of garden beds (you can see them behind the new one) I learned a few lessons.

What I Learned...

I learned about how to keep the frame level. Especially about cutting the sleepers to match the sloping ground so there are no gaps for soil to leak out of. And how to use nail plates on the inside to keep the sleepers tight and create a good-looking finish.

I learned about how long it takes to actually finish the job. In fact this one new bed took about 8 hours in total. This takes into account measuring out the bed, taking up the grass, digging up the earth (hard work with a mattock), measuring, cutting and assembling the frame, shifting the soil from the pile into the bed (more hard work) etc etc.

In many ways this is similar to creating marketing activities for your business.

What You Can Do...

You need to understand the tasks involved so you can allow enough time to get it done properly.

Plus, there is always a learning curve. And always the opportunity to improve what you have done before. Never expect to get something 100% right the first time.

Too many businesses start marketing activities without full knowledge of what is required to complete the job. Then, when it all becomes more difficult and time consuming than they expected the activity gets dropped. Result: wasted time, effort, and money.

If you are serious about your sales improvement initiatives you will:

Plan ahead so you aren't in a reactive mind-set - being reactive usually limits your thinking.
Assess what you have done before - see what you can learn from that.
Plan your tactics so they are in the correct sequence - for example understand your market before jumping at the latest promotional idea.
Pay attention to the details - examples: make sure you follow up all leads that are generated; accurately track budget expenditure; update your website or other material to reflect current marketing activities, offers and promotional messages.
Be sure you have the skills to do the job - for example if you're not good at working with words and writing, outsource that part of the process to someone who is. And if you're not good with technology, use someone who can do it for you.

Marketing vs. Gardening... actually there are quite a few similarities.

Reacting to Clients Will Cost You Sales... this is why

2011-02-22T08:57:00.000+10:00

Recently I was preparing for an inhouse training program by interviewing a number of senior managers and business development staff within the client organisation - the Australian division of a multi-national engineering company.

The company has a great team of experienced staff, and is well positioned for future growth within the industry sectors they serve.

But they have a problem. A major problem that is threatening to block future sales.

And this is the same problem I have seen in other organisations – both large and small.

The problem is… being reactive to sales opportunities.

Many professionals and technical staff think they just need to communicate the skills and experience of their team to win new business. But it’s never that simple!

Especially when your clients are large companies that have multiple stakeholders who have varying degrees of influence over the final decision, and where the decision making process is extended.

In most cases, your potential clients are seeking a reliable relationship – but not necessarily a warm, fuzzy relationship. What they do want is a professional business relationship that makes them feel secure and confident.

The most important thing to understand is…they want this relationship ‘before’ they engage your services. They don’t want to wait until the project is underway. They want to feel comfortable and reduce their perceived risk from the start.

So it's rare that a prospect will select a provider they don’t feel good about.

And feeling ‘good’ involves more than just reading the CV’s of senior consultants, or reviewing case studies of other projects, or watching snazzy PowerPoint presentations, or receiving glossy promotional material.

Prospects feel good when they believe they have established a relationship with you.

Back to the problem of being reactive…

It is very difficult to establish a relationship when you are being reactive and are focused on developing a written proposal, tender, or quotation… reacting to a specific request the client has already formulated.

The client is now looking for an answer, not a relationship.

Once you are working at that tactical level – and responding to a specific request – it is hard to break out of that cycle because the client has already made certain decisions and has certain preconceptions about what they are looking for and who might be suitable providers.

In essence, they have asked you to compare yourself to their requirements.

And truth be told – in most situations, at this stage, the client is probably looking to achieve due diligence (cover their backside) by “getting three quotes” or will use your proposal to check against their preferred provider. They’re not really looking for an alternative.

The bottom line is you don’t have much chance of success because you are being reactive.

A Better Approach

A much better approach is to work with the client in advance – to be proactive – helping them identify what they need.

But this isn’t always easy. To plant the seeds from which you can grow a relationship you need to:

Think strategically.
Make plans for major accounts.
Spot opportunities to start making contact.
Be bold in meeting new prospects.
Follow up in a timely manner, even when there is no immediate project.
Look for ways to involve other members of your team, spreading the relationship.

New Ideas to Win More Business in 2011 - Get in Quick

2010-12-22T07:36:00.005+10:00

ALERT: Book your place now on Australia's only sales training course that is specifically designed for people who sell services or technical products. Early Bird rates apply - saving you $250.

Due to my heavy schedule of inhouse training programs for progressive companies around Australia I don't often have the opportunity to present public workshops. In fact I haven't presented the Selling With Confidence public program since early 2010.

I have seen participants make immediate progress and win more business as a direct result of using what they have learned at this program.

No Kidding! One delegate arrived on the second day to report he had won new business the previous night (after the first training day) by using the technqiues at an industry event he attended. Wow!

Dates have now been set for the 2-day Selling With Confidence sales training course in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne over March and April 2011. Limted seats - max 12 people per program.

Get details on this sales training course now...

How to Win More Sales From Your Quotes (and Proposals).

2010-12-20T22:17:00.002+10:00

You’ve discussed the situation with your prospect. You have the information you need. Now it’s time to prepare your quote or proposal.

You spend time writing-up and reviewing your quote, being sure to address the key requirements discussed with your prospect. You’ve invested time, effort and money in getting to this point.

What do you do next?

How do you communicate your quote to maximise sales?

Practices you should avoid:

* Sending the quote by email, because you don’t have time to talk with the prospect.
* Not calling to see if the prospect has received or reviewed the quote.
* Believing the prospect will read (and fully understand) the quote.

Let’s face it… in many cases the prospect will have additional questions about the quote, or may need to have some aspects explained to them so they can clearly understand how you will provide your product or service. But they are busy too and may say they don't want any further contact.

Prospects will skip to the price.

However if you don’t explain your recommendation to the client they will usually go straight to the price and skip the main contents.

Plus, most times once the prospect has your quote they will be reluctant to meet with you again because they will feel as though they now have all the information they need. It is extra difficult to get them to schedule time with you.

The danger here is that you are the expert in what you provide. If you don’t explain your quote you cannot expect your prospect to have the same degree of insight as you do about how you will deliver the outcome.

Tips for success:

So here are some tips to ensure your prospect fully appreciates how you are proposing to help them.

(1) In your quote include a section on “Our Understanding of Your Requirements”. In this section you re-state the key points identified during your discussion with the prospect. Be sure to include details so they prospect knows you understand exactly what they need.

(2) Position the section on your price within the quote after you have explained the benefits or outcomes. Do not place the price as the very last item or section (typically pricing is on the last page and people flick over to the last page looking for it.)

(3) During your sales discussion let your prospect know you will require a separate time to discuss the recommendations included in the quote. If possible set an appointment for the quote discussion before you prepare the quote. Your objective is to get a commitment from the client to discuss the quote.

(4) Take the quote to your prospect and deliver it in person at the agreed meeting. At this meeting take your prospect through the quote section by section. Don’t just hand over the quote and wait for questions.

Your objectives in using approach your objective are to:
(A) Remain in control of the information flow;
(B) Ensure your prospect does fully understand what you propose; and
(C) Establish yourself as a true professional by helping the prospect with their decision.

Emailing the quote and not following up because you are “too busy” is a wasted opportunity. Instead, be proactive and win more sales.

Should You Leave Your Sales Presentation With the Client?

2010-10-28T10:39:00.000+10:00

Recently in a training session a participant asked the question: “Should I leave my presentation with the prospect after the meeting is finished?”

As you might expect there is no simple, clear-cut answer. There are a number of factors you need to consider.

Presentations are a vital part of your marketing and sales strategy, as people only retain about 25% of what they are told (via verbal communication). So you cannot rely simply on ‘telling’ clients, you must also try to ‘show’ them. Therefore using a visual presentation is a valuable tool to enhance understanding and retention.

Types of Presentations

First, consider what will actually be in your presentation. What is the purpose of your presentation? There are a few different types of presentations.

General Corporate Overview – this presentation gives a ‘big picture’ story of what your company does. It is often used when meeting clients for the first time. Sometimes this is a separate section within a larger presentation. It contains background information not related to a specific decision.

Specific Product/Service Presentation – this information is usually created to communicate definite information, specifications, or usage details to potential clients. Typically the content of the presentation will include details that focus on the product/service, not the client. Due to the product focus, this type of presentation may alienate the client if the information is not directly relevant for them.

Benefit Driven Presentation – this type of presentation is focused on opportunities for the client (or prospect). It is not focused on the product/service but may mention the product/service as a means to achieving the outcome. Using examples and success stories the information in this presentation is written to address client specific opportunities and motivate clients to want more. Information presented is often aspirational in nature, designed to stimulate and create desire for the outcomes/benefits.

Management Report Presentation – this type of presentation is often used internally, such as senior managers reporting to their superiors/Board members. It can also be used for high-level meetings with clients when the audience expects to see factual, business-case data on which they can base decisions. The information presented in this presentation is designed to empower the audience/client to make their own decisions.

To Keep, or Not to Keep

Next, think about if the audience will want to keep a copy of the presentation. Does it contain reference material or special information they will want to refer to at a later date?

If your presentation does contain special data your client will probably want to keep a copy. And it would usually be in your interest for them to have the copy, because you want them to know/remember the information (or at least have easy access to it).

If your presentation only contains general information such as in the Corporate Overview or the Benefit Driven type of presentation, then maybe there is not much use in the client keeping a copy, as the information, once explained, is not detailed enough or relevant to keep in a presentation format. On the other hand it wouldn’t harm your interests to leave a copy… but it may not serve any specific purpose to do so.

There are some occasions when your presentation may contain confidential or exclusive proprietary data – information unique to you that you don’t want available to the public. In this case you probably don’t want the client to have a copy, unless you can trust them not to share or lose the material. As an alternative, you could show them a separate document created for this purpose that contains the special information, but retain it as being ‘confidential’.

Send in Advance or Not

Whether you should send the presentation in advance depends upon the setting of the meeting. Many executives would expect the information to be sent in advance so they have time to review it before you meet with them. This enables them to be more effective with their time and come to the meeting prepared to make progress.

Sometimes your presentation may be required in advance to enable the client to decide if they will meet with you. In other words they will use the information in the presentation to ‘filter out’ irrelevant presentations, saving them time.

In other situations clients may not have time to review anything in advance, and they will consider the meeting/appointment as the place to receive the presentation. Sending it in advance is not necessary.

You may also find that in some cases you have certain information that is new to the client or that will not be easily understood on its own – you must explain it in context. In this situation it may be better to keep the presentation until you meet. Sending it in advance may confuse the client. Or they may misunderstand the information, possibly leading to initial confusion at the meeting that you must then clear up before you can proceed.

Summary

There are a number of options you should consider when evaluating whether to leave your presentation with the client, and whether to send it in advance.

In most cases you will probably want the client/prospect to have a copy of the presentation. However in a few situations (such as with proprietary information) you may want to withhold certain elements of the presentation, and consider leaving a copy of the non-proprietary content.

Be aware that if you do not leave a copy of your presentation with your client they may feel you don’t have confidence to be held accountable in the future (because you are taking away the ‘evidence’ of what you presented).

Not Always PowerPoint

Keep in mind that while we usually think of a ‘presentation’ as being a PowerPoint slideshow (and printed copy of slides), as an alternative you could also create a separate document as a summary (or ‘leave behind’) that presents the content from the presentation in a document format (not PowerPoint slide format).

This way you have control over having a good visual presentation (using PowerPoint) and also have a suitable printed document to distribute.

Your Clients Want to be Led

2010-10-14T00:15:00.004+10:00

You may not believe it, but my view is that your clients want to be led.

That’s right… they want to follow you.

Of course they don’t want to follow you blindly. They want to follow you because they believe you can help them.

When it comes to conducting sales conversations I find that many professionals, technical staff and business owners think, “I don’t want to be like a sales person”. So they stay quiet. They don’t probe. And they wait for the client to make a move.

That one negative thought has the potential to prevent professionals and technical people everywhere from being successful in their sales activities. And usually that negative thought is based on their perception of selling as being where you ‘push’ a product or service at your client whether they want it or not.

That’s an old-fashioned and outdated view of what selling should be. And can be.

In reality the opposite is true – professionals need to be conducting proactive sales conversations to truly help their clients.

Remember this:
The only reason your client will want to talk to you is that they believe you can help them.

If they already knew what to do, and had all the information they needed, and were confident about making a buying decision, they wouldn’t bother talking to you.

They are relying on you to understand what they need and lead them through the process of making the right decision for them.

It may be that your client has already checked out your website; read one of your articles; seen a testimonial; heard about you from a friend… but they still need you to take the lead.

So instead of thinking “I don’t want to be like a sales person” and shying away from the sales conversation, you should ask yourself “How can I best help this client?”

In reframing your activity – from ‘selling’ to ‘exploring’ – you will set yourself free of the presumption of having to be pushy.

When you start exploring you will find out what your client really wants. You will gain confidence from having a clear understanding of their needs. You will find new ways of helping your clients, and you won’t be scared of making inappropriate recommendations (because you will understand what they want).

How do you explore? By asking questions.

The art of asking the right questions the right way is a learned skill. In fact that is one of the main learning outcomes from our sales training courses.

It is a good idea to start by asking relatively general questions, and then move on to questions that become more specific. The best questions probe deeply (but with sensitivity) to reveal where the value lies for the client.

Every sales conversation should be run according to your strategy.

Unfortunately many sellers undertake sales conversations and rely on ‘going with the flow’. However the flow often doesn’t go your way unless you plan it to. Having a strategy for your sales conversations is essential.

Your clients want to be led. To do that properly you need to have a philosophy of exploring the clients requirements using a planned question-based conversation strategy.

3 Tips for Writing Reader-Friendly Marketing Messages

2010-06-28T21:59:00.001+10:00

I've borrowed these 3 tips directly from Harvard Business Review that recommended them as 3 Tips for Writing Reader-Friendly Memos. The exact same advice works excellently for marketing messages.

1. Avoid complex phrasing. Writing elegantly is not important; delivering smart content is. Let the message stand out more than your language. (perfectly said)

2. Be concise. Many memo (marketing) writers get hung up on "flow." But flowing sentences tend to be long and dense. You don't need choppy sentences, just hardworking ones that deliver content concisely.

3. Skip the jargon. Jargon can be a useful way to communicate among experts, but you should never use jargon if it's meaningless, if you don't understand it, or when your audience isn't familiar with it. (Hint: be sure you understand your audience.)

My advice: Too many people think for marketing you need to write to impress people. Really you should be aiming to write in a way that persuades people. Keep it simple enough for your audience to easily understand - and be sure to include a clear call to action. Let them know what they should do next if they want to move forward.

Great Example of Temporary Web Page

2010-06-22T12:25:00.002+10:00

It is one of the worst marketing sins these days - to promote a new website and have a lazy 'under construction' message displayed. But I've just seen a great example of how to do it properly. Even if your complete website is not written, make sure you project a suitable image, and at least have basic contact details.

Kombi Love is a specialist car hire website that was mentioned in this article on Sydney Morning Herald website.

It looks good, includes the main details, a contact enquiry form and phone number all easily displayed. It aslo shows the future pages in the navigation bar - encouraging for people to know what else could be available from the business.

There is Science Behind This Fundamental Selling Mistake

2010-06-10T21:57:00.008+10:00

This article on Fast Company mentions a phenomenon I think is very common in sales. It's when we are doing the selling and assume the client has a particular attitude based on a certain behaviour we observe (or a response we receive from them).

Fundamental Attribution Error:

The judgment (that we make) is what’s called, in psychology, the Fundamental Attribution Error. Meaning that we tend to attribute people’s behavior to their core character rather than to their situation.

The take-away: When selling, don't jump to conclusions about what the client is thinking based on a certain behaviour, or response, from them. Look for other clues as to what might be driving the behaviour. You should attempt to discover if it is the situation that is causing them to react in the way you observe. Maybe they don't act/think/talk like that all the time.

Maybe you can even ask them about it.

Example: "Mary, I notice you don't seem very interested in (mention a certain feature or benefit). Is that right? Can you tell me why?"

Remember your motto when selling: Seek first to understand.

Study shows Aussies Prefer UK Accent in Video Voice Over Test

2010-06-10T09:53:00.003+10:00

An interesting result - and one that shows Australians have a much higher preference than people from other countries for UK accents versus American.

Results come from Which Test Won, a website that reviews website and email marketing split tests.

If we broaden the implication it is useful to keep this in mind for any communication - especially online - that may have American origins.

This preference against US-origin is something I have seen many times in relation to sales training. The American style is often perceived as too 'aggressive' and fast-paced for the typical Australia audience.

What do you think? Your comments are welcome.

The Importance of Sticking to Your Area of Expertise

2010-05-27T15:52:00.003+10:00

Quite a few years ago I worked in the Retail Division of Mobil Oil in Brisbane. I travelled around the state; stayed in luxury hotels; quizzed site owners about their operations; wielded power in allocating funds and appointing franchisees.

The Retail Division was seen as the flashy cousin to the dull and boring refinery operations. Everyone in Retail worked hard (more like we were driven hard!) and occasionally also got some play time as a group.

It was the '90's and the idea of combining petrol sales with convenience stores was still a novel idea in Australia. I was also heavily involved in the fast food sites located on major highways - another new concept.

Time moves on...

Over a few years the Retail Division was wound down, and slowly but surely became inactive.

Why?

Because it wasn't a good fit with the overall operation of Mobil. Essentially Mobil couldn't compete in the retail market place against the faster moving compettors of BP and Shell. It is a high investment, high risk industry.

And today it is reported that 7-Eleven buys Mobil petrol stations.

Behind the scenes it can be assumed that Mobil has struggled for many years to 'keep up with the Jones'. It is obvious that BP and Shell secured lucrative retail sites on major roads, and invested heavily in upgrading their sites.

Mobil stood still because they weren't committed to retail operations. They couldn't see a return.

The lesson here is that you need to define your market place, and your area of expertise, and make sure you stick to it. Mobil wandered into retail operations for decades without making a success of it.

Don't make the same mistake.

Does lateness of your sales people cost you money?

2010-05-25T17:31:00.003+10:00

This interesting article about options for handling staff who continually arrive ate for work on Sydney Morning Herald small business pages made me think about how do you monitor and manage your sales team when they are late.

I'm not just talking about being late on arrival at work in the morning. For many people in a sales role they don't have to check in at their desk at the same time every day like other people in the office might.

Latness can easily go unnoticed.

Lateness for sales people can be:

* Late for meetings
* Late with submitting reports
* Late for returning phone calls
* Late for responding to client requests
* Late with submitting expenses
* Late with providing input or ideas when requested
* As well as being late to start in the morning (but this may go unnoticed if they are in the field)

The SMH article talked about lateness as a sign of lack of commitment and possible attitudinal or behavoural problems. Or maybe even problems in their personal life.

This raises the importance of staying tuned-in to your sales team and understanding their individual motivations. When signs of lateness (or lack of commitment) appear you can start to ask... Why?

Twitter Success: Presentation + Adapting to the market

2010-05-20T12:31:00.008+10:00

Watch this video by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey and pay attention to what he describes over a few minutes starting at the 10:55 mark. He explains how the common features of Twitter actually came from users - not the company.

Message: Pay attention to what your customers are doing with your product/service.

Also, his presentation style shows how you can be quite reserved, yet still engaging as long as your audience is connecting with you. (Know your audience). Only a handful of PowerPoint slides used, mainly to show things he cannot put into words.

However his reserved presentation style may seem slow (possibly painful) to some people, as witnessed by comments on the video page.

He starts off a bit nervous (note a slight hesitation and few umms) but then settles in for a relaxed 'conversation' with the audience.

Download Biz Development ebook for Professional Services

2010-05-17T22:07:00.003+10:00

Nearly a year ago I released my e-book for technical sales people called The Assassin Analogy. Since then I have received many positive comments and more importantly... continue to see people make immediate improvements to their sales results from using the practical concepts explained in the e-book.

Now I have updated and written a version especially for professional services, consultants, advisors, and coaches - in fact it is suitable for anyone who is an independent adviser.

Download The Assassin Analogy for Professional Services

Of course the e-book is free. Why? It's my gift to those of you who are serious about making long-lasting improvements and who want to build your confidence in managing sales conversations.

Let me know what you think of it!

Remember:
You can enjoy selling when you have the skills for success.

Creating Effective Local Promotions (part 1 of 2)

2010-05-11T15:59:00.003+10:00

This is Part 1 of an article I wrote for 'The Science of Beauty', a national magazine for the salon industry. However the message applies to all businesses that promote locally.
= = = =

Creating Effective Local Promotions

The first thing you need to consider when planning a promotion in your local area is… Who is in your local area?

You need to have a clear image of whom you will be speaking to through your promotion. What type of person do you expect to attract?

Most salons service a distinct local area – usually within about a 5km to 7km radius from the salon. Have you actually mapped where your market is? The best way to do this is to review your client data and create a list of all clients by postcode. Then you can sort the postcodes (using a spreadsheet) and determine the actual geographic spread of clients.

Understand Who You Are Talking To

You might be surprised at the results. I have seen salons that have 80% of clients within a 5km radius. This has a huge impact on which marketing communication tactics you should use. There is no point promoting to people who live 10 or 15km away if they aren’t going to travel to your salon.

Once you know the geographic coverage of your local market area consider the demographic and socio-economic profile of the people living there.

Demographics means the age, lifestyle, family size etc of the local residents.

Socio-economic means the financial status of residents including what type of jobs they do and average household income.

If you’re new to your market area, or simply not sure about the different areas, why not hop in the car and take a drive around and see for yourself. You can also access census data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics if you want even more detail (visit www.abs.gov.au).

Part of your assessment of the local area should also include a competitor analysis. Who are your competitors? How do they compare to you for presentation of the business, services offered, pricing etc? Know your enemy!

One of the main reasons you need to have an understanding of the demographics and socio-economic factors is that it can help you decide what you should be promoting - which services and products, and at which price-point.

What to Offer?

I’ve written before about not offering a discount. Why is it bad? Because discounts undermine the perceived value in your services and products. It also makes it harder to get new clients to re-book at full price.

The best thing to do is to think about the purpose of the promotion. Then you can decide what to offer.

* Is it to attract more first-time clients?
* Is it to promote a specific service/product?
* Is it to fill a gap in your booking schedule?

For example if your aim is to attract more clients for any/all of your services, then you would want to promote the most popular services. Give people something they want.

Create a Package – Promote Value

Then think about how you can create a package combining a number of these services and/or products. Don’t simply reduce the price on your popular services. That’s business suicide!

The idea of offering a package is two-fold. Firstly, it creates a high perceived value. In reality you may have more margin to play with on services than on products. So by making smart decisions about your package you can still make your offer profitable for you.

Secondly, offering a package makes it difficult, if not impossible, for your prospects to easily compare you to competitors. This way you don’t need to offer the lowest prices to get attention.

Keep the focus of your offer on ‘value’, not on ‘price’.
And be sure to include a reason to respond NOW. Consider using a limited time offer, or a limited quality offer. Be specific about the time frame or number.

Stay tuned for Part 2...

Sydney Workshops Now Only $67 each, May 18.

2010-04-17T14:00:00.002+10:00

Sales and Presentation Skills Mini-Workshops, Sydney May 18.

Due to changing circumstances I have scheduled the Sydney mini-workshops for Tuesday May 18. And the price is now even lower, at only $67 per workshop, or a low $125 for the full day experience of two workshops.

Click here to get all the details and register at Early Bird rates

Selling Skills - 9.00am to 12.00pm

Presentation Skills - 1.30pm to 4.30pm

Never Stop Marketing Your Business - Or You Will Get Eaten Alive

2010-04-07T18:09:00.006+10:00

A stark reminder of what happens when you don't market your business. From this news story of today... the key part is this:

When the economy is genuinely humming, the growth rates of retail chains and small retailers tend to be roughly in sync.

However, during downturns it is common for their performances to diverge, with the chains using their greater pricing flexibility and marketing muscle to keep the top line ticking along.

For example, in financial year 2008, even as interest rates rose because of Reserve Bank fears about an overheating economy, the growth rate differential between the chains and the independents - excluding businesses in food away from home - was just half a percentage point. Since then the difference has blown out to almost 9 percentage points.

My work is mainly within the B-to-B sector, but the comparison to how larger franchise and company-owned groups (the chains) maintain their position in tough times by using their 'pricing' and 'marketing muscle' is a strong reminder of why you always need to market your business - no matter what industry you are in.

Define your niche (or specialty).
Identify the value you provide (in the eyes of your client).
Develop an effective marketing program.
Keep doing it - all the time.

The 24-7-30 follow-up approach

2010-04-02T09:50:00.003+10:00

Here's a great tip on how to stay in touch with people you meet at networking events. From Andy Lopata in the UK...

I'm often asked about how to follow up contacts you meet at a networking event.

One of the most popular processes I share was outlined by a delegate on one of my workshops a few years ago. The 24-7-30 approach is based on the principle that interacting with someone three times in the month after meeting them cements your relationships.

The approach dictates that you follow up with someone 24 hours after an event, 7 days later and again after 30 days.

Although I don't practice this as a matter of course, if I look back at the people who have become an integral part of my network after meeting at events, this pattern definitely applies. It may be an email, phone call and meeting. Or email, meeting and follow up. But those three touches in a month are certainly present.

Marketing is about being real, not about being glossy

2010-03-01T07:57:00.006+10:00

I’ve been working as a marketing practitioner for 20 years. Over that time I’ve heard heaps of people say (or imply) that marketing is fake. That it is about tricking people into buying or doing something they don’t really want or need. That marketing is insincere.

Have you ever thought that?

The scary thing is I meet plenty of business owners – from small operators to partners in large firms – that are still thinking that way. Even though the only way they can grow their business is to undertake some form of marketing, promotion, or selling.

They look down their nose at ‘marketing’ seeing it as something they would rather not do.

And this recent article from website usability guru Gerry McGovern includes this statement…

“This is a really difficult message for marketers and communicators to hear, but we need to hear it and really, really listen. Those of us who think the essence of our jobs is to make our websites exciting don't have much of a future in the web industry.”

Gerry is implying that marketing people focus on the fluffy stuff. The glossy side. Looking to change things just for the sake of it.

OK… I admit some marketers do do that. They are shallow. They look for the excitement in doing something new. Not necessarily something that is needed.

And old-style marketers often focus on telling prospects what they should do – the pushy advertising model – rather than attracting clients by helping them make a decision.

However, if you want to be successful in your business – no matter what your industry or how many customers you have – you must look at marketing as an integral cog in your business machine (wow, it just struck me how 19th century that common cog-in-the-wheel analogy sounds).

Your marketing program should be driven by a sound strategic approach based on achieving your business objectives. It should consist of a series of related events that are:

* Timed for maximum impact on your prospects.
* Add value for your clients-to-be.
* Easily managed within the constraints of your resources (time and money).

Your marketing must address issues important for your prospects - from their perspective.

Get over your feelings of marketing – and use it as the business development tool it really is. Make it work for you.

The Real Entreprenuer Test

2010-02-16T09:31:00.002+10:00

I get to meet lots of business owners. Some are quite savvy and switched on to what it takes to make decisions, take risks, and run a business.

Others seem to be waiting for the magical wand to be waved over them and for their business to take off.

If you're wondering if you have what it takes to be a business owner (call yourself an entreprenuer if you want)... take this 10 question test by business consultant and serial entreprenuer Barry Moltz.

The only entreprenuer test you need to take

2010-02-06T10:49:00.005+10:00

In this brief video interview Dan Martin from Business Zone (UK) talks with Tony Wheeler, the founder of the Lonely Planet travel guides.

Tony mentions some helpful points about the serendipitous start soe businesses make; the advice he received from his MBA mates; and how to perservere.

Interview with Richard Branson - the man behind the stunts

2010-01-11T15:53:00.003+10:00

Richard Branson is an enigma. He appears to be outlandish, with his wild business stunts. But when you see him in normal conversation he really is much quieter - and even suffers from dislexia. Watch this Richard Branson interview for some business inspiration.

Marketing Nous website upgraded

2010-01-11T15:50:00.002+10:00

Normally this is a boring announcement (hey.. this time it's different!) - please take a moment to check the revised Marketing Nous website featuring the Sales Improvement Propeller model, as well as sales training and presentation skills training options.

How Not To Send a Christmas Message

2009-12-19T13:25:00.009+10:00

You can see below a Christmas letter I received last week from a mortgage broker. We had used the mortgage broker when we refinanced a few years ago, but we hardly ever hear from her.

The Christmas message arrived in an envelope bearing the logo of the mortgage broking company (which I won’t mention here). It is a major company.

When I opened the envelope I was shocked (from a marketing perspective) to find that the sender had not mentioned her name at all. She didn’t even sign off with her name or company. No name, no company, no logo. Who is it from? I had to assume it was from the broker we used.

See what I mean…
(click image to enlarge)

I can understand the intention of the message was to provide a chatty year-in-review, New Year resolution-type of update.

However I am appalled at the thought that the sender thinks this is good client relations.

The problems:

* The message (and the envelope) never mentions who it is from.

* The opening line is confusing… do we match any?? (what are we matching?)

* Trying to sell me to attend investor seminars… inappropriate to do here. Better to send me another message specifically about that.

* Mentioning personal and family achievements is out of place, as the sender never takes time to ‘ever’ make contact at other times of year. Am I interested in what she has done with her frequent flyer points? (answer: not really)

* Signing off with “From our family to yours” is insincere… I’ve never met her family, and she doesn’t know ours. Importantly, we never hear from her at other times.

You might think I’m being a grump at Christmas time. But I’m not.

If you are going to send any message that purports to be personal, you must be sure to make personal contact. Don’t send a generic ‘personal’ note to people that you hardly ever contact.

Developing client relationships needs to be an ongoing strategy for you. Not just something you hurriedly do at Christmas time.

Lessons From The Deck Chair #2: People Don't Follow Directions - and what you can do about it.

2009-12-09T15:31:00.004+10:00

[ Read Lessons From The Deck Chair #1 here ]

On an individual basis I bet you think you’re pretty good at following instructions.

After all, it doesn’t sound hard to simply follow a sign or basic directions, does it?

But alas… people often don’t pay attention to what they have been told, even when it is in their own interests to do so.

Why?

Maybe it’s because they get distracted with what they want to do. Maybe they’re doing something new to them, their mind is fully occupied, and they can’t take in more information.

End result… they lose focus and don’t concentrate on ‘following the directions’.

Let me give you a few examples I’ve observed on the cruise ship.

1) A young guy (old enough to know better) was sitting next to me in the computer lounge using the internet. When he finished he explained, ‘Wow, they just charged me $60 for 45 minutes’. He turned to me and asked me if that sounded right, and to check with how long I’d been there to give him some bearing on how long he had been online. He should have read the instructions and pricing plans which are clearly displayed on the screen when you log on. I guess he was using the casual rate which is much higher than buying a package of time.

2) Every time the ship enters port an announcement is made not to take foodstuffs from the ship onto shore. It’s against quarantine regulations. This announcement is made every time before you disembark. And there are signs near the gangway as well. But some people still get stopped at the security check and have to go through the hassle of having their bags checked and foodstuffs removed.

3) Playing Bingo is fun and easy – as I mentioned in the last issue. (In fact Peter from our dinner table group reckons you only need two neurons to play it.) However there are regular situations where players get confused, or don’t follow the directions for each game. As a result there are false calls of “bingo”. This is usually good – as it creates some fun as the player making the false call undergoes a little well-intentioned embarrassment, and play continues... so you still have a chance to win!

4) In many ports a shuttle bus service is provided to take passengers from the ship to the nearby town (sometimes it can be 2 to 5 kilometres away). Prior to reaching the port announcements are made on how to obtain shuttle bus tickets from the Tour Desk. However, many people still disembark without tickets and create confusion and a delay in the queue on the dock to reach the shuttle bus. If everyone obtained their tickets in advance the whole process would be so much easier and less stressful when disembarking.

Anyway, that’s enough about the real-life examples.

What does this mean for you and your business development activities?

Never assume your client (or prospect) will follow your directions the first time.

On your website give multiple opportunities to take action.

In sales discussions, always repeat key points.

In your marketing, repeat key messages across your various promotional activities.

Send a written summary to prospects after important sales meetings.

Follow up with clients by phone, email, or letter to check they have acted on your instructions.

Use a series of automated follow up emails to remind and prompt clients to use the information provided, or download the report you have offered.

Show a picture to make it easier for people to take action.

On websites use a ‘click here’ style of graphic or image. Use a larger image for the most important action. (Note: research shows this works better than having all buttons on the web page the same size.)

Use a sales process chart to explain to your prospects how you will work with them, and emphasise what they will need to do.

Use a step-by-step guide to using your products or services – show clients what they should do next.

Emphasise what not to do, or emphasise your point of difference, by using a simple graphic – remember the Ghostbusters logo, a ghost with the familiar red line through it (Ghostbusters = no ghosts).

Give examples of what to do.

Relate stories about other client to create a vivid picture of what needs to be done (and why).
Provide options for what clients can do, and give examples of when or why they would choose each option.

It would be wonderful if our prospects and clients carefully followed our instructions first time around.

But don’t expect it to happen that way. Anticipate the need to repeat your message. And use different mediums wherever possible such as images, spoken, and written words.

If you want to maximise your success pay attention to how you can help your prospects become clients, and how you can help current clients use more of your services or products.

Never assume they will act on the first message.

Lessons From The Deck Chair #1: Get Uncomfortable to Grow

2009-12-03T13:09:00.001+10:00

Lessons From The Deck Chair #1:
Being Comfortable Is Not Always Productive

When you think of being on a cruise ship, what comes to mind? Maybe having drinks at the bar; onshore excursions; being pampered; or lazy days in a deck chair!

But it's not all that easy. Being on a cruise ship can be confronting. Everyday there are challenges to overcome.

Unless you stay in your stateroom for the entire journey you have to come face-to-face with new experiences, new challenges.

(I know... I know... some of you will be thinking "that's the point of travelling isn't it, to have new experiences"... but stay with me here)

One thing I have reflected on during the cruise is the fact that without stepping up, and stepping out of your comfort zone, you will never get the progress and success you are seeking. You will never learn and never grow.

Sound a bit heavy for deck chair thinking? Let me explain...

If you're not familiar with dinner 'sittings' on cruises, there are often two sittings - an early and a late sitting.

At each sitting it is commonplace for you to be seated with a group of other passengers. Fellow travellers who are completely unknown to you. You may be on a table of eight, with quite a few people you have never seen before - not even onboard.

And... it is expected you will converse with these strangers while dinner is served!

= = =
Think about it... how often would you walk into your favourite restaurant, sit down with a table of strangers, and start talking to them about their day, about their family, and ask "where else have you travelled"?
= = =

But on a cruise you can, and will, do this.

And once you take the leap into engaging with strangers you will be rewarded with learning about them, what they have done, and what you might be able to do too. You will make friends with some, and discover others you don't really mesh with. That's life.

However, you can never go back and undo the learning - you can't remove the experience.

Also, on the ship there is a variety of food available. Food from countries that you would not usually eat - things that seem strange and foreign. But once you try a few dishes you develop a taste for adventure, for trying more new dishes as they are offered.

You start to lose your fear of the unknown. Your boundaries expand. And you learn from that experience.

Life on board also gives you the chance to try activities you would not normally participate in, like playing bingo, which is great fun... even if you are under 75 years of age. It is such a simple, fun game made all the better by an experienced and entertaining caller who announces the numbers with humour and a great sense of comic timing, like "number 8, two fat ladies, number 8".

(I must confess. I developed an early liking for bingo. My parents used to take us to the local bingo games during summer holidays on the NSW central coast.)

The lesson here is that if, in your business or selling activities, you don't try new ways of doing things you will find it very difficult to achieve greater success.

I can tell you now, not everything you try will work out well. Just like trying an unknown dish at the restaurant - you may not like the results every time.

But you learn and move on. Making progress towards your goals.

Staying in your comfort zone may be easy, but it's not always productive.

Selling Luxury Goods in a Recession

2009-11-19T22:00:00.003+10:00

See what America's respected business journal Inc. says when asked: What's the best way to promote our luxury goods? (I reckon it also applies if you offer a service.)

Get the answer here...

The answer is no surprise really:
* Offer/upsell to existing customers.
* Joint venture - partner with a related business to create an event.
* Be present in the right place to be found (location).
* Use social media networks to build awareness and engage prospects.

6 Simple Tips for Effective Promotional Flyers

2009-11-14T11:50:00.003+10:00

See these real-life examples

1. Consistent Use of Colours (not too dull; not too many colours).

Don’t try using a rainbow of colours. Usually you should focus on colours that are part of your company’s colour scheme or logo. Figure out what will work best and stick to it. Consistency is the key – but ensure you have a colour that can be used to highlight the important points. Contrast is always helpful in attracting attention.

2. Interesting Main Graphic/image to Grab Attention.

Think about the newspaper. You look at the pictures first, then the headline. Then read the story (maybe). Make sure you use a relevant and interesting graphic, cartoon, picture, drawing or image. Don’t be too clever in your choice of graphic – make sure everyone will understand what the image is and how it is relevant.

3. Use a Clear Headline Stating the Benefit.

Lead with your strongest points. Your headline will grab attention – make the most of it. Think of the most important and attractive words to use such as Free, Save, Bonus, Guaranteed, Easy, Lose, Win, Limited, Exclusive, Easy… and more.

4. Include an Offer.

Give people something to respond to… NOW! Don’t assume they will call you. Give them something they can’t refuse. For many services a free report is a good offeras people want to be educated about what they are buying. Or a free trial. Or a value-added offer (buy 1 get one free). Try to avoid using a straight discount – it cheapens your service or product.

5. Include a Direct Call-to-Action.

Tell people how they should respond. Be very clear. Give them multiple options. People love going to your website to check you out before they contact you. Make sure your website is listed as well as phone, fax or email response options. Make it quick and easy to respond.

6. Contact Details or Location Clearly Visible.

Don’t make recipients hunt for your details – they don’t have the time. Many people won’t be able to read small print, so keep the font size at least 12 point or larger. Make it bold. Make it obvious.

Good luck with your next flyer!

By the way, most of these tips also apply to creating effective advertisements and brochures.

More sales and marketing tips here

Westpac Upsets Advertising Agencies - and why small businesses shouldn't fall for the glitz of 'great ideas'

2009-11-11T16:23:00.007+10:00

“In the industry we work in, the person who comes up with the idea is seen as the hero and the person who implements it, second class.” - a statement by Jacques Burger, CEO of The Campaign Palace (a major advertising agency).

Small business owners often get carried away with the excitement generated by advertising creative people and overlook the hugely important aspect of how to implement an idea and get results for their business.

The quote above confirms that agencies usually put emphasis on 'great ideas'. That's not all bad - we need great ideas. But we also need great implementation.

Westpac (a leading Australian bank) has decided they want to be able to get the best ideas, and the best implementation - even if it means working with seperate agencies, and getting those agencies to cooperate and collaborate with each other.

That is a great idea. But it's one that many agencies won't really like. After all, most suppliers (providers) don't like sharing their client with competitors!

Tourism Australia gone wrong - a marketing lesson

2009-11-04T15:41:00.007+10:00

Even large organisations get their marketing message mixed. Tourism Australia now says they want a longer term approach for their advertising campaigns. They want to copy what New Zealand and Victoria have done.

Boy... You'd think that with their history, the amount of money they spend, and the expert help they get from advertising agencies (charging a fortune for advice and creativity), they would have made this decision years ago.

But they didn't.

They've been using a bits-and-pieces approach. Trying to hook on to the latest fad (such as the ill-fated Australia movie).

The difference is now they say they wnat their own identity for Australia - like New Zealand has done with '100% Pure' and Victoria has done with it's 'Jigsaw' campiagn - both of which have run for many years.

Lesson: How can you create your own business identify? Be smart... Don't leave yourself to the ebb and flow of the latest fad or market trend.

3 Lessons From Business Survivors

2009-11-02T23:35:00.003+10:00

According to a study done by the Small Business Administration (USA), two-thirds of all new small business survive the first two years but only 44% will still be operating by year four.

Here are three very important lessons from business owners who have survived, from an article in Business Week:

Lesson #1 - Recycle money early.
"during the crucial first years I learned you really always need to recycle money back into your business instead of taking money out of it. A new business needs to stay fresh..."

Lesson #2 - Diversfy your clients.
Rather than rely on one type of client for revenue, early on Niemeier decided to make sure he launched a firm with a diversified clientele working on educational, corporate, health care, and hospitality projects

Lesson #3 - Qualify and eliminate clients who don't 'fit'.
"But what I learned from that is that I really had to do a better job of screening and qualifying our prospective clients. Not everybody is a good client and when they don't pay their bills in a timely manner I realized we had to fire them."

Read the whole article.

Are You Preventing Your Own Success?

2009-10-15T15:44:00.006+10:00

Are you standing in the way of your own success?

Do you set your goals so low - with a back-door planned - so you can escape the responsibility to make a commitment or achieve success?

I was reading a newsletter from Michael Port of Book Yourself Solid fame. He referred to the statistic that 80% of small businesses close within 5 years. He doesn't believe it's because of an overly competitive marketplace. He said...

I think 80% of business owners fail in the first 5 years because of one of two reasons. Either they haven’t made a non-reversible, do whatever it takes, no holds barred, beyond a shadow of a doubt, absolutely no going back, stick to it like super glue commitment to finishing what they start - to make their business work. Or, maybe they have. But, they haven't found a system that is proven to work so they can replicate it and succeed.

Recently I was speaking with a small business owner - another marketing consultant in fact. This lady is very experienced and switched on. She knows her stuff. I've known her for some years.

But in talking with her I perceived that her business success wasn't absolutely critical because she and her husband were well established. And her husband had a well-paid career.

This issue came up because my marketing consultant friend was wondering about setting revenue targets, and what to do for her own marketing activity.

I made the point to her that unless the revenue from your business is 'essential' to your personal situation it is easy to become too relaxed and not really commit to doing what needs to be done.

Developing a small business into a sustainable revenue stream is hard work. You need to be persistant. You need to learn. Only a rare few have a 'dream run' and reach their targets easily.

What I'm suggesting here is to take a reality check...

** Are you doing what you're doing to develop a serious business?

** Or, are you doing what you're doing as a part-time occupation, never really expecting it to take your full commitment?

Either decision is OK... just be realistic about what you expect to achieve.

Then make sure you put in the appropriate effort to learn, try, test, learn again.

The Trading Post Newspaper Bites The Dust

2009-10-01T15:21:00.003+10:00

For years the Trading Post newspaper was 'the' place to look when buying or selling any number of goods. It was famous - a market leader, published weekly. Now it is dead. The last issue will be published on Oct 29.

Killed by the internet and the growth of online shopping.

In the space of a few years this iconic print publication has seen its usage decimated.

But it's online version has skyrocketed in popularity. The Trading Post lives on, online.

The publication's readership dropped by one third to 469,000 in the last year.

But tradingpost.com.au, which launched in 1996, averages 1.8 million unique visitors a month. The publication's mobile site, launched last year, attracts around 140,000 visitors each month.

In the past two years, The Trading Post's number of print ads fell by 70% but the number of ads placed on tradingpost.com.au grew by 30%.

The lesson for your business... stay vigilant of trends. Your clients want an easy life. They will take whatever option they think will make it easiest for them.

Of course quality matters. But people want innovation, ease of use... and quality.

Should You Trust Social Media Experts?

2009-09-25T15:06:00.006+10:00

This (tongue-in-cheek) chart comes from Dave Armano. In his recent post he highlights 5 things to be wary of when dealing with anyone who claims to be a social media 'expert' - and who wants to charge you for their expertise.

As with most specialty or professional areas you need to be careful to choose someone (an 'expert') who has a relevant history - not someone who is just jumping on the bandwagon of the latest fad or trend.

SME's Using Technology to Cut Cost of Sales Visits

2009-09-23T15:12:00.005+10:00

For any business that has staff travelling to personally visit customers it is time to review how you can capitalise on the use of modern technologies.

You don't want to lose the personal touch by going totally online. But then again you can benefit - and provide better service - by using some well-chosen technology tools such as online conferencing and Skype video calls.

This article from wall Street Journal Online has some great real-life small business examples:

"Then, once back in the office, the sales representatives would conduct follow-up
meetings – virtually. "We do a lot of teleconferencing," says Ms. Paradise.
"Through Skype and WebEx, we can solidify relationships and the education of
product."

The company has managed to reduce travel overhead by 20% compared to last year while boosting sales by 13%.

Read the whole report here.

When you are face to face with customers, whether in person or via video or telephone, make sure you are using effective sales strategies like the ones I teach at my sales training workshop.

The Easy Way to Win New Business

2009-09-22T10:07:00.003+10:00

Dave was asking me for answers.

He was fed up with hitting the wall again and again.

It happens all too often - sales presentations that lead to nothing.

You put in all the time and effort to find your prospects. Talk over the phone. Prepare your material. Attend a personal meeting. Tell your prospect everything they might want to know.

Then you hear... "Thanks, we'll need to think about it.

"At that moment you know you have lost control - and probably the sale.

Has that happened to you?

Recently I was helping 'Dave' (my client) to fix exactly that same problem.

Dave and his colleague worked hard to make phone calls, identify the decision makers, and take time to meet them in person. But they couldn't progress further.

Why?

It shouldn't have been because of value. The system Dave was offering has been proven over a number of years. They have numerous large clients, some located internationally. And the system would save clients possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars per year - and Dave's price was a fraction of that value.

So what was their problem?

It was simple. They didn't have a strategy to make their sales conversations meaningful.

(1) They didn't ask the right questions that would enable them to remain in control of the process.

(2) They didn't ask the right questions to identify the value of what their system could do for their prospect. As a result they couldn't demonstrate why the client should buy.

(3) They spent too much time telling, and not enough time exploring the prospects situation.

(4) They were submitting proposals based on general estimates of how the client would benefit, because they didn't have specific details.

The answer to this dilemma is to thoroughly plan your sales conversations.

It doesn't matter if your sales conversations go for 10-minutes or 110-minutes, you need a proven strategy to get you over the finish line and win the business.

If you want to learn how to win more business - and avoid the same problems as Dave - download a complimentary copy of The Assassin Analogy (sales improvement guide). It contains plenty of tips and tools to get you on the right track.

If you want personal help to develop a winning sales conversation, make sure you register for a Selling With Confidence workshop. Here you'll learn practical real-world skills and actually develop your own specific sales conversation over two interactive days.

The answer is within your reach.

Dave and his colleague felt relieved. They had the solution. They knew they still had more to learn - and they could see exactly what they needed to do.

For more informative articles visit the online sales and marketing library.

Survey Results: Work for less? Most say yes.

2009-07-09T10:56:00.003+10:00

It's always interesting to keep abreast of trends and community view points. I thought this article from Human Capital Magazine was worth mentioning here...

The majority of job applicants to non-profit organisations are willing to take a significant pay cut - up to 30% - to secure jobs they see as ethical, according to a new survey.

EthicalJobs.com.au surveyed HR managers and executives 60 Australian non-profit organisations including charities, industry bodies and non-profit organisations.

Seventy-eight per cent of employers surveyed reported applications from people outside the not-profit-sector willing to work for less in an equivalent position.

Of those employers:

• 56% said applicants are willing to work for 10-20% less

• 19% said applicants are willing to work for 20-30% less

• 6% said applicants are willing to work for more than 30% less

"Many people want more than a paycheck and a parking spot - they want an 'ethical job' and non-profits seem to be the big winners," EthicalJobs.com.au founder Michael Cebon said.

Free Advice - Listen to My Interview on BNET Australia

2009-07-06T15:25:00.002+10:00

I've just been interviewed by Phil Dobbie on BNET Australia about how to get technical staff to be more effective in sales roles. Listen to the interview here.

In this 16 minute interview we cover highlights from my recent report The Assassin Analogy.

Study Shows Cash is Still King for Retail Sales

2009-07-03T09:58:00.002+10:00

My training and consulting work focuses on business-to-business selling. But I also keep on eye on changes in consumer trends as this can indicate underlying movements in the way customers think and buy.

The Sydney Morning Herald recently reported that a Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) study of consumer payment behaviour released on Wednesday found cash is still king, accounting for 70 per cent of all transactions.

EFTPOS and MasterCard and Visa debit card payments make up 15 per cent of all transactions, followed by MasterCard and Visa credit card transactions at nine per cent and American Express and Diners Club cards at one per cent.

Cash is overwhelmingly used for low value payments under $10 and for 75 per cent of payments between $11 and $25 for items such as take away food and bar bills.

Credit Card Loyalty Programs Work

The report aso found that loyalty programs offered by credit card companies do work.

For the average consumer, loyalty programs increase the probability of credit card use by 23 percentage points and reduce the probability of cash use by 14 percentage points.

Building Brand Within the Organisation - Not Discounting, is secret to success.

2009-07-01T14:33:00.004+10:00

See this comment on marketing and discounting from Diana Williams the founder of the successful Fernwood Womens Health Clubs...

AG: Have you increased your marketing though, this time?

DW: No not really, not our advertising. What we have done is spent time really evaluating our brand and on building our brand within the people in our organisation, that is our franchisees and their staff. This is a very important aspect of business. When you are in tough economic times you have to manage the brand well. People can be tempted to discount or do things outside what we are trying to achieve.

AG: So you have been very clear on holding your line on discounting?

DW: Yes we have. We are very strong about not discounting - always have been. There are other ways that you can offer value without giving away half of your business. The reason our membership prices are the way they are, is because that’s how much it costs to deliver the kind of service and if we start discounting then the level of service drops. If the level of service drops then it is a downward spiral. We have been able to sustain that so it hasn’t been an issue.

Read the whole interview at Smart Company.

Use a Competitive Analysis to Win More Business.

2009-06-16T13:26:00.002+10:00

[This article is a segment from one of the bonus reports you get when you subscribe to The Assassin Analogy sales improvement strategies.]

You must clearly understand how your services or products compare to competitors.

This competitive analysis should be done from the client's perspective. Be objective. Don't limit your findings.

Some people fall in love with what they are selling. This can be a real trap for technical staff who are absorbed by how good (or how complex) their product or service is.

They can get so mesmerised by what they are offering they create a 'halo effect' in their mind around their products or services.

Note: A 'Halo Effect' is when you allow positive factors to cover up, or obscure, potentially detrimental attributes of your solution. Essentially you create a halo that prevents you from seeing any shortcomings of your product or service.

This can stop you from being critical and making a realistic assessment of what your client will see and think when they review your offer.

Compare Your Competitors Like Your Prospect Does

One method of undertaking a competitive analysis is to use a Weighted Competitive Value Chart. (Example available upon request.)

In this chart you list the key features and related benefits ('potential' benefits). Then you assign an Importance Factor (from 1 to 10) against each key feature/benefit.

The subjective part of this analysis is to make a judgement about your main competitors and give each competitor a Performance Weighting for each key feature/benefit (1 being 'weak' to 10 being 'strong').

When the Importance Factor is multiplied by the relative Performance Weighting the resulting variables can be ranked to give an indication of which competitor might stack up most favourably from the clients perspective.

Create Strong Selling Statements

Whilst this analysis may be seen to be somewhat academic, the real benefit for you is you can start to create your key selling statements that will either:

(A) Establish or reinforce your market leadership; or

(B) Clearly explain any obvious differences to minimise any detrimental impact of potentially stronger competitors.

This competitive analysis will also give you extra confidence if (or when) you are asked by prospects to explain or compare your products or services against others on the market.

Presentation Skills Myth De-bunked

2009-06-15T14:07:00.004+10:00

For years many presentation skills workshops have promoted the "fact" that the meaning of your message is accounted for mainly by your body language (tone of voice and gestures) - with only 7% being attributable to the actual words you use.

For a detailed exposure of this myth see this blog post by New Zealander Olivia Mitchell.

My view...

Yes, the original research from the 1960's may have been misquoted. However reality is that the impact you - as a presenter - make on your audience is a combined result of your words, voice, mannerisms, gestures, and of course any visual aids or props you may use.

That is... both content (words) and delivery (style) are important.

Yes, the "fact" that words alone account for only 7% of the message is not correct. Doubt this? check one of the many technically-oriented presentations given by Bill Gates - he still gets a message across even though he usually does very little apart from the words he says. (When it comes to presentations he's certainly not an entertainer!)

My message here is that a presenter must manage all aspects of the presentation to get the result they are aiming for from their audience.

Presentations are about communication. It's about getting a result. Moving people to action - either in thought or in person.

To learn more about how you can improve your own presentations skills check out my presentation skills workshop coming up in Sydney and Brisbane.

10 Tips for Business Success

2009-06-04T09:12:00.004+10:00

Dan Martin reports from the Business Startup show in London and highlights the presentation given by Rachel Elnaugh (a well-known UK entreprenuer). Here are her top 10 tips - suitable for just about any business I think - not only startups.

1. Is your business worth saving? If it's simply not working, move on.

2. Don't let the doom and gloom get to you. There are thousands of businesses doing brilliantly well in the current climate.

3. Why aren't they buying? Build in feedback loops about why customers don't buy. And remember, price cutting may not be the answer.

4. Is your marketing working hard enough? Keep a track of how your customers find you. If it's referrals, reward the referrers!

5. Banks aren't the only source of finance. Think who has interest in your business: key customers, key suppliers, joint ventures etc.

6. Money isn't the only form of wealth. Bartering, for example, is a powerful way to accelerate your business.

7. Spend time every day planning. If you're on output all the time, you won't get as far as if you step back and think about where you're going with your business.

8. Get help if things are going wrong.

9. Don't let the fear get to you. Everything you think about you get more of so think positive!

10. If you do 10 things and 9 go wrong, focus on the one that worked!

For more information and links visit the article here.

How to Avoid Interrogation Syndrome When Selling

2009-05-23T10:41:00.002+10:00

In selling and in networking we are told that asking questions is the right thing to do.

And it is.

But how do you stop your questions turning into an interrogation of your prospect?

- Who are you?
- What do you do?
- How long have you been doing that?
- Where is your office?
- How many staff do you have?
- What products do you sell?
- Who are your customers?
... and before you know it, you are in interrogation mode.

Create a Conversation

When you ask questions you should to be aiming to create a conversation.

Sometimes if you get nervous it's tempting to keep asking questions - as that sort of puts you in control of the communication flow, and gives you something to say. But that can be dangerous, because the other person can easily lose interest if they think all you are doing is 'digging for gold' - looking for information you can use to sell to them.

Suddenly your prospect gets turned off and feels like they are being manipulated.

Share Information as You Ask

The answer is to make sure you share information as you ask your questions.

Sounds simple... but in reality sharing information and maintaining a free flowing discussion is quite challenging. You need to read the conversation and know when it is appropriate to add some extra information without interrupting what the other person is saying.

What sort of information can you add?
- Industry data or statistics
- Client success stories
- A personal anecdote
- Refer to a recent (and relevant) news story
- A snippet of relevant detail about why you deliver your services or products they way you do

Very important note: During this conversation you are not really selling, you are exploring. Your objective should be to find out more about the other person.

For networking: You want to know how you can help the other person, and how they may be related to your business activities (e.g. would they make a good referrer?).

For selling: You want to fully explore their situation and understand their requirements so you can effectively handle the sales discussion. And you need to know that before you start to
present your products, services, or solutions to them.

Asking questions is very important.

Even more important is 'how' you ask the questions and your ability to maintain a free flowing conversation that allows you to be authentic and really get to understand the other person, their priorities, and their concerns.

Can issuing a Press Release save your business?

2009-05-04T11:56:00.003+10:00

Getting good PR coverage from sending out a press release is often seen as a 'holy grail' - bringing instant success to the company featured.

But does it really?

A short sharp answer to this question is provided by Mickie Kennedy at ereleases.com. He says the same thing I have recommended to many clients... essentially you need a PR campaign (maybe spread over many months) rather than a one-off media release.

Mickie says there are common elements in successful media release campaigns:

- a series of targeted press releases (at least one a calendar quarter)

- press releases posted on company website

- press releases used as marketing collateral, like customer newsletters, client proposals, etc.

- less hype and more bite; stick to objective newsworthy hooks

Free Sales Improvement Guide for Companies that Sell Technical Products or Services

2009-04-27T23:06:00.002+10:00

I have just relased my new 20-page sales improvement guide - for CEO's, HR Managers and Sales Managers.

Download The Assassin Analogy - the truth about why technical staff don't like to sell.

Others have said:

"The Assassin Analogy tackles the biggest challenge of consulting and technical professionals: why they see selling as a bad. In his usual practical and no-nonsense style, Stuart demonstrates why he is one of the leading global authorities on services marketing. This is a must read."

Edwin Trevor-Roberts, CEO, Trevor-Roberts Associates

"Stuart, I recently read your report ‘The Assassin Analogy’ and I must say, it felt like you had written it just for us! You have identified all the elements we struggle with as a service company when trying to encourage our technical staff to use their knowledge and ability to promote sales. But you’ve not left us with the problems, you’ve identified what we can do to overcome their inherent resistance to sales and having a clearly defined structure is very helpful.

This is essential reading for any service company looking to improve their sales ability and it provides great information for anyone attending a sales training program utilising the S.O.X. Methodology."

Steve Russell, Group Human Resources Manager, Siltech Pty Ltd

3 Steps to Sell More.

2009-04-22T14:50:00.002+10:00

I'm going to let you in on a secret.

It's an important part of my Selling With Confidence workshop.

If you don't really want to be a salesperson, but have to sell anyway, you are not alone. Most business owners, professionals, technical staff and service providers dind't choose to have a
career in sales. But they still need to sell to get more clients and increase revenue.

Here's the good news...

If you're trying to win more business from your sales discussions there is a three-step strategy to help you zero-in on exactly what your client wants.

And if you do this properly your client will quickly trust you and clearly understand how you will be able to help them.

They will see the 'value' you are offering and be eager to be your client.

= = = =

Most sales people waste their customer's time by:

- Not listening
- Talking too much
- Not really understanding what the customer wants
- Sprouting off about their services or products

= = = =

A January 09 survey of 230 buyers of professional services found the top way professionals sabotage their own sales conversations is by 'not listening'.

'Talking too much' was also one of the most highly rated problems.

You can do better than that.

Next time you have a potential client in front of you try the following process.

Note - this process will build trust and enable you to learn what your prospect really wants. It will lead to you being able to present a strong case for your product or service that is closely tied to what your client is looking to achieve.

It will prevent you from talking too much.

It will help you win more business.

Ask questions using my S.O.X. (TM) methodology:

S = Situation questions
O = Opportunity questions
X = aXtion questions

Ask 'Situation' questions to discover the facts behind the prospects current situation. What is driving their decision now? What do they know about your services/products?

Ask 'Opportunity' questions to identify the scope of their needs. Sure, they may have a problem, but is it big enough for them to want you to fix it? Will they spend the money? What is their opportunity? What is in it for them?

Ask 'aXtion' questions to gain approval to move into the presentation phase. Your presentation may happen immediately after asking your S.O.X. (TM) questions, or maybe you have to meet with other decision makers on another day to present your solution.

Importantly, your presentation will emphasise the key points you discovered from the Situation and Opportunity questions. You will be able to specifically show a strong connection between what they want, and what you are offering.

This is a simple yet highly effective strategy.

However it is critically important you develop your own set of questions that demonstrate your expertise, and that are suitable for your services, and your type of client.

Then you can use those questions to guide the sales conversation, build trust, and gain commitment from your prospect.

Related link:
Consultative Sales Training

Public Performance, Private Joy

2009-04-15T17:16:00.003+10:00

Take 4 minutes and watch this video of a well planned, but unexpected performance at Antwerp station. Uplifting!

Are You Fooling Yourself

2009-04-15T16:58:00.003+10:00

It's hard work being consistent.

And sometimes it can be boring.

When we start something new - whether it be a new exercise regime or reading the first chapter of a best-selling novel - we get caught up in the excitement. We might even experience an adrenalin rush. It feels good.

But it doesn't stay that way. At least in most cases anyway.

What happens?

We get used to it.

Doing the same thing. Over. And over again.

This reminds me of a quote attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher Aesop - 'Familiarity breeds contempt'.

In other words we get used to it and start to forget why it is important for us. We overlook the purpose of what we are doing. We lose sight of our initial objective because we get bored or lazy.

It is the same with doing your marketing. It is easy to get excited by the latest fad, marketing technique, or piece of advice. But the excitement doesn't last. You get lazy.

You find yourself committed to too many things. Most of which are only half done. Then you let things slip by.

= = =

* Skipping the personal networking events.
* Overlooking the regular newsletter article, or blog post.
* Not sending 'thank you' messages.
* Updating the website only 'when I have time'.

= = =

Sidebar: Many successful business owners pretty much know what
they should be doing. Their challenge is often having the
discipline or structure to implement what they know. This is
where a coaching or marketin mentor program can be invaluable.

For any business, one of the secrets to marketing success is to be consistent.

Of course you need to be doing the right things in the first place. And then ensure you are consistent in your implementation.

That is why - when planning your marketing - you must make choices you can consistently deliver.

An example. For many service-based businesses presenting an informative seminar can be a fantastic way to build credibility and attract clients. As you would expect, presenting seminars on a consistent basis will have even greater impact.

But if you know you don't have the skills, or the enthusiasm, to deliver informative seminars don't make the mistake of including that tactic in your marketing schedule.

Don't fool yourself.

Because if you can't commit to being consistent it is rarely a good idea to do it at all.

Please don't misunderstand me here. I'm not suggesting you should simply ignore every marketing tactic you don't like. (In some cases that wouldn't leave much on the to-do list!)

If presenting seminars was important for growing your business I would recommend you learn effective presentation skills as your first option.

In summary, identify and explore the value of relevant marketing options. Then consistently implement your chosen strategy.

Related link:
Get help to implement effective marketing with Stuarts Marketing Mentor Program

How To Successfully Use Your Digital Footprint.

2009-04-08T12:16:00.002+10:00

Remember when you walked on the beach? You could see a trail left by those who had been there before you. Their footprints went this way and that. Some seemed to disappear into thin air. Whilst others were firm and clear in the sand.

You left your footprints on the sand too.

And others could choose to follow you, or not.

Now, in the online marketing world you also need a footprint.

It's called your 'digital footprint'.

And it's very important.

In fact, the topic of creating a digital footprint was discussed at the recent workshops I have given about using social media.

You see, when people 'see' you online, they usually only get a glimpse of you. Maybe they read an article written by you. Or maybe they see one of your blog posts. Or maybe they read comments on your wall at Facebook.

But that's not enough. They will want more... because they only have part of the puzzle.

They need to be able to follow your digital footprint to get the complete picture.

OK, so what is your digital footprint?

My definition of a 'digital footprint' is:
The combination of online information, links and interaction that will lead a prospect to your main marketing message.

Your digital footprint can include your website, blog, social network participation, PDF documents, audio recordings, online presentations, micro-blogging (such as Twitter), photo sharing, video publication and more.

Example #1

Let's look at a simple example. You publish a blog. And you have readers who receive updates when you publish each post. When your readers visit your blog and read your post, what do they do if they want to know more about you? Or if they want to find out details of your services?

In most cases they will visit your website. There will be a link on your blog to your website. That's pretty much standard practice now.

Example #2

Let's look at a more complex example. An example that reaches even more prospects. You publish your blog. But you also use Twitter and you also have a profile on a social networking website called LinkedIn.

Now when you publish your blog post you also send a Tweet mentioning the new post, with a short URL link to your blog. At the same time you are also participating in an online discussion at LinkedIn about a topic you are knowledgeable on.

Someone reading your comments at LinkedIn likes what they see. So they 'follow' you on Twitter - to see what else you might have to say or recommend. They are interested in your 'tweet' about your blog post and visit your blog. They like what they find there and
decide to visit your website for even more details on what you can offer.

See what happened?

Your expanded digital footprint in the second example (website, blog, Twitter, LinkedIn) encouraged your prospect to learn more about you at each step they took.

They followed your footprint.

It was easy for them to find out more about you.

And it was very easy for you to tell them more about you. In fact, you didn't push any information at all. They took it from you.

And the best thing is... by the time your prospect reaches your main marketing message (usually on your website) they have really gained a much stronger image of who you are and how you can help them.

Your digital footprint has done it's job of leading prospects to you.

= =

Need help to create your digital footprint - or help to get your marketing on track for success? Check out my Marketing Mentor Program.

Are You Any Different?

2009-04-01T10:24:00.002+10:00

Do you claim any of these:

- We offer the best customer service.
- We really care for our customers.
- Established for 25 years.
- We guarantee the lowest prices.

I hope you don't.

You see, too many small businesses try making big claims about the same stuff everyone else is saying.

So what?

To make an impact on your potential clients you need to connect with their problems. Then show you have clear options to help them.

Making big generalised claims may sound impressive. But nobody really believes it.

How can you identify the problems or pain your prospects are feeling?

Try thinking through these scenarios and how your prospects may be feeling.

(Note: These steps are a small part of a detailed process covered in the Marketing Mentor Program.)

1. Your prospect has come to a crossroad. They have reached a defining moment when they need to make a decision. What would that moment be for your clients - for your business?

2. Your prospect is feeling, or wants to feel, some emotion. What will your prospect feel as a result of using your products or services? Communicate in their language from their perspective - not yours.

3. Your prospect is ready to choose a service or provider. They are wondering if they can trust you. Will you really deliver what they want or expect? Identify the risks they may perceive and
explain how you will avoid that happening to them.

Then consider how you work with clients. What is your focus? You need to easily explain how clients will benefit from what you offer. Why will they feel good about it?

Importantly, you must create a 'flavour' for your business.
A way of working that sets you apart from your competitors.

Now you are ready to create a meaningful 'point of difference'.

You will be able to communicate your difference (sometimes called your USP) in a unique and compelling manner across all your marketing materials.

To create an effective marketing action plan, and get regular support to stay focused on results, join my Marketing Mentor Program.

Join me at International Coaching Federation luncheon Brisbane April 3

2009-03-26T10:01:00.003+10:00

I'll be presenting an insightful presentation titled How to Use Online Social Networks to Grow Your Practice . Everyone is welcome - you don't have to be a coach. RSVP essential.

Brisbane
April 3, 2009
11.30am to 2.00pm
433 Logan Road, Stones Corner

View event details here

The Power of Focused Marketing

2009-03-26T09:53:00.005+10:00

Yesterday I was presenting a 'round table' session for a small group from my business club.

We were talking a lot about online marketing options, and how all businesses can use their website to generate more sales, enquiries, bookings, or event registrations.

We spoke about how that even applies for businesses that may not appear at first glance to be 'online' businesses, such as accountants and coaches.

Side bar: I often find that business owners are overwhelmed by the choice of marketing tacics. And I don't blame them. As a marketing professional my head also spins with the amount of options available.

At the roundtable session I made the point that you - as the business owner - have to understand what your prospects need to have, know, or learn, to turn them from a looky-loo prospect to a paying customer.

It is that definition of 'what your prospects need' that should be driving your choice of which marketing tactics to use.

- Do they need educational information?
- Do they need to see proof of your credibility?
- Do they simply need the details spelled out for them?
- Do they already know what they want?

Too often it's easy to simply continue doing what you've done before. And that goes for your marketing activities too.

Just keep doing what you've done in the past. Or what your competitors do. Or what is 'done' in your industry.

But the world moves on.

In particular the marketing world continues to evolve.

Now there are more options to consider with all the social media services and tools available. And it's not just a fad. Many of these tools will be around far into the future.

What are your potential clients using, viewing or reading?

Twitter
Facebook
Flickr
LinkedIn
SEO
Blogs
and there's plenty more (these are just the well-known ones)

The question is... What should you focus on?

If you're not careful you can get washed away in the flood of new ideas, tools, gadgets, gimmicks, and hype.

But will it work for you?

Each business will need a different answer.

- Your answer will be partly driven by your business processes.
- Partly driven by what your prospects need.
- Partly driven by your marketing knowledge.
- Partly driven by your personal or business resources.
- And partly driven by your degree of interest in what is being done.

You need to fill any gaps in your knowledge, make decisions about what to do, and consistently implement those ideas.

TIPS:
Don't bite off too much to do at once.
Don't use tactics that are irrelevant for your prospects.

In this case, more is not always better.

You want to use the best combination of tactics to create the business results you are aiming for. Don't just do things for the sake of doing it.

Read. Watch. Listen. Learn.

Focus on what your prospects need to know to move from being a silent observer to becoming a regular happy client.

That focus will give you the power to make smarter marketing decisions, and the power to attract more clients more easily.

Note - If you need help to set and maintain your marketing priorities you may find my Marketing Mentor Program useful.

More Proof of the Power of Models

2009-03-18T14:46:00.003+10:00

Yesterday I wrote about how to use a Service Delivery Model to win more business. In summary, your model is a visual representation of how you provide your services.

It gives you the opportunity to emphasise your competitive advantage - and to demonstrate your expertise - when talking with potential clients.

In his 103 Report newsletter Jeffrey Baumgartner discusses the benefits of using a 'Innovation Process Cycle' - check out the groovy cartoons.

His cartoons are a great example of how to simplify a complex process so you can discuss it clearly with other people.

Using a visual model - even in a cartoon-style format - can be a fantastic tool to help you explain your services to potential clients... and win more business.

Need help creating your Service Delivery Model?

Get the Service Delivery Model Toolkit here

How to Win More Business Using a Service Delivery Model

2009-03-17T10:34:00.003+10:00

What is a ‘Service Delivery Model’? And why is it important?

For any business delivering a service or a complex or customised product, potential clients often have two major concerns:

1. How will you do what you do?
(In other words, how will you deliver your service?)

2. Will your process work for me?
(In other words, how can I be confident what you do will give me the result I want?)

To get your prospect to become a paying client you must satisfactorily answer those questions. You must minimise or remove those concerns.

The best way to do that is to explain your Service Delivery Model.

During your explanation of your Service Delivery Model you can discuss details of ‘how’ you deliver your service, or the steps you go through when doing work for your client.

Also, during that discussion you can drop in specific client success stories that get your message across and help your prospect see how they will benefit from working with you.

= = =
Keep in mind that 75% of verbal communication is quickly forgotten or misunderstood.
= = =

If you want to get a meaningful, and lasting, message across to your prospect you must do more than just talk about what you do.

To maximise the impact of your message, and highlight key areas, use a visual representation of how you deliver your service or how you create a customised outcome for your client.

This visual representation is your ‘Service Delivery Model’.

Your model could be in the form of a:
- Flow chart
- Mind map
- Detailed process chart
- Cartoon-style diagram
- Simple time line

The key to the success of using your Service Delivery Model is to make it easy to understand for your prospect – not too much detail – and to have a standard way of explaining it each time you tell prospects about it.

(Note: Having a ‘standard way of explaining it’is very important.)

Why does using a Service Delivery Model work?

Firstly:
It shows your prospect you are an ‘expert’, because you can detail and clearly explain what is required to deliver a successful outcome.

Secondly:
The conversation you structure around the explanation of your Service Delivery Model gives you the opportunity to provide more details about your service, and enables your prospect to get to know you and trust you.

Thirdly:
By structuring your explanation properly you will also identify and remove any concerns the prospect may have about using your services.

Be seen as an expert.
Build trust.
Remove concerns and objections.

A Service Delivery Model is an essential component for your marketing success.

Download your Service Delivery Model Toolkit here

Be Ruthless About Your Sources of Revenue

2009-03-09T23:33:00.005+10:00

In December it was reported that Apple will be pulling out of exhibiting at the famous Macworld Expo, held in January each year.

As you can guess from the name, the Macworld Expo always relied on Apple as the big crowd-puller. They exhibited every year and provided the keynote presentation, usually from Apple founder and CEO, Steve Jobs.

But not any more.

A press release from Apple said, “Apple is reaching more people in more ways than ever before, so like many companies, trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers.”

In other words, for Apple trade shows aren't worth the effort and the money. Times have changed.

Wow… strong words from Apple.

But smart words.

Words you can learn from.

Are you spending your time, and your marketing effort, in the right places?

Are you working on your top priority prospects?

Or are you spreading yourself too thin? Doing a bit of this… and a bit of that.

A real life example…
Recently I was working with a client and we got to a point where they had clearly identified their target audience (their key source of new business). In their situation they needed to be promoting to, and working joint ventures with, people in the travel industry.

However – even though they had some idea of doing this four years ago – they had not yet focused on this area. Their marketing continued to be ‘this and that’ with some sponsorships, some advertising, some signage etc etc.

Nothing was clearly defined in a meaningful way for their key audience group – the travel industry.

To their credit they quickly came to understand the power of focus. They developed a suite of targeted marketing activities and sharpened their message.

Time, money, and marketing effort become very productive when you have clear outcomes in mind.

> Ditch those low potential markets.

> Be ruthless about where your best opportunities are.

Have the courage to focus on, and put effort into, those sources of revenue that hold the keys to your business success.

How to Give a Guarantee That Attracts New Clients... and Doesn't Put You at Risk.

2009-03-04T09:37:00.002+10:00

I was working with my client David (not his real name) - the principal of a sports psychology business - to review their marketing program. I asked David "Do you offer a guarantee?"

David thought for a moment and then replied, "No... We can't really give a guarantee."

Do you think the same thing about your business?

When I asked why they didn't offer a guarantee, David explained that in their business it was up to their clients to achieve results.

For example, David and his team couldn't go out and play on tour for their clients.All David's competitors felt the same. No one offered a guarantee.

You see, David's clients are high performance athletes and sports stars, as well as up-and-coming junior players. David and his team felt they couldn't guarantee what they did. They felt they were at the mercy of each clients performance.

But wait... I suggested to David that they were focused on the wrong outcomes - that is, that their clients would win more games, or win more prize money.

Sure, winning is important. I agree that David and his staff can't play the game for their clients. Of course they can't.

Then we discussed that many of David's clients also had objectives about personal satisfaction, and improving performance when under pressure. It wasn't always simply about 'winning'.

Then I probed further. I asked David 'if' his clients followed the advice given, and 'if' they put in the required effort, would he be happy to guarantee that his clients would be more likely to achieve their goals.

Think about your business... If your clients give you honest and
accurate information, follow your advice, and put in enough effort, (and other
factors remain the same) can you guarantee they will increase their chances of
achieving better results?

After a short pause, David said... "Yes, I suppose I can guarantee that".

They key point here is that David can guarantee his 'process' works to help clients achieve results. Of course he can't guarantee clients will always reach their goals. In his case, that is up to every client to work on.

Example of wording for David's guarantee:

If you follow our guidance, put in the work required, and be honest with us about your commitment, we guarantee you will have better prospects of reaching your goals. We'll do everything we can to help you realise your potential.

Important Note:

The guarantee includes specific information about what the client has to do for the guarantee to be applicable. You don't want to make a general guarantee that requires no contribution or effort from your client, if that is in fact a critical partof a successful outcome.

The main point of a guarantee is that you demonstrate faith and confidence in the process, services, or products you are offering.The objective is to remove, or minimise, the perceived risk in buying from you.

Especially if you offer services where clients won't really know if what you do works for them until they have received it. Prospects get worried about making the commitment. They think it is risky.

You need to encourage prospects to become clients by giving a guarantee.Studies have shown that only a very small, tiny percentage of buyers ever call on the guarantee. From my own experience offering guarantees for my sales training programs - after hundreds of delegates I've never had one call on the guarantee.

(Of course you need a quality service, process, or product.)

What can you guarantee for your clients?

New Service Makes It Easy to Sell From Your Website

2009-02-19T11:02:00.005+10:00

Over recent years I've been asked by many businesses "How can I add payments to my website?". They want to sell from their website, without having to learn all the confusing processes.

Now there is an easy solution to add PayPal buttons to your website. Add Website Payments is a new service I have developed that gives you the ability to start selling from your website or blog - without knowing anything about ecommerce or payment buttons.

All you need is the website and product details - we can handle the rest.

Check it out and let me know if you have any suggestions.

The Importance of Understanding Your Markets

2009-02-11T08:03:00.002+10:00

I have to confess... when I first became aware of the Internet (back somewhere in 1996 I think?) I remember thinking "Why would anyone use the Internet when they have all the info they need in a printed encyclopaedia?"

Well, it didn't take me long to realise the implications of the new online world.

Now Encyclopaedia Brittanica is thriving online - in a variety of modes. In this great interview by UK-based Econsultancy.com you can see how they have defined their key markets into four zones:
- Consumer
- Academic Institutions
- Libraries
- Schools

Online accounts for 60% of their business, but only 15% of that is from consumers.

Ian Grant (MD of Brittanica UK) gives a concise explanation of why they have chosen their current business strategy.

It's a great lesson in understanding the value in each of your markets, and thereby focusing your efforts on the best opportunities.

Free Online Seminar - Marketing Tips for the Credit Crunch

2008-12-04T15:27:00.006+10:00

Have you heard? Times are tough.

Just yesterday Reuters ran a news article headline:
"Cutting costs but still want a fancy phone?"

The article went on to say..

"Now that cell phones are more of a necessity than a luxury for most, the questions are: Which one to buy? How many fancy features do you want? And which service provider fees can you afford?"

Customers are changing their buying habits as a result of the economic circumstances.

"How many fancy features do you want?" As if to say, you cant afford them all, so which ones are most important for you.

How can you adapt to that?

Don't be drawn into negative thinking. See my new online seminar presentation...

Marketing in the Credit Crunch

It's complimentary. My gift to you.

Check it out now at this link >>

Note: You are welcome to share this presentation or blog post with your friends and business colleagues.

I recently gave this presentation as part of a private Australian road show organised by the global firm Expense Reduction Analysts.

Get ready to take some notes! There's plenty to learn in the seminar.

All the best,

Stuart Ayling
Marketing Nous

Office: +61 7 3806 2238
www.marketingnous.com.au

Party Games for Kids... Why?

2008-11-05T22:40:00.002+10:00

I like to stay close to the coal face and always do some hands on marketing work. Many times it is a real-time experiment to see what happens. Like launching a new website and see how long it takes to get listed on the first page of Google.

Party Games 4 Kids is one such project. Check it out if you want f un kids party games . Feel free to visit the site and buy the book (written by my wife) that gives you complete instructions on 20 proven birthday party games for children of all ages, even teenagers. (only US$12.95).

Why am I telling you?

Reason #1: Because in doing so I am creating inbound links to the new website. This will greatly help Google and other search engines find it.

Reason #2: I can use key word links like the one above saying 'fun kids party games ' that link to the site. Key word links have greater credibility and recognition with search engines than just a simple URL link, like http://www.partygames4kids.com .

Reason #3: I used the Google keyword suggestion tool to analyze the best key words to include on the website. Lucky I did that. Do you know that the word 'kids' is far, far more common in search terms than the word 'children'.
Other findings:
- The word 'party' gets searched 1.5 million times each month.
- The phrase 'birthday party' gets searched 60,500 times each month.
- The phrase 'childrens party games' gets searched a paltry 880 times per month.

Reason #4: Maybe you, your friends or family could do with buying a copy of the book. These kids games really do work The kids love them. Plus they are easy for adults to manage.

Lessons:
* Do your homework, and make smarter marketing decisions.
* Stay close to changes in your industry to see how you can improve your service to clients..

How to Connect With Your Audience

2008-11-05T22:30:00.003+10:00

Over the last few days I've had a number of discussions with clients along the theme of recognizing who your clients are... and using the right tone of voice (language, terminology, jargon) to suit them.

That is, to make sure you get the right connection to be effective. You want them to listen, and then to act.

Remember, your objective in any marketing communication is to achieve some action.

In this helpful article titled The Write Tone of Voice copy writing expert John Pattison of UK based The Writing Agency makes similar comments. It really is worth taking a few minutes to read the article.

In summary:

Understand the level of language used by your target audience.
Try writing like you would talk to them.
Being an expert doesn't mean you have to sound boring.
Make people smile - but you don't have to be a full-blown comedian.
Don't take it too far. Stay within the bounds of what your audience will accept from your type of business.

Video - Reduce Cold Calls by Using LinkedIn

2008-10-21T11:31:00.003+10:00

LinkedIn is one of the more popular online business networking systems. I mentioned a case study in my post on cold calling trends yesterday. But nothing happens on its own. See this 3-minute video by Nigel Edelshain and hear how he used LinkedIn to open doors for sales opportunities instead of cold calling. He says:

Instead of making taking time to make 100 phone calls, you make 6 contacts via LinkedIn. It's 16 times more effective.

Like all marketing tools, LinkedIn creates a system. It's waiting for you. But it is up to you to understand how to use it... and to take action to get results.

You can use the LinkedIn system to expand your circle of influence. To make it work for you, you must have a planned approach and spend time developing the contacts and familiarity required to engage with your network. Otherwise the contacts are just names of strangers on a list.

Interested? Check out my LinkedIn profile and connect with me.

Does Cold Calling Really Work? The answer is...

2008-10-20T11:42:00.010+10:00

After working in sales and marketing for many years the most despised area of promotion seems to be 'cold calling'. This is when a prospect is contacted via the phone, and is solicited for new business.

See... even the way I used the word 'solicited' makes it sound dodgy. A bit cheap and nasty.

I could have said: This is the process of personal contact used to identify if a prospect is likely to have a need for your services.

You see, it depends on your point of view.

* Does cold calling work?
* Should you be using it for your business?
* Should you be dumping the phone and instead opt for the new online social networks?

In short, you can read articles like this one from the UK that gives some pro's and con's of cold calling, and discusses the use of online networks as an alternative.

You can also attend quality telesales training courses like the one provided by Jenny Cartwright at Sales and Telesales Solutions.

And you can see results of comparative 'tests' like this one reported at Modern Selling, comparing the number of cold phone calls made, versus making contact via online networks.

All roads lead to the same answer.

It's true that the use of telemarketing is slowly declining. That is occurring for many reasons.

Importantly, using the telephone to contact potential clients is a tactic that will not be disappearing any time soon.

- It is relatively cheap (especially for smaller businesses who don't have the massive advertising budgets to get 'on the radar')

- It is immediate. You know what the result is.

- It is personal. You can make an impact (positive or negative!).

- And if used professionally it can be one of the best ways to create sales opportunities.

Most people dislike 'cold calling' because it is done badly so often.

However, you can do a better job and get better results.

Train your staff who will make the calls. It requires skill, tact, and professionalism.
Develop a script (statements and questions) that doesn't trigger any 'sales person' alarms for your prospect.
Develop supporting documents (marketing materials)... I call them sales tools.
Create a question-based strategy that quickly gets to the core of if there is an opportunity for a further discussion.
Be selective in who you call - have a relevant list to work from. If possible do some homework to identify what the company does, what their current issues are, and who you should speak to.
Implement a marketing strategy that will warm up prospects, potentially creating interest in your services - essentially getting your prospects to qualify themselves, without you having to call them.

Finally, remember that for B-to-B selling the focus of cold calling is most often about identifying opportunities. It is not about trying to 'clinch the sale' on the first phone call.

Danger... Danger... 9 of 10 Businesses to Cut Their Marketing Expenditure

2008-10-17T15:22:00.003+10:00

A report out this week by PriceWaterhouseCoopers claims that the current economic downturn has severely affected business confidence in Australia. As a result, 9 out of 10 (of the 750 private businesses surveyed) say they will cut marketing costs.

How dumb can you get!

(Aside: they need to attend my marketing planning workshop in Sydney Oct 30)

And I'm not just saying it's a dumb thing to do because I work in marketing.

It is well known that marketing creates new business. To cut back on marketing because it is seen as a luxury, or 'expendable', is just plain poor business management.

Often these decisions are made by the bean counters who control the purse strings within the company.

Now look... I know many nice accountants. But the nature of their profession makes most of them focus on how to reduce costs. Not how to maximise profit.

Don't become a victim to others peoples fears.

Make your own decisions about how successful you want your business to be.

You certainly do need to manage expenditure. But be prudent and make smart decisions to build your business. Don't just throw up your arms and say... we have to cut costs, at any cost.

If you are in Sydney, why not consider attending my 2-minute Marketing Plan workshop on October 30. At the workshop you'll learn all about how to stretch your marketing dollar and choose marketing tactics that will work for your business.

Do Big Words Make You Important... or Lost?

2008-10-13T12:08:00.005+10:00

I was reading this post by Gerry McGovern that says:

There seems to be a desire among organizations to not quite tell it as it is. These organizations create classifications and content on their websites that either use soft, fuzzy words like “low fares,” or official-sounding words like “pandemic influenza.” There is often a logic to doing this. It is a logic of experts and bureaucrats, and of old school marketing and advertising executives.

I commented on Gerry's blog that it reminds me of the old days when using big fluffy words was done to make you sound important. Gerry says the same sort of thing.

Now the web is here. Everyone wants to get to the heart of their interest. Straight away. No delay. They don't want to have to learn new words, or go to Dictionary.com just to figure out what someone is saying.

Do you make it easy for your readers, listeners, or prospects to easily understand what you are saying?

Too often I see confusion created by:

Using industry jargon or acronyms.
Using too many words, when fewer words will get the message across.
Using too many ideas, which just gets confusing.
Using bad examples to explain a key point.
Rushing to write material before the main ideas are fully understood and developed. This results in too many words, saying too little.

This is bad enough when talking or writing directly to an individual.

On your web site it can be disastrous. Your clients will get lost. You will lose out.

If people can't get the picture straight away, or if they cannot understand what you are getting at. They will leave. Click away. They don't want to figure it out. They just want answers to their questions. And clear steps they can take to get what they want, in language they can understand.

TIP: make sure you are using the best words to maximise understanding... and action.

Lost in the Marketing Black Hole

2008-09-04T12:54:00.006+10:00

I was working with a client this week. They have been busy. Busy. Too busy to make any progress on the new marketing initiatives we had agreed on at our last meeting. They were getting lost in the black hole of marketing. Where nothing happens, and you cant see out.

They needed to take action. To get focused on what they could do. Because their busy-ness was not going to diminish.

[See the 2-minute Marketing Plan Workshop in Sydney and Brisbane for how you can get out of the black hole of marketing.]

So we made a decision to get their office coordinator on the phone making some introductory calls (also known as cold calls). Part of this strategy requires my clients to work on preparing a few new marketing/promotional documents.

That is what they can focus on. Specific activities that are simple and have immediate impact.

You can do the same. Get focused on marketing activity that produces results.

New Marketing Planning Workshop Launched - Brisbane Sept 30

2008-08-04T13:43:00.003+10:00

If you've ever struggled with not knowing which marketing tactics you should be using, then this marketing plan workshop is for you. The 2-minute Marketing Plan workshop is an innovative 1-day workshop being launched in Brisbane on Tuesday September 30, 2008.

At this workshop you will actually work on your marketing plan - not just sit there all day listening to the presenter (which is me by the way!).

If you are located in other cities and would like a workshop run in your area, contact me and let me know.

Success > Receivership > Then more success... See how Poppy did it.

2008-07-31T07:20:00.008+10:00

Remember Poppy King... and her lipsticks. An Australian success at 19 years old. $5mill p.a. in sales. Out of business at 25.

Like many entrepreneurs (young and old) Poppy had a great idea but not enough business savvy.

This led to her having to sell her business, which never got back to the $5mill turnover it had during its heyday.

In this article from the Sydney Morning Herald Poppy explains what has happened since then to help her once again start her entrepreneurial empire.

Under a difference name. In a different country. But much wiser.

And it goes to show that true entrepreneurs often have a rocky road to their final destination. In Poppy's case she was offered a prestigious role at Estee Lauder to launch and run a new range. This helped her to reestablish herself, and regain confidence.

However being an employee in a corporate environment didn't suit her ambition and attitude.

So, now she's off onto her next project.

Bottom line - being an entrepreneur and business owner is certainly risky. Not everyone is a success. Not every idea is a winner. You need to have confidence and faith in yourself... and always be looking for opportunities to move forward.

Business Development Skills for Engineers

2008-07-22T15:51:00.002+10:00

Engineers, scientists, and technical staff all have a trait in common. Like many other service professionals they don't like the idea of selling (oops... I should have called that 'business development').

If you or your team have a technical background you may find it difficult to take a softer, more consultative approach to business development.

That's why in my business development skills training workshop we use a proven system that works for technical and professional staff.

Usually technically-oriented people like discussing the details of their area of expertise. They like to get stuck into what can be done, and how to fix the problem.

However, when trying to gain new business, this level of technical talk can de-rail the sales discussion. By diving into technical details too early, engineers and other technical professionals miss the chance to find out what really matters for that particular client.

The best way to approach business development is to find out what the clients really wants (and needs), and then present your solution in a way that targets (or connects with) those specific requirements.

Get more info about learning business development skills here.

Do you really need a consultants report? Maybe...

2008-07-16T08:16:00.004+10:00

A recent article from the Sydney Morning Herald discussed the pro's and con's of using a marketing professional to prepare a report to help with planning your business. The writer explains that a lot of information is available for free from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. And they are right.

The article goes on to say...

If many business people don't realise the wealth of useful information that's available from the bureau, rest assured that all the marketing consultants do.

Should you commission a consultant's report, many of its facts and figures will have come from the bureau - but the consultant's fee is likely to be a lot higher than the bureau's.

From my perspective, the writer misses a major point... that the data on its own is one thing... but the insight and experience to understand and interpret that data is another.

Not to mention the huge amount of time required for you to grapple with the ABS data if you are not familiar with the layout, catalogue structure and related information sources.

That is exactly why you pay a professional for assistance.

You could take the same approach with a lawyer... reading up on all the precedents, checking the latest statutes, and writing your own legal documents.

But most people don't. Because they understand the lawyer has expertise they don't.

Remember... professional marketers have expertise you don't. Expertise in assessing markets, in understanding what drives business opportunities, and insights into what is required to be successful.

Need more information? Read my How to Hire a Marketing Consultant report.

Cost-per-Click rates and free marketing plan guides.

2008-07-16T08:07:00.005+10:00

This chart from the ClickZ network shows the latest rates for what advertisers are paying for click-throughs from their online ad's.

The data is a summary, and groups multiple advertisers within each category.

My message with this post is that you should be researching your marketing expenditure - not just guessing at what it could or should be.

And it's not only online advertising I'm talking about.

Plan your marketing budget 12 months at a time to see how much you need to spend (or don't need to spend) to achieve your business objectives.

Visit the Marketing Nous website for free marketing plan guides.

Video: Tips on Pitching to Investors and Clients

2008-07-14T19:27:00.009+10:00

If you ever need to 'pitch' your business to investors or even to high-level decision makers within client organisations - you must watch these videos.

All the businesses featured in the videos were participating in a UK business contest.

Make sure you listen to the entrepreneurs comments at the end of each video - you'll find them very helpful

BusinessZone.co.uk recently ran The Pitch, a new competition at the Bristol Design Festival allowing entrepreneurs to present their business, invention or idea to a panel of experts. It was a hugely successful event and we are today pleased to announce we have published video footage of the contest. Featuring expert advice from our 'dragons' the videos provide valuable guidance on how to pitch to investors.

My tips:
Pay attention to the various communication techniques and presentation styles of each presenter. It's a tough situation to be in... but some of them could do with a bit more practice!

If you are presenting to investors or high-level decision makers:

* Make sure you can clearly summarise your 'offer'.
* Be prepared to answer very direct questions about volume, quality, demand and sales.
* Use good quality visuals that will get your message across.

Great new Australian business directory.

2008-06-30T10:35:00.003+10:00

Getting inbound links to your website is one of the important strategies to improve your rankings in search engine results. A new Australian business directory I've found is ClickFind.com.au.

One of the interesting features of ClickFind is there are lots of options to include key words in your business listing. This helps for being found within the ClickFind results, as well as options for broader exposure on the internet (using Search Engine Optimisation processes).

Plus, you can list services separately to products. This is great for service-based businesses as you can present your services properly without being categorised as a product.

For those businesses who don't even have a website yet, this is a good option as you can include full contact details, automatic map, and other information - just like a mini-website.

As you would expect, this is a paid service and you can see the fees and what you get at this page.

Disclosure: ClickFind did ask me to review their service, and this post reflects what I found. I've seen many business directory listing sites (and used quite a few of them). This one has a comprehensive set of very useful features.

Only 25% People Go To Home Page; What it Means For You.

2008-06-24T16:31:00.005+10:00

In a recent report on BBC News in the UK web usability guru Jakob Nielsen explained that website users are getting more impatient. And more people are going directly to web pages at the heart of a website, rather than starting at the first page.

Interesting stuff! This is due to search engines giving deep links to the relevant content in search results listings - instead of a link to the home page of the website.

In 2004, about 40% of people visited a homepage and then drilled down to where they wanted to go and 60% use a deep link that took them directly to a page or destination inside a site. In 2008, said Dr Nielsen, only 25% of people travel via a homepage. The rest search and get straight there.
"Basically search engines rule the web," he said.

What does this mean for you?

* Your website pages needs to be optimized.
* Your home page needs to be instantly helpful in directing people to what they are there for.
* Information on web pages needs to be direct - especially the 'first' screen (also called, above the fold).
* Be careful with the use of images. Make sure they add to the experience, not distract users. And make sure they load quickly and without problems (this has always been an issue even when dial-up connections ruled the Earth).
* Navigation needs to be consistent, and easy to follow. Users could come into your website on any page... so let them know what else you have to offer.

Learn How to Handle Every Sales Encounter

2008-06-24T16:22:00.002+10:00

Over the last 4 years of presenting Selling With Confidence I have seen many delegates start the program very shy and cautious. They don't really like selling, but they have to do it anyway. And they aren't sure how to get results and NOT look like the stereotypical 'salesperson'.

My answer to that is for them to learn how to explore the clients situation in enough detail so they can present their solution with power.

Most inexperienced sales people (and that could be someone with 10 years experience in their industry, but not in selling) dive in far too quickly to try and 'sell' their services.

They try to convince their prospect why they should buy.

And this only encourages their prospect to object.

WHY?

Because the prospect doesn't know if you really understand their situation and what they need. So they say 'No'.

The answer is to learn the skills and strategies to understand your prospect and get them to see the value you offer.

Then you can start getting 'Yes'... and start feeling better about selling.

Register for the next Selling With Confidence course:

- Sydney July 7-8
- Melbourne July 21-22
- Brisbane August 5-6

Website Layout for Products vs Services

2008-06-11T06:27:00.003+10:00

You may know that I specialize in marketing for service-based businesses. But I do stay in touch with marketing for products as well. When considering the layout for the home page of a website selling products there are some differences to the home page for a website selling services.

One of the key differences is that for a product-based site customers need to be able to quickly navigate to the categories they are interested in. And offering a product search option is important.

Whereas for a service-based site, there is often more of a need to establish the credibility of the provider, and explain what services/outcomes are being offered. A bit more education is required.

For some great tips on how to layout your product-based home page I suggest you check out this article about Perfecting Your Online Stores Homepage at Ralph Wilson's fantastic website Web Marketing Today.

If you sell services and need some ideas, see my article about online marketing for service businesses.

Making Your First Million-dollar Sale

2008-06-02T20:31:00.006+10:00

If you dream of making your first million-dollar sale then read these success stories from Inc.com of how four entrepreneurs made it into the big time.

It's interesting to note the main elements of success, and how they are common across many success stories.

* Being prepared for something BIG. Knowing what might happen and making contingency plans.

* Having patience. Big deals, with big companies, can take many months to mature after the initial presentation.

* Talking to the right people in the client organization. Sometimes you need to work around existing channels to get your message across.

Reminder: Don't lose sight of what is possible. If you want those big deals worth big bucks, then put in the homework and be prepared to work hard to make it happen. It's rarely an 'overnight' success!

Being 'Standard' Can Win You More Business

2008-05-30T17:03:00.002+10:00

A recent article from MarketingProfs highlights how rectangular product packaging has a 'golden ratio' that makes the size most appealing to consumers. Key point: The higher the fun factor, the less important it is to stick to the golden ratio.

My reading of this is that the more serious the purchase decision, the more buyers will want your service/business to appear to be 'standard'.

In other words, being standard can make the buying decision easier (and safer) for customers.

Think about it - if you are about to have serious surgery you don't want a doctor joking around. You want them to be like the 'standard' doctor - serious and deliberate. However for treatment a minor ailment a bit of unexpected humour may be appreciated.

YOUR ACTION...
* Consider how seriously your customers treat the decision to buy from you.
* The more serious it is, you need to pay attention to creating trust by being familiar to them.

In other words, just like the golden ratio for rectangular product packaging, be aware of what your customers prefer to see in their service provider. And make sure your service looks familiar (and reliable).

Although being standard may sound boring... it could win you more business.

How much should you be paying for search ad's?

2008-05-11T14:40:00.003+10:00

I am often asked "How much should I be paying to advertise on Google?" A new report on actual Pay Per Click rates (from Efficient Frontier ) shows average costs for various industry categories. Examples: US$0.40 for Retail; US$9.49 for Insurance (yep. thats right. over $9 per click.)

This is interesting, but if you want to be advertising on Google - or the other search engines - you really should be checking that out directly. Or pay a specialist to advise you.

Feel like DIY? Go to Google Adwords now and get started.

Some of the secrets of Google revealed

2008-05-01T09:33:00.003+10:00

Do you want to know a bit more about how Google 'reads' and indexes your website pages? This article about diagnosing the SEO health of your website by Jill Whalen gives some excellent insights into why your website may not be be listed on Google search results pages.

The article contains a tiny bit of tech-talk, but don't let that put you off. As a business operator you need to know about it.

I wont repeat it here, read the article for yourself. It's worth it.

The 4 types of ads - and when to use each.

2008-04-20T22:01:00.003+10:00

This is an excerpt from a very straightforward and helpful item in the Give to Get newsletter. I mention it here because there are good examples provided of each type. Worth you having a look if you are considering display-type advertising in newspapers or magazines.

Heres my summary (see details below for full article):

There are four primary ways that small businesses generally use small space ads in mass media:

1. To Generate Awareness

2. To Generate Sales

3. To Generate Traffic

4. To Generate Prospects

= = =

1. Ads Designed to Generate Awareness

Many small business owners often copy the marketing tactics of the big corporations. Big mistake. Small businesses are not big businesses.

Big businesses can afford to run marketing campaigns solely designed to create awareness for their business or a particular product. They've got deep marketing pockets.

See examples here.

2. Ads Designed to Generate Sales

When you see a small ad that describes an inexpensive product for say $20 or so, and the ad tells you to send your money to a specific address, or asks you to call an 800 number to order, that ad is trying to generate sales directly from that ad.

That can work if the product is simple to understand, like a book, or a simple household item, etc., if it is relatively inexpensive--under $40 or so.

Unfortunately, most products or services aren't that simple to understand, or are not that inexpensive.

See examples here.

3. Ads Designed to Generate Traffic

Don't make the mistake of thinking that the typical grocery or department store ads you see in your local newspapers are generating sales directly from their ads. They aren't.

After they see an ad for a digital camera for $399, they then have to drive to the store to learn more about the item before making their decision to buy.

Traffic generating ads are used a great deal on the Internet. They are designed to drive traffic to your web site.

4. Ads Designed to Generate Prospects

Finally, we come to the most profitable ads for small businesses; Ads that generate interested prospects.

If your prospects need more information about your product or service, or even about you and your company, then you will probably do much better by running Prospect Generating Ads.

The whole point about running a prospect generating ad is to attract people to your business who have an interest in what you are selling.

See examples here.

If you would like to obtain the full article I suggest you contact the author and mention PowerTips Article: PT112:
Joe Gracia
Give to Get Marketing

The secrets to winning more business.

2008-04-07T08:21:00.004+10:00

The secret lies within. I know it sounds corny, but it's true. The secret to getting better results from your sales efforts is to recognize how you can behave differently to create better outcomes.

The secret is not 'out there'.... it is within reach, within you.

In my Selling With Confidence 2-day program participants learn about their own communication style; how they can pro actively build trust; how they can be a more effective listener; and how they should respond when they are asked tricky questions by their prospects.

Importantly they learn a simple yet highly effective 3-step questioning strategy that zeroes-in on what their client really needs. (This is my own proprietary SOX formula.) This makes it so much easier for them to gain commitment from their client.

If you are serious about learning how to use these proven sales-boosting skills, then register today for Selling With Confidence in either Brisbane , Sydney or Melbourne.

- Brisbane, April 29-30
- Melbourne, May 7-8
- Sydney, May 12-13

Seats are already filling.
Reserve your place now so you don't miss out.

We are in the Informed Age... are you keeping up?

2008-04-07T08:10:00.002+10:00

I love Gerry McGovern's writings. His focus is helping organizations to create customer-centric websites by using the right 'content'. He is a world leader in structuring content and writing for the web. Not the salesy, hype-filled writing of the direct response world. But the useful, effective presentation of content - and use of key words - that will help the people visiting your website.

In his latest newsletter he used the phrase...

It is not the digital age. It is not the information age. It is the informed age.

He goes on to write that we are a questioning society. We want to know the answers.

I agree with him.

What are you doing to help your prospects and clients find the answers to their questions?

Do you even know what questions they are asking?

Successful marketing in the Informed Age will be based upon you leading your prospects to become paying clients by demonstrating that you can help them find they answers they seek.

Demonstrate your expertise. Build trust. Have a process your client can understand.

Australian Internet use overtakes TV use (and my tips for how to get your message across)

2008-03-28T14:27:00.008+10:00

For the first time more people are looking at the Internet than at the TV - but only just. What does this mean for you?

Research out last week from Nielsens shows that we spend 13.7 hours per week online vs only 13.3 hours per week watching TV. (Click image to enlarge.)

The real meaning of this is that everyone has spread their attention over more media. That's called media fragmentation.

For example: The research shows 58% of people watch TV while they are online. Talk about short attention spans! And it means it is more difficult to get your message across in an uncluttered environment.

Recognise that your prospects have multiple media competing for their immediate attention.

Tips to get your marketing message through:

Be consistent. Don't expect your audience to get your message and respond after only one exposure to it.
Be smart. Find media that has more dedicated interaction with your audience. Like professional journals that focus on important management or technical issues. Your customers are unlikely to read that sort of information and be on the internet at the same time.
Educate and attract. Use your information stream to attract clients who are looking for your sort of service. Give them easy ways to find you when they are ready to buy.

Looks really do count... would you get the job?

2008-03-26T11:04:00.004+10:00

It's often said that first impressions count. And that's true. What you don't usually find is that people are honest enough to say they give the job to the best looking person. A survey in the UK found that 9 out of 10 employers give the job to the most attractive applicant.

Think of your clients as being your employer. Are you attractive to them?

- Is your personal appearance attractive?
- Is your website attractive?
- Are your marketing materials attractive?
- Is your style attractive?

We can always debate the definition of what is 'attractive'. That will vary from person to person. And from client to client.

What we can't avoid is that people are people. And as human beings they have their own view of what they would like. This includes who they want to have working with them.

As a marketer, service provider, professional, salesperson, or business owner, your job is to identify what your clients and prospects think is attractive - and to be like that.

Maybe your clients will want you to be:
- knowledgeable
- friendly
- business-like
- cool and funky
- reliable
- etc etc

If you want to attract more clients.... be seen as someone that your clients will want to work with. Look attractive to them.

Direct Mail Tips and Advice

2008-03-20T15:27:00.005+10:00

The other day I was asked via email to provide an estimate for doing some copy writing work on a few direct mail letters. That is, paper letters, not e-mail. However, all I was sent was a brief statement with the draft letters attached. It prompted me to suggest a few things to that prospect to ensure the final letters were suitable for the job - see the key points below.

If you are asking for help from any professional it pays to give them enough information (often called a 'brief') so they can accurately understand what you require.

Tips for Developing Direct Mail Letters

* Have you defined the target audience for each service? (Having an 'ideal profile' helps to focus the writing.)

* Is the list of recipients in this target audience? (Make sure you are reaching to the right people.)

* What else are you mailing with the letter? (Just sending a letter on its own wont get the best result.)

* What can you offer to get some 'action' apart from asking the reader to call a phone number? (A strong and time-sensitive call-to-action is required to get immediate response.)

* Focus the information on one problem or opportunity the recipient may be facing. Don't try and cover 'everything'. (If you give too much info at the same time it can be confusing as you haven't really targeted any one problem/opportunity strongly enough.)

* Have you done this before? If so, what were the results? (Learn from your previous efforts. Or learn from others in a similar field. Test and test again.)

* Do you have a website for the business or product? (Many expensive direct mail letters and 'packs' can stand on their own in terms of delivering information. However for cost-effectiveness reasons, especially for smaller businesses, your website should be an integral part of your direct mail program.)

* What is your timing? (Have you identified the best, or most likely, time you should be mailing?)

And here are 3 tactics to use on the envelope to increase your open rate. Courtesy of Target Marketing.

1. Use a handwritten teaser on the envelope. But don't make it too long.

2. Use a compelling graphic as well as the teaser copy. Integrate the copy with the graphic.

3. Use 2 windows on the envelope - one for the address and one to show the offer.

Great speaker or MC for your event (Peter Buckley)

2008-03-20T15:18:00.005+10:00

Last week at my business club we had an excellent presentation from speaker, MC, and ex-radio news journalist Peter Buckley. His style was very relaxed and entertaining, yet professional. If you're looking for a speaker, MC, or on-camera personality check out Peters website at www.peterbuckley.com.au

30 ways to market your business on the cheap.

2008-03-18T21:11:00.005+10:00

As a marketing consultant I'm often asked for ideas on how to promote businesses. In many cases business owners don't want to spend a lot. In some cases they don't need to. So I point you to this comprehensive article listing 30 useful ways to promote your business (courtesy of Business Zone UK).

But be warned... it's not really "on the cheap".

It never is!

Investing time, effort, focus, and money on your marketing effort always comes at a cost.

Initially the cost may be more of an opportunity cost whereby you forgo some project work, or miss out on time with the family, or simply say 'No' to some less-than-productive networking or other business events.

No matter which way you go, make sure you invest in effective and relevant marketing activities. That way your cost will be rewarded with more clients and increased revenue.

For more idea and practical marketing articles visit the Marketing Nous online library.

The 6 Traits of Successful Business Leaders

2008-03-11T21:26:00.005+10:00

Every business owner has their own set of challenges. However, an Ernst and Young study of over 200 global leader enterprises identified six fundamentals for any business to succeed and these included:

Managing risk;
Transactions and alliances;
Operational effectiveness;
Managing finance;
Customer recruitment;
People recruitment and retention.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that many successful business are founded by second-time-around entrepreneurs. It doesn't seem to matter whether the first business venture was successful or not. The fire to succeed and passion for their chosen industry is what drives entrepreneurs to be successful.

Find out more about the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of The Year 2007 winners.

The facts behind an inspirational start-up story - Trunki

2008-03-05T10:34:00.009+10:00

It all started off well. Australian entrepreneur Richard Farley sat on the brightly coloured suitcase and Rob Law wheeled him around the studio. But it was when Theo Paphitis, one of Farley's fellow millionaire panellists, decided to get involved that disaster struck. The boss of...

Continue reading here...

Another real-life inspirational start-up story. Trunki, the ride-on childrens suitcase.

KEY TIMELINE

1997 - idea for new product and business
2003 - launches parent company and develops first prototype
2005 - Chinese licensed manufacturer goes belly-up
2006 - Appeared on UK start-up show Dragons Den seeking 100,000 pounds; and gets rejected
2007 - 23,000 units sold since Dragons Den; now 100,000 units sold worldwide to date

For the full story visit Business Zone UK.

Starting a new business can take many years. Getting new ideas, new concepts, and new products into the market place can be frustrating and is rarely easy.

However, this start-up story shows - yet again - that if you believe in your product, and have a good understanding of the market, you can achieve success even after being rejected and written off by others who may be seen as 'experts'.

SME Marketing Success = Consistency

2008-03-04T11:07:00.003+10:00

It's a fact that smaller businesses are stretched for resources. And to be successful at marketing you need a consistent schedule of suitable marketing activities. Today I was reading this article that lists '20 ways to attract traffic to your website'.

Guess what... none of the strategies are really expensive. But they do require time and knowledge. And knowledge often takes time to acquire (and that can make it expensive!).

Many of the strategies listed are the same as what I recommend to clients, like:
* Having an email newsletter.
* Presenting seminars and speaking to groups of people.
* Attract quality inbound links to your website.

(Read the article if you want to know all 20)

Whilst the tactics aren't really expensive in dollars, they do require dedication and commitment to fully implement.

The challenge for SME's (small-medium enterprises) is to focus on the marketing tactics that work.... and KEEP doing them.

It's easy to get bored or distracted and not follow through with investing in the future of your business. But if you want a consistent stream of business you must market in a consistent manner.

New training workshops Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne

2008-02-29T13:23:00.005+10:00

A brief message to announce my new Presenting With Confidence presentation skills workshop.

First workshop date is in Brisbane on April 8, followed by Sydney May 22.

Also now available are additional dates for Selling With Confidence sales training.

Registration is now open for:

Brisbane (one-day workshop) April 29
Sydney (2-day program) May 12-13
Melbourne (2-day program) May 7-8

Any questions please let me know.

Which advertising works best? Recent data shows...

2008-02-28T10:04:00.005+10:00

I'm a great believer in making sure you are using the best marketing tool to suit your objective. And I often say that marketing is like playing chess. In chess you have a variety of pieces, each with their own moves and abilities.

In marketing you have a range of marketing tactics, and each comes with its own inherent set of limitations and advantages.

The challenge is to use the best marketing tool for the job. The choice of which tool/tactics to use, and how frequently to use it, should be based on what your customer needs to move them forward in their purchase decision.

This article from eMarketer talks about the impact of various marketing tactics on consumer purchase decisions in the USA.

It shows that the first places people look for information is advertising inserts and the internet. Each source received 26% of responses. The internet was nearly double the number from 2004 (15%). Interesting newspaper advertising dropped by 33% since 2004 to now sit at 12%.

The message here is that you need to stay up to date with the most suitable marketing tactics for your requirements. The market is changing too fast these days to keep using what you had in place 5 years ago without reviewing it.

When good branding still isn't enough.

2008-02-23T11:25:00.003+10:00

Having a strong brand name will not ensure your business is a success all the time. There is no arguing that having strong brand recognition is a great start. But there are often other factors that come from many different sources that can have a big impact on your success.

Take Australia for example. Australia as a brand, that is.

Over the last 10 years there has been a huge amount of work put in by Tourism Australia (previously Australian Tourism Commission) to create and promote the brand 'Australia'. Take a few minutes to read this informative review at BrandChannel.

The promotion of Australia as a value-packed alternative for world travelers has been successful. However there are now forces at work that are discouraging visitors from coming.

As the market forces change, so too must the marketing (and branding) strategies.

In an item titled "Creepy Crawlies Sting Tourism" in the Sydney Morning Herald it is quoted that:

Tourism Queensland's (TQ) annual conference this week heard a high Aussie dollar and expensive fuel surcharges and airport taxes were bumping up the cost of a trip Down Under, with concerns many would look elsewhere rather than dig deeper into their pockets.

... and that...

Japanese travellers have already begun snubbing Australia for cheaper Asian destinations and are set to do so well into the future.

The formerly booming market is forecast to drop by one per cent each year to reach 561,000 tourists in 2016, from a high of 820,000 in previous years.

Additionally, the article states that Britons may have seen "too much" of Australians. And that they feel as though they know everything about the country already. So why should they travel half-way around the world?

How does this apply to your business?

Even if you have a strong brand presence in your target markets, how do you ensure it is always relevant? How do you make sure your customers always have a strong reason to call you?

And how are you monitoring external influences that may act to limit your opportunities in the market?

Your marketing strategy should be dynamic. It should evolve based on market conditions. Even large successful businesses need to evolve - as does the marketing strategy for a country like Australia.

Next trust-based sales training in Sydney Feb 18-19.

2008-02-08T14:26:00.000+10:00

A quick message to let you know the next dates for my Selling With Confidence course is in Sydney over Feb 18-19 (Mon/Tue). Get the details and register here.

I've been running this soft-selling training program for 4 years now and theres plenty of testimonials about how delegates have found the innovative approach and structured methodology very helpful in getting better results.

The course is for service providers, managers, professionals, technical staff, and sales people who sell services, technology or complex products.

You will leave the course with a new structure for how to handle your own sales encounters.

Interested? Check the details here online and listen to my brief introduction (click the play button on the page).

The value of building a brand for B2B companies

2008-02-08T14:11:00.000+10:00

I was discussing some issues with my business partner in Solutions Found, including the impact of branding for a B2B company. Most people think of 'brands' as mainly being important for consumer products. But the idea of brand is also critical for B2B companies.

In the B2B space a lot of the business is driven by personal contacts, and personal relationships. And it might be tempting to think that the overall brand of the company is not so important. But it is.

For B2B companies, the brand should be used to create a sense of unity, and reassurance, for the customer. In fact many companies offer a variety of products or services under the one main company name (or brand). These individual products can be come a confusing mess of opportunity for customers, unless they are given clear distinctions between each product and who is selling it.

A great explanation of this is given by John Quelch at Harvard Business.

By having a unifying brand image, it is also easier to control communications from different parts of the organization. This is something we covered at a recent seminar on centralizing email marketing for franchise groups.

The 'brand' must be championed by the CEO and other senior leaders within the company. And the task of maintaining the brand usually falls into the marketing department.

Although in reality, the marketing department only directly controls a portion of the communications within a B2B company. Other departments such as sales and technical support have significant direct contact with customers (verbal and written) and they also need to be brought on stream - guided - with how to manage and implement the 'brand message'.

Choosing the right PR agency, or marketing advisor.

2008-01-21T17:17:00.000+10:00

PR is one of those areas that are really hard to pin down. Everyone has a different idea about what PR (Public Relations) is. I've seen this before when people think about how to hire a marketing consultant.

Read this story on the Sydney Morning Herald Small Business blog about VIVO Cafe in Sydney. It includes some great tips. The owner spent a fortune with a PR agency, only to get no results after many months. (See photo below of the owner Angela Vithoulkas)

That led to Angela checking other sources and finding a good PR firm. From the article:

She (Angela) began asking her customers for recommendations before settling on a shortlist of agencies whom she interviewed with direct and difficult questions before coming to her decision.

My view...

A good PR firm (like any good advisor) will spend quite a deal of time up front to ascertain your situation, and ask plenty of probing questions to find out what you really need.

And what you need isn't always what you think you want!

Choosing any professional advisor - PR, marketing, legal, accounting... is usually best done as a result of recommendations (referrals) and research you undertake independently.

And by 'independent' I mean doing the work yourself. Not just taking your friends word for it, or believing stereotypical comments. And not immediately trusting what you hear on the grapevine or latest online discussion group. Check it out properly. You owe it to yourself.

Research activities include checking websites for indications of expertise and 'style' of business. Testimonials should be found on websites of reputable providers. You would do well to also read up on the industry (even a little bit) so you have some knowledge of standard terminology and concepts. This is very helpful when asking your potential advisor questions, and listening to their answers.

If you're looking to hire a marketing advisor, you might want to review my straight shooting report on choosing a marketing consultant.

When it comes to buying professional services, be an educated customer.

Below: Angela Vithoulkas, owner of VIVO Cafe