Check out this great video on social networking from IBM. You know the adage; “it’s not the quantity; it’s the quality”…
We live in a very action-oriented society.
Getting things done, accomplishment, success and winning are valued above almost everything else. When you meet someone new, they first ask you what you do. And we love to tell them.
And I’m no exception. In fact, I feel guilty when I take it easy and am not doing something productive.
What’s wrong with this picture?
What’s wrong is that this primary focus on action is ultimately doomed to failure. It’s a strategy that will not consistently get us what we want. In fact, it can contribute to huge amounts of wasted time, spent energy and unfulfilled dreams.
I’m not saying that action is bad. No, it’s quite essential – in its place. What doesn’t work, what actually hurts us, is a focus on action above all else.
Nike’s iconic motto “Just Do It” is a lie.
Now, I’m not saying that taking it easy is the answer either. This article has nothing to do with finding balance and reducing stress. Although useful, they are not the key to making your dreams come true.
Have you ever noticed that two people can be equally busy in their lives – in their business – and yet one is a lot more successful, more accomplished than the other? I’ve certainly seen this with my clients.
Similar businesses, similar levels of intelligence, but very different results. One consistently produces superior results and the other struggles valiantly only to see their efforts fall short. Both are equally action focused. So why do they get different results (even when using similar methods)?
This really is the proverbial $64,000 question!
The answer to this question is both powerful and elusive. It’s powerful because, if you understand and apply it, it can change your life. It’s elusive because, like the air we breathe, it’s easy to miss.
So let me demonstrate how it works.
I’m going to ask you to do a little exercise: I want you to picture something that you want to accomplish in your business but haven’t yet. Make this as clear as you possibly can. See it, feel it, touch it. Make it completely real.
Then say these words to yourself: “I want….” and then describe what you want as clearly and as concisely as possible. Focus only on this, on nothing else. Take your time until you are clear and specific.
Notice how you feel once you have a higher level of clarity about what you want in your business. Are you more (even if a little) excited, enthusiastic and confident than before? If not, go back and clarify your “want” a little more. Don’t cheat yourself by being vague–get very specific and clear.
Next, take a minute and write down 3 things you can do to make your “want” happen. It could be anything, but again, like your intended result, make your action steps very specific.
Do these action steps seems doable, achievable? Can you easily see yourself doing them and having them lead to your ultimate accomplishment? Are you ready to get started?
OK, that’s the exercise.
If you only read through this exercise quickly, I urge you to go back and actually do it. It only takes a minute or two and can kick start major changes in your business.
- Clearly picture something you want to accomplish in your business and concisely articulate what it is.
- Notice how you feel (if it’s not more positive, repeat step 1).
- Write down three specific action steps.
The secret to effective action is “Clear Intention.” Without clear intention, you’re just going through the motions. You’re putting a plan into action with no direction. And more often than not, you don’t get the results you desire.
I have a pretty good understanding of what you’re going through right now. I’ve noticed that when you tell someone that they haven’t created a strong clear intention, they usually won’t agree with you!
But the proof is in the pudding. When the intention is clear, your feelings are in alignment and the steps you need to take seem both obvious and simple. You automatically move towards realizing the intention you created.
Take a few moments to create a clear intention for your business – what is something you really want to accomplish? Set a clear intention for money – how much do you want to earn and what will you do with it? Set a clear intention for marketing and selling – what projects and clients would you love to have?
Action without clear intention is like a race car without big sticky tires; you’ll feel like you’re moving forward only to look back and realize you’ve been spinning your wheels.
(originally published by Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing)
I hear variations on the following comment all the time from prospective clients & colleagues:
“I can’t really market my business until I know what my niche is. Until I know who my ideal clients are, I can’t start with my marketing; so I really can’t afford to spend anything on marketing until I’m clear about this.”
Feel free to substitute your own concern: “I don’t know what my services are yet,” or “I don’t really know what value I provide for my clients,” or “I don’t know what makes me unique.”
And with this declaration of what you don’t know, your marketing grinds to a screeching halt.
My answer is typically the following:
“You don’t find your niche. Your niche finds you. And this goes for your services, ultimate outcome, uniqueness, etc.”
What I mean by this is that you can’t really figure it out in your head. You need to discover it. And the way you discover it is to jump into the process of marketing.
I know this might not makes sense to you, but stick with me here, because this is really one of the biggest issues service professionals face.
I’ve seen it hundreds of times. I’ve seen people completely stuck because they can’t figure out their elevator pitch or perfect marketing message. And they “know” that when they figure it out, all their marketing will fall magically into place
Utter nonsense, I’m afraid.
Here’s the big secret that nobody has told you:
You take your best guess, give it a shot and see what response you get. That’s all, really. You don’t get it right. You get it wrong – maybe for a long time – until it finally falls into place.
Here’s an example, a prospective client is confused about which clients she should go after. But she doesn’t have to decide-not just yet. All she has to do is take a mad stab at it and say, for the time being: “These are the clients I’ll work with for now.” And then build a marketing message around that.
She’ll discover soon enough if it’s the right niche or not.
She’ll talk to a lot of people. She’ll use her newly created message, ultimate outcome, etc. She’ll get responses or not. If not, no problem, back to the drawing board.
If she gets a few clients in this niche, she’ll soon discover if they are ideal or not. She’ll learn as she goes, and fine tune her message along the way. After a while the niche will find her. She’ll stumble upon it. And ah ha! That’s it! And her next version of her marketing message will be right on target.
Let me give you an analogy in another field.
A new music student says: “I can’t learn music until I know what composers I’m going to play. I’m really conflicted. Will I play Mozart and Bach, or Beethoven and Brahms? Difficult choice. But when I’m clear on who, then I’ll start to learn music.
Wouldn’t we roll our eyes if we heard this? Then why do we take the declaration so seriously that someone can’t find their niche? It’s nuts.
Sadly, the chance of the above person ever becoming a musician is pretty slim. And the with this approach, the chance of my customer ever becoming a successful entrepreneur is pretty slim as well. The good news is she’s willing to try.
And starting is easy.
Get a book, manual, or tape program, or attend a course. Start with the first lesson. Do the homework. Apply it the best you can to your business.
You won’t be a marketing genius right out of the gates, but you’ll be way beyond where you are now. So get out of your head, let go of the need to have things perfect, be willing to fail fast and most importantly, just do it! Nike would be proud.
(originally published by Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing)
The first edition of Age of Conversation was a revolutionary book penned by the top 100 marketing/branding/strategy bloggers around the world. I was proud to be part of that original collaborative effort.
To step it up this year, we’ve added additional authors (275) and we’re focusing on eight primary topics:
- Age of Conversation Manifestos
- Keeping Secrets in the Age of Conversation
- Moving from Conversation to Action
- The Accidental Marketer
- A New Brand of Creative
- My Marketing Tragedy
- Business Model Evolution
- Life in the Conversation Lane
I selected #4, The Accidental Marketer, as my topic of choice. This comes after working with professional service firm owners who are great at their technical specialty but struggle with marketing their business.
Here’s a snippet of my chapter:
“…the future of the web is built to allow anyone to take advantage of these marketing strategies. Web technology like webinars and online video sites allow you to easily share your knowledge and expertise via speaking. Today, the barriers to publishing are virtually non-existent…”
And here are the authors contributing to the next evolution of Age of Conversation. I know it’s a long list, but this group of bloggers have some amazing insight to share:
Adam Crowe, Adrian Ho, Aki Spicer, Alex Henault, Amy Jussel, Andrew Odom, Andy Nulman, Andy Sernovitz, Andy Whitlock, Angela Maiers, Ann Handley, Anna Farmery, Armando Alves, Arun Rajagopal, Asi Sharabi, Becky Carroll, Becky McCray, Bernie Scheffler, Bill Gammell, Bob Carlton, Bob LeDrew, Brad Shorr, Bradley Spitzer, Brandon Murphy, Branislav Peric, Brent Dixon, Brett Macfarlane, Brian Reich, C.C. Chapman, Cam Beck, Casper Willer, Cathleen Rittereiser, Cathryn Hrudicka, Cedric Giorgi, Charles Sipe, Chris Kieff, Chris Cree, Chris Wilson, Christina Kerley (CK), C.B. Whittemore, Clay Parker Jones, Chris Brown, Colin McKay, Connie Bensen, Connie Reece, Cord Silverstein, Corentin Monot, Craig Wilson, Daniel Honigman, Dan Goldstein, Dan Schawbel, Dana VanDen Heuvel, Dan Sitter, Daria Radota Rasmussen, Darren Herman, Darryl Patterson, Dave Davison, Dave Origano, David Armano, David Bausola, David Berkowitz, David Brazeal, David Koopmans, David Meerman Scott, David Petherick, David Reich, David Weinfeld, David Zinger, Deanna Gernert, Deborah Brown, Dennis Price, Derrick Kwa, Dino Demopoulos, Doug Haslam, Doug Meacham, Doug Mitchell, Douglas Hanna, Douglas Karr, Drew McLellan, Duane Brown, Dustin Jacobsen, Dylan Viner, Ed Brenegar, Ed Cotton, Efrain Mendicuti, Ellen Weber, Emily Reed, Eric Peterson, Eric Nehrlich, Ernie Mosteller, Faris Yakob, Fernanda Romano, Francis Anderson, G. Kofi Annan, Gareth Kay, Gary Cohen, Gaurav Mishra, Gavin Heaton, Geert Desager, George Jenkins, G.L. Hoffman, Gianandrea Facchini, Gordon Whitehead, Graham Hill, Greg Verdino, Gretel Going & Kathryn Fleming, Hillel Cooperman, Hugh Weber, J. Erik Potter, J.C. Hutchins, James Gordon-Macintosh, Jamey Shiels, Jasmin Tragas, Jason Oke, Jay Ehret, Jeanne Dininni, Jeff De Cagna, Jeff Gwynne, Jeff Noble, Jeff Wallace, Jennifer Warwick, Jenny Meade, Jeremy Fuksa, Jeremy Heilpern, Jeroen Verkroost, Jessica Hagy, Joanna Young, Joe Pulizzi, Joe Talbott, John Herrington, John Jantsch, John Moore, John Rosen, John Todor, Jon Burg, Jon Swanson, Jonathan Trenn, Jordan Behan, Julie Fleischer, Justin Flowers, Justin Foster, Karl Turley, Kate Trgovac, Katie Chatfield, Katie Konrath, Kenny Lauer, Keri Willenborg, Kevin Jessop, Kris Hoet, Krishna De, Kristin Gorski, Laura Fitton, Laurence Helene Borei, Lewis Green, Lois Kelly, Lori Magno, Louise Barnes-Johnston, Louise Mangan, Louise Manning, Luc Debaisieux, Marcus Brown, Mario Vellandi, Mark Blair, Mark Earls, Mark Goren, Mark Hancock, Mark Lewis, Mark McGuinness, Mark McSpadden, Matt Dickman, Matt J. McDonald, Matt Moore, Michael Hawkins, Michael Karnjanaprakorn, Michelle Lamar, Mike Arauz, Mike McAllen, Mike Sansone, Mitch Joel, Monica Wright, Nathan Gilliatt, Nathan Snell, Neil Perkin, Nettie Hartsock, Nick Rice, Oleksandr Skorokhod, Ozgur Alaz, Paul Chaney, Paul Hebert, Paul Isakson, Paul Marobella, Paul McEnany, Paul Tedesco, Paul Williams, Pet Campbell, Pete Deutschman, Peter Corbett, Phil Gerbyshak, Phil Lewis, Phil Soden, Piet Wulleman, Rachel Steiner, Sreeraj Menon, Reginald Adkins, Richard Huntington, Rishi Desai, Beeker Northam, Rob Mortimer, Robert Hruzek, Roberta Rosenberg, Robyn McMaster, Roger von Oech, Rohit Bhargava, Ron Shevlin, Ryan Barrett, Ryan Karpeles, Ryan Rasmussen, Sam Huleatt, Sandy Renshaw, Scott Goodson, Scott Monty, Scott Townsend, Scott White, Sean Howard, Sean Scott, Seni Thomas, Seth Gaffney, Shama Hyder, Sheila Scarborough, Sheryl Steadman, Simon Payn, Sonia Simone, Spike Jones, Stanley Johnson, Stephen Collins, Stephen Cribbett, Stephen Landau, Stephen Smith, Steve Bannister, Steve Hardy, Steve Portigal, Steve Roesler, Steven Verbruggen, Steve Woodruff, Sue Edworthy, Susan Bird, Susan Gunelius, Susan Heywood, Tammy Lenski, Terrell Meek, Thomas Clifford, Thomas Knoll, Tiffany Kenyon, Tim Brunelle, Tim Buesing, Tim Connor, Tim Jackson, Tim Longhurst, Tim Mannveille, Tim Tyler, Timothy Johnson, Tinu Abayomi-Paul, Toby Bloomberg, Todd Andrlik, Troy Rutter, Troy Worman, Uwe Hook, Valeria Maltoni, Vandana Ahuja, Vanessa DiMauro, Veronique Rabuteau, Wayne Buckhanan, William Azaroff, Yves Van Landeghem
Many thanks to Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton for continuing to organize this effort. More than once it’s been referred to as “herding cats.”
Just a FINAL reminder that I am hosting a free webinar this afternoon to show you what it takes to have major breakthrough in your marketing efforts.
If you currently struggle with marketing, don’t worry, you are not alone. Most business owners/entrepreneurs are great at what they do, but marketing can seem like a mystery because no one ever showed you the rules of the game. If you want more clients with less effort, this webinar could be exactly what you’ve been waiting for.
In this webinar, you will learn the 7 Secret Marketing Principles that are proven to take your business to the next level when you understand and implement them.
Reserve your seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/911433377
Date: Wednesday, May 7 (TODAY)
Time: 4:00pm Eastern
Location: Log on from the comfort of your desk
And if you cannot attend, I’m going to attempt to record the webinar.
Starting May 15th, I’m leading an advanced marketing workshop, entitled “The Fast Track to More Clients,” in Lexington, KY. There’s been a lot of interest in the program so I’m hosting a free one hour webinar to give more details on the structure, content and benefits of the Fast Track workshop.
This workshop is based on the 7 Principles of Marketing that I’ve historically only used with my One-on-One Marketing Mentoring clients. This is the first time that I’ve offered it in a group format.
Full program details are available at http://www.nick-rice.com/fasttrack
Even if you’re not in the greater Lexington area, you may be interested in the webinar. It will be a great (and free) way to get a better understanding of the unique marketing mentoring/coaching format that I offer. Here are the details for the webinar:
Free “Fast Track to More Clients” Intro Webinar
Join me for a Business Breakthrough Webinar on May 7 – Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/911433377If you’re tired of getting the same old results from your marketing, please join me on Wednesday, May 7 at 4:00pm Eastern and explore what it takes to have a marketing breakthrough.
In this complimentary one hour webinar, I’ll go into more detail about the topics I’m going to cover in my upcoming advanced marketing workshop, The Fast Track to More Clients.
The Fast Track program will be a business “tipping point” for owners who are:
- Tired of struggling with marketing and getting minimal results
- Resistant to engaging in marketing activities
- Committed to growing their business to a whole new level
During this webinar, I will personally cover the Seven Key Marketing Principles that will enable you to:
- Understand marketing as a game you can play to win
- Let go of the resistance and fear of promoting yourself
- Speak the “language of marketing” to generate immediate attention
- Articulate a marketing message that makes you stand out in a crowd
- Develop marketing materials that build credibility and trust
- Implement marketing tactics that get consistent results
- Develop marketing action plans that ensure your success
- FREE BONUS SESSION-Effective closing and selling techniques
Title: Free Fast Track to More Clients Intro Webinar
Date: Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Time: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM EDT
Cost: $0System Requirements:
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows(r) 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista
Macintosh(r)-based attendees
Required: Mac OS(r) X 10.3.9 (Panther) or newer
I hope you see you there.
The more I learn about small business, the more I’m surprised about the shaky foundation on which they build their businesses. Owners risk so for their business, yet they often put themselves at greater risk because they choose not to market consistently.
Overwhelmingly, when people discover that I’m a marketing coach they proudly state, “I’ve built my entire business on referrals. I’ve never had to spend a penny on advertising.” And my response is typically, “That’s great, advertising rarely works for service businesses anyway. And I applaud you for providing a service valuable enough to get people talking. So tell me, how do you get referrals on a consistent basis?” That’s when they usually stop dead in their tracks. They realize that referrals are not predictable; they realize that they are not in full control of their own business.
Now let me be clear; referrals are great! They are vital to your firm’s growth. They are the easiest business to close and they are typically less price sensitive than other buyers. You should ALWAYS strive to do your job well enough to get people talking about you and your services to friends and colleagues.
That said, the ideal client mix for a service business is 50% referrals and 50% new business. And by new business, I mean clients that would not have otherwise come to you without stumbling across one (or more) of your marketing tactics. So what’s your percentage? How much of your business do you ultimately control?
Referrals are going to happen (or not) when you provide good service and deliver value. Referrals are next to impossible to control. You can’t magically turn on the referral switch and get new business when you need it. So while they are great business; you shouldn’t let referrals totally control your business. You need to proactively grow your business in addition to working with referrals.
You need a reliable system in place for generating new leads and attracting new clients. By balancing referrals with proven marketing strategies, you can potentially double your business if your current mix is 100% referral-based.
Just for a minute, assume you keep your current level of referrals and you elevate your new business marketing efforts to attain the ideal 50/50 split. What would that mean for your business? What would that mean for your personal goals? Having a marketing engine that consistently creates more opportunity than capacity allows you to choose better clients and better projects.
What I’ve discovered is that most people don’t understand how to market their business. They’ve never had any training or they simply get distracted by the details leaving their big plans to collect dust. In addition to referrals and advertising, there are many more marketing options.
BNI is the world’s largest “lead referral group.” Each week millions of businessmen and women around the world get together to proactively drum up referrals for their business. Earlier this year, they asked their members about their marketing strategies. Here are the results (in order of weight as of March 2008):
Referral Marketing – 41.6%
Direct Marketing – 17.6%
Web Marketing – 9.9%
Direct Mail Marketing – 5.8%
Email Marketing – 5.5%
Print Ads – 4.8%
Other – 4.2%
Public Relations – 3.8%
Telemarketing – 3.1%
TV/Radio – 2.8%
So even in a group that purposefully built to generate referrals, members are still spending over 50% of marketing efforts on other strategies. But here’s the kicker, BNI members are missing out on some of the most effective marketing strategies available for professional service businesses.
Just look at the focus on direct marketing, direct mail, print ads, and tv/radio; those strategies are basically marketing number games. The response rate for those strategies is so low you need tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of contact names on your prospect list to make it worth your time and effort. We’re talking about a ~0.5% response rate on those strategies.
If you’re in a service business, you are selling your knowledge, expertise and ability to solve client problems. Chances are you have hundreds, maybe thousands, of people in your contact list or address book–no where near enough to play marketing number games. Not to mention, it’s very difficult to explain the value of your intangible service offering with traditional advertising. You need a different approach; you need different options.
I help my clients pick between 11 proven marketing strategies. We select the top three to five strategies that are best suited for their unique goals and personality. These are “big bucket” strategies that can have hundreds of different tactical executions apiece. The 11 strategies include (in alphabetical order not effectiveness):
1. Advertising (paid placement of message, incl. sponsorship)
2. Articles & Publishing
3. Direct Outreach (one-to-one direct mail, email, phone calls)
4. Keep in Touch (newsletters, auto-responder email)
5. Networking (events, lunches, committees, Board of Directors
6. Online (SEO, banner ads, webinar, registration forms, blog)
7. PR (earned media/press mention)
8. Referral (Word of mouth, viral marketing)
9. Speaking, Presentations, Workshops
10. Special Events (host seminars, open house, customer events)
11. Strategic Alliance / Joint Venture
For instance, take Networking. As an overarching strategy, you can network at local Chamber events, professional groups, church, alumni clubs, civic organizations, and online networking sites like LinkedIn. You can join boards, country clubs, mastermind groups. In order to take advantage of networking (or any of these strategies), you need a plan.
Each of these marketing strategies has been proven to work. But some are more effective than others. Notice that advertising and referrals are both solid strategies, but they’re not the only options. And I like I said before, advertising only works with businesses with mass market appeal. The very nature of a service business has a targeted audience.
The small business owners I talk to want a tangible return on their investment of time, money and energy into marketing. Everyone has unique goals, but one of the most common goals that I encounter in professional service partners is the desire to be seen as an “expert” in their field. They want to elevate above their competition and be recognized as a leader. If this goal resonates with you, one of the most potent combination of marketing strategies you can employee is Writing, Speaking, and Networking.
Think about who you look to as leaders. How do you tap into their knowledge? Where do you find them? Chances are you buy their books; or read their articles/white papers; or see them talk at a conference. Experts purposefully select marketing strategies that allow them to capitalize on their knowledge and “thought leadership.” Now, this is just one example. You have to pick strategies that excite you and are best suited to reaching your specific goals. If you can’t get excited about speaking, for instance, chances are you won’t actively work your speaking plan.
In closing, I want you to think about your business and your goals. If you have a business built 100% on referrals and you’re completely happy, I congratulate you. But if you have a business dependent on referrals and the stream is dwindling down or you yearn to take the business to the next level, you must become a better marketer. You need to balance your referral stream with new clients. Building action plans around a couple of the marketing strategies listed above is a great way to reach the 50/50 client mix.
—–
If you’re in the greater Lexington, KY area, mark your calendar. Starting May 15th, I’m leading an 8 week marketing workshop for Independent Professionals and Partners in professional service businesses who want to attract more clients. This program, entitled the Fast Track to More Clients, will be a business “tipping point” for owners who are:
- Tired of struggling with marketing and getting minimal results
- Resistant to engaging in marketing activities
- Committed to growing their business to a whole new level
Learn more at http://www.nick-rice.com/fasttrack
Hugh pegs the nexus of creativity and profit.
On the spectrum of “creatives”, I fall closer to the black sheep profit and efficiency side. I appreciate the creative process and the elusive quest for perfection, but I no longer let it drive me. Here’s the thing; as soon as you step into the business realm, you can no longer be an “artist”–you’re a designer. True artists work for themselves, not to produce commercially acceptable “art” and not to produce a profit. The sale isn’t the focus. Artists are concerned about getting their emotions across, not their client’s. Designers, on the other hand, are commissioned to produce a specific piece that solves a specific problem. And they jump into the project head first knowing how much they’re going to be paid. More often that not, they are trading time for money (not that I agree w/ that approach, but let’s move on).
A creative’s passion and love for their craft puts them at direct odds with the ultimate mission of their own business. I’m not sure how to solve it, but I know it affects most good designers. And maybe it’s that tension which makes for good design–as long as there is someone in between the client and the designer to translate and keep the project progressing.
I choose to become a millionaire artist; or something…
from Tom Fishburne at BrandCamp
If you’ve spent more than 5 minutes in Corporate America, chances are you’ve sat through one of these idea/brainstorming sessions. It’s a shame that true innovation and creativity typically take a back seat to turf protection, bad attitudes and personal politics.
