We may have mentioned this before but…….

So What?

The so what question is a great one to ask yourself when you are putting together your marketing message. Is “So what?” a valid response to a statement like the one above? I would argue that it is entirely relevant and in this case, may even be the most obvious response. However the length of time the company and/or the individual has been in business is one of the more common statements I hear from businesses introducing themselves.

What were you thinking?

I don’t want to pick on anyone or any business who may be using this as a line, but ask yourself if it is serving you. I guess the thinking is that a long time in business somehow equates to competence and/or excellence. That may be valid. After all, businesses don’t survive for long by being incompetent. However, you are relying on the prospect turning that statement into something that talks to issues in her world, addresses an issue she has and to that end, length of time in the business is probably close to irrelevant. What can you do for me TODAY? Show me that you understand MY ISSUES.

Turn your thinking outwards

If you are part of a business that has been successful for many years you are probably proud of that and you should be. it can be tough to make a business work and if you are successful over the long haul you are doing a lot of things right. Experience is very often important. Why though? It is not the length of time so much as the fact that you are satisfying your customers consistently. Even that isn’t the marketing message - the way to get and keep attention is to show HOW you deliver value, show you UNDERSTAND their world and make that better. Can you do that even though you haven’t been in business for 100 years? I would argue that you can, and you can do it well.

So What?

“I’ve been in business 10 years”

“So what?”

“Well, we have a lot of experience”

“So what?”

And so it goes on. You may get there eventually but often times prospects won’t bother to ask the question, they will simply move on. The answer? Stop saying how long you have been in business and start figuring out what problem you solve for your clients that has allowed you to be successful for so long.

You will know when you have the message right when “so what?” makes no sense as a response. For example:

We help successful small business owners frustrated that they are paying more in tax and so unable to invest in their business.

Much more likely than “so what?” is “Really, how?” and that is much more useful to you!

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

Have you ever been asked: “What are you Great at?”

We have been discussing this between us recently and it’s an interesting question. Partly it is interesting because it is usually answered with the following: “Well, I think I am pretty good at………”

Maybe you thought something along similar lines. Note that you weren’t asked what are you pretty good at, you were asked what you were great at.

What we say impacts what we believe

Now I know that we are all modest and don’t want to brag about how great we are, but be careful. I am sure there are some things that you are great at and here is the opportunity to answer a direct question on that! By down grading ourselves we are, perhaps, changing our mindset to believe we are “quite good” rather than great. Keep repeating that and it becomes true - you make it true.

Well, I am not great at marketing/sales

This is why this is relevent to marketing. Continually saying you are not great at it, or worse, “I am terrible at it” completely affects your mindset. The result? You give yourself a ready excuse not to carry out anything that appears to be marketing related - why would you when you are terrible at it?

Check your beliefs at the door

Listen for these things from yourself and others - it is very common. The good news is that you can change this. How do you get good at something? Train, practice, learn about it? How about saying: ” I am really developing my skills as a marketer”. It acknowledges that you are not an expert but that you are taking action to get there. Doesn’t it sound more positive?

Look for opportunities to overcome long term thinking

A negative mindset really brings you down. Becoming aware of the times this affects you can really help turn it around. Need to write an article? Notice if you tell yourself “I am not a writer”. Network meeting? notice: “I don’t have the gift of the gab”. Catching yourself and then turnign that into a more positive statement will work wonders for your marketing success!

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.

Do you know what the three most dangerous words in all of marketing are?

Actually, they’re the three most dangerous words in all of English language. But, since this blog is focused on marketing and small business success topics, we’ll limit the discussion to the dangers in regards to marketing.

By themselves or used within the context of millions of other sentences, these words pose absolutely no threat. But, string these words together and the results could be devestating to your results.

And, you’re probably using this little three-word phrase way more than you realize. Most of the time it’s probably not even being spoken out loud. But, if you ever hear “the little voice inside your head” saying it then the power of its destructive force is even greater.

OK, enough of the suspense already… What are these three “most dangerous” words in all of marketing?

Are you ready?

“I Know That.”

Any time you catch yourself saying that, either out loud or in your mind, stop and concentrate twice as hard on what lesson or knowledge you might aquire. You see, it’s not what you don’t know… It’s what you already know that just isn’t so that’s keeping you from all the results you desire.

You need to focus on a well-defined target market - I Know That!

But do you really? Have you done that for your own business? My experience is that most small businesses are taking whatever business they can get through the door. Do you know how to create a laser-focused target market definition?

You need to establish your uniqueness (why you’re different) to stand out from competition - I Know That!

But do you really? Have you done that for your own business? My experience is that most small businesses are still focused on telling prospects they’re different because of their number of years in the business or because they’re totally focused on quality customer service. But who is not saying those things?

You need to focus on client results and benefits, not on your product or service’s functions and features - I Know That!

But do you really? Do your current marekting messages reflect that? My experience is that most small businesses never get beyond trite phrases like, “We’re focused on your results! Our success is based on helping you succeed!”

Look, I’m not suggesting that small business owners in general don’t know anything about marketing. In fact, most have a pretty good idea about how marketing should work. It’s just that when you keep saying “I Know That” you are closing your mind to new ideas, new perspectives, and new possibilities.

With marketing, a slight adjustment in your wording could mean a 1,000 percent or more increase in your results. Isn’t it possible that someone else’s perspective or idea could lead you to that slight adjustment? Well not if you’re constantly saying “I Know That!”

There is a saying in busienss and in life that goes something like, “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.” If you’re not continually learning and picking up nuggets of wisdom, then you’re likely stagnating and withering away.

And that’s why “I Know That” is the three most dangerous words in all of marketing (and of course in life). When you’re saying “I Know That” you’re not learning and looking for nuggets.

So when you hear it (out loud or only through the little voice inside your head)… My advice is to concentrate twice as hard on what the new idea, perspective, or possiblity is for you.

Probably of the most often quoted lines from the movies is Yoda from Star Wars when talking to Luke: “Do or do not, there is no try”. Apologies if I mis-quote that for all the Star Wars experts out there.

 I have used this a number of times and usually it is in connection with trying to do something. In other words saying that we will try to do something sets us up for failure, gives us an excuse where we can say: “well, at least I tried”.

However there is another side to this quote that applies to marketing and it’s this: Do or do not are the two options. This is often what we see with small businesses, the desire to do something leads us to carry out a lot of unfocused activity, many of it unconnected to the goal.

The alternative, “do not” is the other thing we see. Paralysis - rearranging the business cards and filing papers because there is uncertainty about what to do next, indeed where to start.

So, it is important that we do things, equally important that we don’t do everything but stay focused on our target market, the flow of our business and the message we want to send. On this basis we can decide to do it or not do it (a particular marketing took that is) and then really do it (or not) and not just try!

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?

Way too many small business owners rush into doing things without adequately planning and preparing. And marketing is a great case in point.

You set up shop and then hurry to get the word out about your business and services. You rush to get a brochure made up, develop a web site, and get out and start networking without much planning or preparation. And then you wonder why your results are so poor.

If you do nothing else from a marketing preparation standpoint, I suggest you spend some time thinking about your best clients. Your best clients aren’t simply the ones who pay the most money, but also the ones you enjoy working with the most. Spend some time to create a profile.

1. Define Your Target. How do you describe your ideal target market demographically and characteristically? Demographics are the basic facts like the kind of industry they’re in, size of company, revenues, geographic location, etc. If your target is individuals, then it means income levels, age, gender, education, etc. Characteristics deal more with things like the style, philosophy, and approach to business of your targets.
2. What’s The Problem? What are the problems, issues, challenges, or predicaments you’re trying to help your target customers and prospects with? Every product or service is designed to address some sort of issue or challenge for your client. What is your target market dealing with and what’s the potential impact of not being able to address those problems?
3. What Do They Get From Working With You? What are the solutions you provide? What benefits do you offer? What results do you produce? Note that this isn’t “what you do” or a list of services you provide, but what your clients actually get from you.
4. What’s It Like Working With Them? What is it about working with your best clients that makes them your best clients? What is the relationship like? How do things work? What is it that you’re able to uniquely do for them that makes it a great working relationship?

You’ll be amazed at what it can mean for your business when you spend some time preparing a profile of your best clients (and potential clients). If you know exactly who your potential clients are, then you can more effectively focus on them in your marketing efforts.

So now that you’ve defined your best clients, do your current marketing efforts really reach these folks and others like them?