OK, I’ve heard of it? What should I do next?

Probably most of us have heard about Linked In. Many of us have a profile and some connections but the most common statement I hear about LI is something like: “I received a few invitations to connect and I have a profile but I don’t know what to do now”. So, we end up with a dead profile, couple of connections and it never goes anywhere.

So, what’s the point?

I encourage you to look into Linked In as a means of practicing networking best practice. Huh? What does that mean?

Think about LI as a tool. Once again, we have talked about marketing tools here before and encouraged you not to rush straight to the favorite tool of the moment. LI is a networking tool and all the rules of face to face networking also apply here. Namely: Give to get (give value and information and don’t expect to join a group to harvest leads from day one), it requires commitment, you need a goal, you need to know why you are doing it, it really helps to be genuinely curious about other people.

How does that work on line?

LI is set up to allow you to find people of interest and therefore you should complete your profile as fully as possible. This means that you have to complete a summary of what you do. Bearing in mind this is a business site primarily, this means you have the chance to write about your business. Hint: the rules of marketing apply here - this is a means of grabbing attention therefore the focus should be on the issues of your client and not a list of your services and how great you are.

How to add value - there is a section called “Answers”. Search it for keywords in your area of expertise and give freely of your thoughts and experience. Give is the operative word here - share your knowledge and people will be more interested in you. Again, this can’t be self serving. Please don’t go into a question and write: “I can help you on this, here’s my website” as I don’t think that will work well.

Enter a conversation - you can ask questions too. When you get answers you should enter a brief dialogue with the person who responded and thank them. They may be future partners with you.

Revisit goals

I’m often asked something along the lines of : “what business have you had from linked In?” This is a fair question but difficult to answer directly. I know some people who can point directly to such business. In my case I know of contacts made that have attracted attention and got us talking which led to business. I know people who spoke to me directly after viewing my profile on LI. Here’s the thing for me - that is my goal. I want to be more visible and have people develop an extra way to contact me. LI isn’t the only thing I do by any means but as a tool it fits well into my marketing toolkit. It may well be worth checking out for you too.

Get motivated!

Yesterday was the day the “Get Motivated” seminar rolled through Kansas City. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to go but it was very well attended to the extent that it snarled traffic in downtown KC. I have heard good things about it and it is a good time, with the current economy, to hear some upbeat messages. There is a wider point here and that involves the use of seminars as a marketing tool. How effective is it? What should the expectations be when giving a seminar?

Make sure you have done the preparation work

Remember that seminars are a marketing tool, and we have talked here before about the dangers of starting with the tools! So, some planning is required: Who is your target audience? What message will be of most value to them? What do you want them to do as a result of attending? What, and how clear is the call to action?

Most people are savvy enough to realize that their world is not going to be made 100% OK by attending a seminar. However they are looking for some useful information of real value, and certainly don’t expect a full 90 minutes of a hard sell. This principles of marketing apply therefore: You need to grab attention, develop trust, give value, and have a call to action. With all these things in place your attendees will expect some selling - that is part of the call to action. However they will also expect value, useful information and a clear way to opt out of the selling phase.

So what is the challenge?

Seminars are really fun to do ASSUMING YOU LIKE PRESENTING. If you don’t, make a commitment to yourself to get into a positive mindset and practice/train yourself. Often the challenges is to make the material relevant so that if an attendee never talks to you again, they still get value from the material. Be generous with the information you give and don’t worry you are giving away too much.

There is a challenge in getting people there. That is a big subject in itself that I will tackle in another post! Perhaps the most common problem I see (and yes, I have done this myself) is assuming that giving great information will be enough to have people flocking to you at the end to give you their cards and/or hire you. The key thing is:

Having a clear way forward

Go back to your planning phase and ask yourself again: “What do I want people to do? What is the point of the seminar?” It may be to get a list of folks to follow up with. Perhaps you have a program in which you want them to register interest. It could be that the seminar is purely to establish you as a speaker. Whatever it is, make sure that you tell them what to do if they want to explore your ideas further, and how to opt out if they don’t. THIS IS NOT AN EXCUSE TO HARD SELL THEM or lock the door preventing them leaving until they surrender a card.

Keep in the marketing flow of your business - if you want them to give you a card, what will they get? What is your promise to them? Many times I have presented and it went well and then all the energy faded and interest didn’t turn into action. Make sure you are clear how seminars fit into your overall strategy and then they can be a great and fun tool!

What is the first marketing requirement for a business?

I think that the answer to this question probably used to be (and still may be): A brochure. For many businesses this was seen as essential on a number of levels. Most importantly it was the primary means to “get the word out”. Something tangible for our service business that we could leave with prospects/send to them/leave on the side at trade shows. Perhaps maybe equally important: It makes us feel good about the business - it is real and here is the proof.

What is it really saying?

Most businesses do a lot of things. Even with a clear idea of our ideal client profile, what we do for them and so on, it is very difficult to summarize everything in print. There is always something else, perhaps we add a service and then the brochure is redundant. What if we move? Don’t forget that we get the best deal on printing the more items are printed - so what do we do with the 5000 brochures we have left over when we move?

Thankfully a lot of these problems are minimized or avoided with the advent of the internet and our ability to get our message out that way. However, how many businesses simply replicate their brochure on line. So, even though we can now change the website as often as we want, are we making the same mistakes I often see in brochures.

What mistakes are you talking about?

A brochure can be effective but, be honest. How many times is it simply a list of services that relies on the reader to make the connection with their own business or personal issue? In an effort to make sure all the bases are covered brochures are often very wordy. Sometimes brochures are handed out with an apology and or disclaimer:

“This is a little out of date now as we have changed a couple of people and added a few services, but it should give you a good idea of what we are about”

The problem is that this is exactly the same issue that can befall a website. In other words it becomes an online brochure with no better insight for the prospect than a printed example - except more frequent updates. It still comes from the perspective of the business itself or, worse, the webmaster who controls the site. What is the fist page that most users are directed to? Yup - “About us”

I am not saying there is no need to define what and who you are as a business but it shouldn’t be the first thing, or the center of the site. Make sure that you have grabbed attention from someone who has landed on the site before you start telling them everything you do. How do you do that? Think in terms of your ideal client -what issues are they wrestling or struggling with? This will be a far more compelling reason for them to explore your site and discover your unique value.

Of course, you can also take that approach with a brochure - should you decide, after reviewing your marketing apporach that you even need one!

There are so many great things to try when it comes to getting your message across - from websites to promotional items to networking, the list is almost endless. When we get into a new business venture it is natural to want to get the word out as fast and as widely as possible. There is no shortage of excellent companies willing to help you out, help that you will have to pay for of course

Do you need that brochure?

One of the first tools of the trade is the brochure. How often have you been to a networking event and either been handed a brochure, or directed to the table upon which they are resting? It is common and they can be informative. However I would venture to suggest that many, many of these are glanced at and then discarded (or worse, filed) never to see the light of day again. Now, often you will get a break on the printing when you order higher numbers which means you may have 1000 or so to get rid of. do you have enough storage in your office to accommodate them all?

It’s not about you, and brochures almost always are

The key to grabbing your prospects attention is getting into their shoes. What is their mindset and what pain are they dealing with in their lives? Specifically, what pain does your service solve for them? It is possible to get this message across in a brochure but in my experience, I rarely see such documents written that way. Much more common (also true of many websites) is the approach that TELLS you:

a) Who we are

b) Bios of the CEO/founder etc.

c) List of services

d) List of locations

e) Contact information

If you recognize this from brochures that you have seen that’s not surprising as it is very common.

Gaining attention is key

I don’t intend to pick on brochures as there is, like most things, a time and a place for them and they can be very effective. The issue is that commonly there is a lack of planning that goes into this, or indeed any other tool.What do I mean by that? Well the following things are highly relevent:

- What is it that you are passionate about in your business? Why did you get into it on day one?

- Who, as specifically as you can, makes up your target audience?

- What, specifically, are the issues they are dealing with and how do you help them?

That may sound easy to define but in reality, it often takes a lot of thought and time to get precisely right. It is time very well spent though. The sad thing is that many businesses never really take that time and end up with an explosion of different activities (brochure, website, mail shots, direct mail, advertising, networking etc.) that are not connected or even linked to a common theme and all too often concentrate on the service provider rather than the potential client.

Think about the three questions outlined above and then ask yourself whether the option you are considering to market your message gels with the answers

There is a lot of cross-over between sales and marketing although they are different, and they share a common issue. This is related to the curse of knowledge to which we have alluded before.

Here is a generic story that I have heard many times, and have fallen victim to myself. Typically it goes something like this:

I have many years experience in this field and I know the issue you are facing as I have seen it many times. Now, let me TELL you what the problem is and how I am going to solve it.

Sounds reasonable from the “experts” point of view, right? It seems as though we are taking a lot of pressure off the client by providing the expertise. So why doesn’t this always work our as planned?

Think about it from the clients perspective (for example if you are hiring someone). You may have been wrestling with a problem for a long time. Also, we like to think that we are pretty smart, resourceful and that our situation is somewhat unique. Therefore the reaction may well be: Well, who are you to tell me about my business when I have been trying to solve this for a long time?

The result is we push the “expert” away.

What is the solution? It is a paradox actually - we demonstrate our expertise not by telling, but by asking. Asking questions that is.

How does this work? Be curious - you have the knowledge to ask great questions and they can be as simple as: “What have you done to address that?” and “How did that work?” They will tell you the issues and you can then probe to find out what they are thinking, how badly they want to solve it etc.

Perhaps the key is to genuinely try to find out whether there is a fit between what you do and the problem the client has. There is always a temptation to jump on the problem as soon as you see it and start telling the client or prospect how you will solve it - DON’T. Probe a little deeper, find out how they feel about the problem, how badly they want to solve it, is there an underlying issue?

The great thing is you don’t have to work so hard! It becomes a conversation and they will tell YOU the issue, and by your questions they will appreciate your expertise far more.

The first time we speak to people, it’s probably true to say that we want to get their attention. This is true in social situations but we certainly want to grab attention in a business setting - why?

Well, once get interest we are into a conversation that may lead to a mutually beneficial outcome (that also applies to a social interaction of course!). So, what is one of the most common mistakes I see, that I also have to constantly guear against? Jargon - industry specific words that we are familiar with that we use all the time on the assumption that everyone else knows about too.

Here is an example. I recently went to a network event where we were all required to go through that right of initiation - the 30 second introduction. One of these was from a bank representative who talked about their range of services (that were industry leading of course!) that included “CD”. Now, I only know one definition for that term and it’s compact disc. I am sure that wasn’t what this was.

In the end I found out from a colleague sitting next to me (it means “Certificate of Deposit” by the way) but I missed everything that was said after the term CD was used as I tried to figure it out. I cannot now remember the name of the bank and I have no idea why a certificate of deposit is something I might be interested in. In short, I have no idea how it applies to me.

The lesson therefore is - avoid jargon! Sometimes I think people use it to sound smart but more often I think it is simply common language in their world but guess what? We are not in their world any more! It needs to be relevant to the listener.

Think about the benefits of the “thing” you are describing. In the example above, what does a CD do for me? What problem does it solve? Why do I need it? How will it make my life better? Then describe it in terms that really make sense to me.

Small business owners often ask, “What is the most powerful and effective marketing tool to grow my business?” The answer is simple – “Follow Up.”

Follow up is the act of communicating with your prospects and customers in a planned and strategic way. Having an effective follow-up strategy is the best way to keep getting your marketing message in front of prospects (and referral partners) until they’re ready to take the next step.

Unfortunately, most small business owners are making it up from opportunity to opportunity. They haven’t taken any time to think through a follow-up process for any of their marketing tactics. Big mistake!

One important thing to remember (often ignored by many) is to always provide your clients and prospects with something of value. Do this and I guarantee your profits will increase measurably!

The concept of follow up is so simple. We all know that follow up is an important element to pursuing new and follow-on business. Yet studies have shown that even though most customers say “yes” after the sixth positive contact, as many as 80% of sales people have already given up by this time. As many as half give up after the second contact!

The companies that commit to follow up get more clients – it’s as simple as that!

Here are Five Keys to keep in mind for effective Follow Up:

1. Plan your Follow Up for prospects and clients over the life of the marketing and sales cycle. Consider that you may have to plan follow up for key clients over a twelve month cycle.
2. Use a combination of letters, telephone calls, personal notes, and send written information and articles from magazines or newspapers that may be of interest to your clients and prospects.
3. Ensure that each communication gives your client or prospect something of value. Simply calling once every few weeks to “check in” or “see if they have made a decision” flat out won’t get it done.
4. Send tip sheets and free reports of interest.
5. Contact your prospects or client every 4 – 8 weeks.

Design a Follow Up strategy for your clients and prospects and begin using it now. Within a couple of short months, I predict you will see measurable results.

I am reading a great book by Carol Dweck, called “Mindset - the new psychology of success” The main thesis is that there are two types of folks out there (OK, I know that is simplistic but let’s go with it for a minute) - fixed mindset thinking: All talents are fixed and can’t really be developed - they are gifts in other words. Growth mindset: all talents including intelligence can be learned and developed.

What does this have to do with small business marketing? Well, it is possible to hear a lot of these mindsets in business. “I am not a natural salesman” is perhaps the most common that I come across.

It seems to me that these skills can be developed. We perhaps all know people we consider to be “naturals” - someone with the gift of the gab for example. The danger of this thinking is that we don’t bother to think more deeply and it gives us an excuse. In other words - I wasn’t given that gift therefore I can’t develop it, so why try?

What to do? Personally I try to catch myself saying these things either out loud or (more commonly) in my head and then think whether that is an excuse for inaction. So, if you are inclined to think you are not a marketing person or a sales person I encourage you to think instead - how am I going to develop the skills in this area?

Are you in search of the Holy Grail of Marketing?
 
At the risk of having you click away and not reading the rest of this post… you won’t find the Holy Grail of Marketing here today.

Too many small businesses are wasting their time endlessly searching for the “Next Big Thing” in marketing. It’s like searching for the Holy Grail.

According to Wikipedia, the next big thing “is a concept in marketing that refers to a product or idea that will allow for a high amount of sales for that product and related products…”

In searching for the Holy Grail of Marketing, small business owners are constantly switching around from one idea to the next. They’re searching for that one big idea that will make the skies open up and rain down clients from heaven.

So do you know what the next big small business marketing ideas is? Is it blogging? Is it podcasting? Is it marketing through YouTube? Is it social networking through Linked-In and MySpace?

What exactly is the next big thing in small business marketing? Where do I find this Holy Grail of Marketing?

My advice is to forget about the next big thing. Stop looking for it. There is no Holy Grail of Marketing that is going to outperform everything before it and be the one thing to grow your business like never before.

As you are introduced to new marketing tools such as those mentioned just above, you should simply evaluate them for what they are. They’re just tools for you to consider as to how, or even if, they fit into your overall marketing strategy.

None of these marketing tools by themselves are going to magically relieve all of your marketing frustrations. It’s still going to take regular and consistent effort on your part to get results from your marketing strategies and tactics.

What you should be focusing on is creating a more systematic approach to marketing. A smart marketing system should utilize a good balance of online, offline, in-person, and remote tools and tactics.

That’s what we teach on the Get More Clients Fast Path. It’s not about finding the fast path to the Holy Grail of Marketing. It’s about putting you on the fast path to getting more and better clients consistently. Join us at an upcoming Executive Briefing or Boot Camp and you’ll see what we mean.

Networking is almost certainly the #1, most used marketing tactic of small business. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that everyone who uses it is good at it. It has been known to leave many a small business person confused, frustrated, or wanting to avoid it altogether.

Last week, I had the opportunity to facilitate a brainstorming session on the topic of networking with several small business owners. The question came up, “Where is the best place to network?” If you’ve been trying to get your business out there, you’re no doubt aware that there are a tremendous amount of events going on any given week. There are Chamber coffees and after hours, referral networking groups, leads clubs, seminars, etc.

The question is how do you choose? How do you decide where is the best place to network when there are so many options available?

My answer to this is actually quite simple…

It comes down to your clarity and focus.

You see the problem is that a huge majority of small businesses never take the time to get focused and crystal clear on who they want to help, and what they want to help them get done.

When you’re clear and focused on a specific target, doesn’t it just make sense that you’ll better know where to find them?

Too many small businesses running around from networking event to networking event desparately trying to get themselves in front of a lot of people. That’s silly.

Focus on who you want to help and what you want to help them get done. Then go find those people and begin having that conversation with them. Will you find them at the Chamber of Commerce meetings? I don’t know… maybe or maybe not.