The Reason Persistence Pays Off In Your Marketing
One of the secrets of getting your message across to
prospects and customers is to communicate with them at an
unconscious level.
In order to do that successfully, you need to repeat the
same message consistently.
In marketing terms, that means if you want to get a
positive reaction from your customers, you have to be
consistent and persistent with your marketing.
Businesses can easily present too many different faces to
their customers and prospects. But, if you want success,
you need consistency in your message, in your appearance,
in your language and in your timing.
Sometimes people give up too easily. They’ll say, “Oh, I
tried that. It didn’t work.” But you’ve got to keep going.
Harness the Unconscious Marketing Power of Stories
If you want people to pay attention to what you say, you have to communicate with them at an unconscious level.
In order to do that successfully, it’s useful to know that
the unconscious mind loves symbols. One of the most
powerful ways of using symbols is through metaphor or
stories.
As the unconscious mind also takes everything it hears
personally, people will automatically relate to the people
they hear about in the metaphor.
So a great way of getting your message across is using
stories in your marketing. Good communicators do this all
the time without realizing it.
People love to hear a story. When you give them information
in the context of “this is what happened with so and so,”
they will take the message on board much more convincingly.
Strategy Before Tactics
The title of today’s article captures the single greatest
small business marketing mistake I encounter – and I
encounter it every single day.
Small business owners often fall prey to the marketing whim
of the week, chasing every new way to do direct mail or
draw web site visitors they encounter, because they have no
real marketing strategy to help them drive marketing
decisions. If I could change anything about the way small
business owners view marketing – that would be it.
Without a strategy firmly in place to use as a filter for
where the business is headed, it’s far to difficult to
really analyze whether any particular tactic or marketing
initiative makes sense for a business or not.
By strategy I mean your marketing reason for being, the
position you want to hold in the mind of your customer and,
no, “I want to exchange money for something with anyone we
can,” is not a strategy, it’s a disaster plan. Far too many
people think “we want to sell lots of stuff to lots of
people” is a strategy.
How a Blog Can Help Your Business
If you have a business, a blog (short for web log) is a marketing tool that can further position you as the expert in your industry. Your prospects and clients want information about your products and services. They are hungry for it! And a blog gives you the opportunity to share your expertise with people across the globe.
Once they are set up, blogs are easy to update. The typical blog entry is short and informal, making it easy for you to write – and easy for your customers to read. Because blogs are filled with a bunch of little blurbs, your readers are more likely to visit on a regular basis to read your latest commentaries. They also feature a search function, which your readers can use to find blog entries on a specific topic.
But like every form of marketing, a blog requires you to lead it in a strategic direction. Before you start your blog, make a decision about the blog’s theme and “voice.” Once you determine your goals, stick to the topic. You can weave your personality and stories into the blog, but always keep these relevant to your target audience. Make your blog a tool that provides helpful advice, tips, and musings to your readers. A blog that is really a sales pitch or advertisement will NOT garner a wide audience.
How to Be a Marketing Warrior, Not a Marketing Wimp
Last summer, I attended a remarkable five-day training
known as the Enlightened Warrior Training Camp at which I
learned eight essential attitudes of warriors-those who
will stop at nothing to achieve the cherished, fulfilling
life they want for themselves.
These warrior attitudes are adaptable to almost anything:
finances, relationships, depression and much more. I find
them particularly useful when applied to marketing for
solo-entrepreneurs, professionals in private practice and
small business owners.
First take this little quiz:
T/F 1. Marketing is hard, and I don’t really know what
works best for me, so I tend not to do much.
T/F 2. I know what I should be doing, from a marketing
perspective (I’ve got a list a mile long!), but I just
can’t find the time to do it.
T/F 3. I don’t feel comfortable doing marketing tasks
(it always feels a little slimy), so I put off marketing
for as long as I can.
T/F 4. I tend to neglect follow-up calls, figuring that
people will call back when they’re ready.
T/F 5. I resist doing a blog or writing articles on the
grounds that I don’t have enough to say, or that I’m not a
good writer. (The old “not enough” belief that keeps many
of us from marketing ourselves.)
T/F 6. I’m too busy working IN my business to get around
to writing a newsletter (one of the all-time best ways to
market yourself), so I don’t send one.
T/F 7. None of the marketing things I’ve tried have
worked, so I wonder why I should bother.
T/F 8. I’m not very technical. Consequently, I don’t
have a well-functioning website that generates me regular
leads; it also keeps me from creating e-products that my
clients would find useful.
If you answered true to even three of the above statements,
I’m sorry to say it, but you are a marketing wimp.
Have You Ever Been Fired From a Job?
If you’ve ever been fired, this question is probably the
one interview question you dread the most. Not only have
you had a bad experience, but you have to talk about it –
again and again. How you deal with this question in your
interviews will depend a lot on how you have resolved the
issue with yourself. In order to answer the question
effectively it will be important to deal with it ahead of
time by scripting an answer.
Here are examples of how two candidates answer the question:
Candidate #1
“I had a great boss, but he left. From the very beginning
it was clear that my new boss and I were going to be at
odds. We just had different types of personalities. She
kept changing the rules. One day she would want it this
way, and the next day another way,” rambled Karen. “I don’t
usually have problems with bosses but this woman was really
overbearing in her management approach.”
This is not the best way to present the situation. This
candidate could be classified as a “whiner.” Badmouthing
former employers during the interview is a bad idea. No one
wants to hear about someone else’s shortcomings,
particularly someone they don’t even know.
Negotiations: Increasing Your Effectiveness
Always start with a consideration for consideration offer:
a presentation of the minimum transfer conditions well
within your negotiating limits. Declare yourself up front.
‘You have something I want and I have something you want. I
am a negotiator. Let’s negotiate about the transfer
conditions.’ For example, ‘I would like for you to…. I
understand that it would be something that would change
things a little for you. I think that I have an offer that
will make it a comfortable thing for you, though. In
consideration of your…, I will….’ Simply fill in your
consideration and my consideration: the minimum transfer
conditions. You have made me a consideration for
consideration offer and have done so in a way that lets me
know that you are a serious negotiator.
If I begin negotiating, all is well. I might say, ‘I might
think about what you want from me; but what you’re offering
is not enough for me to give you what you want, you will
need to….’ I have made a counter offer and we are ‘horse
trading’ as the negotiators say. Suppose I say, ‘No.’ Are
the negotiations over? Being a good negotiator you
understand my saying ‘No’ as simply my first negotiation
offer. You say, ‘That really surprises me. Under what
conditions would you…?’ I will then probably make an
opening offer – present an initial set of transfer
conditions to you. If not, you simply learned that what you
want is – from my point of view – simply not negotiable.
The following tips have been found by good negotiators to
increase their negotiating effectiveness and increase the
extent to which they are respected as effective negotiators.
Stay relaxed and friendly.
Remember the 80-20 rule. Eighty percent of the movement -
progress – will be made in the last 20 percent of the time
available for negotiating. Knowing this makes it easier to
stay relaxed and much easier to be patient.
Keep your focus on the negotiations – the transfer
conditions. Skilled negotiators will try to distract you,
will talk about things unrelated to the negotiations, and
try to diffuse your focus. Through this process, keep your
internal focus, your mind’s eye on the negotiations.
The Warning Signs of Career Disaster
The Warning Signs of Career Disaster
Many of us have recurring dreams. Mine is that I’m driving
down the freeway and can’t read the road signs until I’ve
missed an important exit. Fortunately, it’s just a dream.
But many people have trouble reading signs-not road signs,
but career warning signs.
A career warning sign is any change that indicates possible
career disaster. While warning signs may vary according to
employment situations, there are four basic warning signs
to look for.
Warning Sign #1:Â Your industry is experiencing a downturn.
Telecommunications is a perfect example. A few years ago,
telecom was one of the fastest growing industries, with
positions available at all levels. The first negative
indicator was unmet earnings expectations.  Those who paid
attention left the industry.
People who practice career management watch the growth
trends within their industry and know to leave ahead of the
crowd.
Portfolio Career
A new meaning for “career”?
Crystal ball or not, one thing is for sure – the definition
of career is taking on a whole new meaning. Although there
are many differences between our generations there is one
common thread that brings us together. When it comes to
employment, we all compete at the same watering hole called
the job market. We all know that most employers are now
less interested in “long-term employees” who show up
everyday from 9 to 5 and want to hang around for ten for
fifteen years, taking the lateral climb. In fact, these
days if you’re in the same job for too long you can be
viewed as a slacker.
Wondering what’s so different about the world of working
today?
Over the past few years employer needs have changed. In
order to compete and succeed in today’s global economy
employers are now putting a higher value on your ability to
be more creative, imaginative and “think differently”, as
well as your ability to adapt as needed and/or morph to
market conditions, much like Proteus, the Greek Sea Goddess
who could change at will, we are now seeing the protean
model career.
Sure, employers are still using words like “loyalty”,
“generosity”, and “stability”, as a draw, but the forward
thinking individual will know that these are merely words
and in the end, the company’s bottom line dictates their
employment actions. Employers are using globalization to
their advantage, as well they should be, and its time for
employees to use a form of this in their own career – a
“portfolio” career approach.
Why should you take advantage of a “portfolio” career
approach?
Negotiations: Preliminary Tips & Techniques
Being a good negotiator is a skill you will find useful in
many situations. The skills you will develop will
facilitate your being more effectively assertive, being a
better problem solver, and being a better conflict manager.
Developing the skills is sometimes tedious and requires a
lot of practice. The payoff is both substantial and
positive, though.
At first, it will be useful to move through the negotiation
process in a step-by-step manner. With practice and
experience, you will gradually get to a point where
effective negotiating is second nature to you and is not
something that requires a lot of detailed activity. At
first, though, it is important to develop a negotiating
plan and then seek out opportunities to practice. It is a
little like learning to play the piano. Learning how is
tedious and time consuming. Being able to play well,
however, is a very satisfying thing indeed.
PRELIMINARY ACTIVITIES
What do you want that I have, control, or can do? As odd as
it may seem, this is frequently the step that inexperienced
negotiators leave out. Very specifically, what do you want
that I have? Here, we are talking about things, about
concrete and tangible objects. What do you want that I
control? Here we are talking about opportunities,
resources, time, or other less tangible ‘things.’ What do
you want me to do that I can do? Here, it is important to
think in terms of things that anyone with my skills, in my
position, and with my resources ‘can do.’ In very specific
terms, what do you want from me?
With ‘it’ referring to what you want, can I actually give
it to you? This is another point that amateur negotiators
frequently overlook. What they want is something that the
other person cannot, as a matter of individual choice, give
to them. Perhaps other people are involved, maybe it is not
something that the individual has the right or authority to
simply give away, perhaps it is not something that the
person can actually do, or maybe there are other factors
that have to be taken into consideration other than simply
deciding to give it to you. Under these conditions, simply
negotiating with you is not enough, since I cannot simply
give you what you want. Be sure that your negotiations are
directed to the individual or people who can give it to
you. Who all do you need to include in the negotiations?
You should not leave anyone out.
Assuming I can give you what you want, under what
conditions do you think I can give it to you? If you
believe that I will simply give it to you without
conditions, there is nothing about which to negotiate.
Simply ask me and I will give it to you. Here, though,
let’s assume that you think I will give it to you under
some conditions. In specific terms, what are those
conditions?
