I regularly consult to small business owners who have marketing, brand management, sales, public/media relations and internet marketing dilemmas. They detail the problem and I find a solution.
This is the basis for my new book which aims to show micro, small and medium sized businesses real-life strategies and tactics that have worked. Practical and tactical, not theoretical.
If you have had a problem in the above categories and have found a solution that worked for your business, then I'd like to hear from you. In 250 words or less please briefly outline;
Your business: The problem you faced: The solution that worked: The results for your business: The timeframe ie: 6 months.
All details will remain confidential. Your details will not be shared or sold to anyone. Promise. Your business details and web address will be included in the book, with your permission.
Leave a message for me here with 'Business Tactics' in the subject line and include your e-mail address or contact me on twitter - hotpepperchick.
I look forward to hearing from you. Cheers - Penelope
If ever there was a case for PR versus Advertising then this is it.
Within one week, a media release I sent to just two local media (the major print daily and one television station) has exploded globally.
If you don't know the name Kaleb Bussenschutt then just 'google' him. You'll find 20,900 online entries, mostly from media outlets across the world and in numerous languages. And that's just today - tomorrow there will be more.
Kaleb Bussenschutt is a cheeky and active 5 year old boy - my friend's son - who can not eat; food makes him violently ill. So he is fed through a tube directly to his stomach - 20 hours per day. I am undertaking the pro-bono PR for Kaleb and a charity bike ride initiated by his parents, Melissa and Scott Bussenschutt. Kaleb's Journey hopes to raise $100,000 by inviting bike riders (and sponsors and support crew) on a Melbourne to Adelaide bike ride in February 2010.
The money will be used to rasie the awareness of Kaleb's condition, connect him with other children with this rare condition (Kaleb has never met another person with this condition), and send him to the USA to meet specialists and other children. Can you help?
Kaleb lives wearing a back-pack that contains his 'feeding machine' so he can run around and ride his scooter. But when he has to shower, he hangs his machine on a hook close by. When he goes to bed his machine is on a stand, like a drip, next to his racing car bed.
Kaleb can only go swimming when he is not attached to his feeding machine (a window of only fours per day) and he can't play 'rough and tumble' games because he has a surgical 'peg' attached to his skin linking his stomach to the external feeding tube. If that get's damaged Kaleb will be in a lot of pain, and danger.
Kaleb can't eat his own birthday cake, or share sweets with friends. He can eat ice, water and a certain brand of lemonade (the same HUGE brand that, as yet, have refused to support Kaleb with supplies of lemonade or even a discount). But he can't share colored pencils or crayons just in case there is some food residue form another child and Kaleb puts his fingers in his mouth; which is what kids do, right?
Kaleb misses BQ chicken, salami and cheese the most. He doesn't know if he will ever taste food again. Right now, he eats ice at the table when his family eats.
He can't enjoy toasted marshmellows on schools camps or a hot dog at the football.
He doesn't know if he'll ever have his first beer (when he's of legal drinking age) or if he can take a girl out on a date for pizza or ice-cream.
He can't even enjoy a picnic for two.
Could you face a lifetime of not celebrating life's milestones with something to eat or drink? You'd struggle, right?
If you have kids, if you know kids, then help Kaleb live a life as normal as yours. Send support through making a comment here or blog about him or visit Kaleb's website ' Kaleb's Journey' and let us know what you can do, or if you'd like to donate.
Help Kaleb live a normal life - the sort of life you and your family enjoy!
Please make a comment here of support, ask a question if you'd like, tweet, blog and show your support for Kaleb Bussenschutt.
Secrets to Affiliate Millionaires – 6 Winning Attitudes for Super Affiliate Marketing Entrepreneur
Have you ever thought why you are failed whereas other affiliate marketing entrepreneurs are successful in promoting the same markets and affiliate products you do? Regarding to the investigation, the significant key to your success for the different between successful and failure is yourself.
Thus, you have to improve yourself in order to succeed in any kinds of business. Within this article, you will discover and learn how to improve yourself as a super affiliate marketing entrepreneurs and learn top inside personal attitude of super affiliate marketing entrepreneurs.
1. Self-Determination. The first personality attitude is the determination. You have to push yourself moving forward toward to your goals. As an affiliate, you have to set up your goals, plan your works and push yourself toward to those goals. Without this personality attitude, it appears that you will not move forward or closer to your goals and succeed in affiliate marketing business. However, to setup your goals, you have to set them up as smart, measurement, achievable, and realistic goals.
The secret to affiliate millionaires is to push yourself to work out as your plan. You have to keep yourself stay in the path toward to your goals all the time.
2. Positive Thinking. Many studies reveal that there are two groups of affiliate marketing entrepreneurs: (1) people who can do anything and (2) people who can not do anything. Those studies also reveal that all successful affiliate marketing entrepreneurs are in the first group, people who can do anything. It appears obviously that you are what you think and choose you are. If you believe in yourself that you can succeed in the affiliate marketing business, you will definitely successful in this business.
The secret to affiliate millionaires is to change your thinking to positive. You have to change the way you think in the business. Of course, everything has two sides: good and bad. It is absolutely great idea to underestimate the obstacles and try to find out the solution rather than giving up.
3. Self-Motivation. There are many obstacles to become a super affiliate marketing entrepreneurs and success in affiliate marketing business. The real key to pass those obstacles is your self-motivation. You have to motivate enthusiastically yourself to move forward and solve all possible problems in your affiliate marketing business. You have to build, run and grow your affiliate marketing business every day with your highly motivation. With the highly motivation, you will definitely become a super affiliate marketing entrepreneur and achieve your goals.
The secrets to affiliate millionaires are to: (1) enjoy what you are doing and (2) motivate enthusiastically yourself all the time.
4. Eager to Learn. Obviously, to become a super affiliate marketing entrepreneur, there are many things you have to learn to achieve and succeed in affiliate marketing business. For example, you have to learn how to start the right affiliate marketing business, how to build and grow your online business in the right way, how to build your own affiliate website and how to drive traffic to your website. With your passionate and eager to learn, you will boost skyrocket your knowledge and know-how in order to success in the affiliate online business. Otherwise, you will be far away behind your competitors.
The secrets to affiliate millionaires are to: (1) learn everything you have to know for your affiliate marketing business and (2) learn from other experiences and success stories.
5. Patient. The affiliate marketing business is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It will not come to you overnight or several weeks. You have to be patient with your goals, plan and strategies you implement for your affiliate marketing business. Without the patient or faith, you will give up too quickly in this business. Many studies reveal that all successful super affiliate marketing entrepreneurs are willing to work extremely hard and expect the results in the long-term.
The secrets to affiliate millionaires are to: (1) think about the consequence of your action today and (2) keep your eyes close to your goals and action.
6. Consistency. The last personality attitude for becoming a super affiliate marketing entrepreneur is to be consistency. The consistency will definitely lead you to success in any kinds of business. You have to work out your plan year after year, month after month in order to ensure that you reach your goals. It will be there absolutely!
The secrets to affiliate millionaires are to: (1) conduct the fixed affiliate marketing plan for your business and (2) improve your self-discipline for yourself and affiliate marketing business.
Final thoughts, the major different point between successful affiliate marketing entrepreneurs and failed entrepreneurs could be the personality attitude. It can generate a huge different in the long-term affiliate online business. In this article, you have learnt how to become a super affiliate marketing entrepreneur through the personality attitude and success in affiliate marketing business.
All you have to improve are: (1) self-determination (2) positive thinking (3) self-motivation (4) eager to learn (5) patient and (6) consistency.
Learn more secrets of how to become a wealthy affiliate millionaire. You will discover up-to-date affiliate information, top profitable recommended online affiliate marketing programs, do effective research, improve continuously your home based affiliate business, learn how to make big money online from home over $5,000 a day and participant with other successful affiliate marketing entrepreneurs. You will discover great tips on internet affiliate marketing for your highly successful.
Also, you will save your time and money for your trial & error. Join now – get the full access to unlimited business and revenue ideas, detailed reviews of your sale letter, candid critiques of your website design, traffic campaign strategies proven to attract buyers and tricks to increase your sales by 400% or more! You will discover and learn proven moneymaking secrets to instantly increase your sales over $10,000 per month or more!
Read more valuable articles, news and up-to-date information about home based affiliate business at: http://www.zMillionDollars.com/blog. You will discover a wealthy of informative about how to start, build, run and grow your home based affiliate business.
My thanks to Guest Contributor Siripong R. or zMillionDollars who is a recognized authority on the subject of building super-profitable affiliate marketing business. His website, www.zMillionDollars.com, provides a wealth of informative articles and resources on everything you’ll ever need to know about affiliate marketing business. Grab free special reports at: www.zMillionDollars.com/free-report.
I was contacted via e-mail today by Jen Harris at Global Talk Radio. She advised that I could post media releases for FREE and also host my own radio show. For a complete ego-maniac like me, the thought of hosting my own radio show was just tooo attractive.
I logged on, signed up for free and posted my first media release - about the launch of my new book 'Underdog Marketing' and why it's such an excellent DIY resource for any business owner, business manager or student of communications.
And guess what? It got posted! So here's the link to Global Talk Radio as I think they deserve a plug. I'm working on my own radio show as I have always wanted to go on the air (I'm in print and on TV so why not radio?). My vision is to have a live radio show that provides heaps of genuine resources for business owners - marketing, PR, sales, branding, finance, insurance, internet marketing, etc - and have guests talk about their specialty and have listeners call in with their business/marketing/sales dilemmas.
There will be downloads and podcasts and competitions and resources and advice and killer tips and proven formulas and fresh solutions - does that sound good to you? Listeners can ring live or they can leave their dilemma on my blog, and make suggestions for topics and guests and resources - oh LOVE IT! I'm getting so fired up, what do you think?
Please leave a comment; I'd love to know your thoughts.
Top 'Recession Busting' Marketing Tips for Small Business. Since I started providing these tips to my clients I have had every man and his dog ask me for a copy.
Cross-Promote: Link with a complimentary company and cross-promote your products and services.
Examples: a fashion boutique and a make-up artist; a delicatessen and a home wares shop. Think outside the square. A commercial cleaner and a chocolate factory? Think 'free samples' and being memorable. Add-Value: Instead of discounting an expensive dress, make a gift of a scarf, bracelet or pair of earrings. Instead of reducing the price of your service, offer an extra service for the original price. The gifted item or service will likely cost a business much less than providing a discount, and be valued more.
Permission Marketing: Your business will benefit from having a more credible profile and audience who invite you to talk to them about your products and services. Develop a simple online newsletter (e-news) or direct mail newsletter that provides interested parties with new, relevant and useful information that will benefit them.
Create News: Work effectively with the media and provide journalists with credible, newsworthy and interesting information suitable for their audience. Don't provide advertising masquerading as news; understand their audience and their needs. Provide an angle that informs, educates or warns. Hold an Event: Invite customers and potential customers to your office or factory for a tour followed by a light lunch or after work drinks. If you can't host people in this way, use a local hotel to host clients to a light lunch, or drinks & nibbles, provide information about your business and also get to know their needs better.
Speak in Public: Offer to be a guest speaker on your topic of expertise at a conference or business lunch. Service clubs often are looking for people to speak on interesting topics. Contact your local Business Enterprise Centre or Industry Association and investigate opportunities to speak to their members.
Call to Action: Whether it's an advertisement, brochure, flier, website text or direct mail letter, always include a call to action. Tell the recipient what you want then to do.
Examples: "Visit our website" or "Call us now" or "First 10 Callers Only" or "Order Now" or "Come and see us now". This simple addition will make a big difference.
Use the Internet: People will not flock to your website for no reason. Develop your online presence by having interesting content on your website that is up-dated regularly, an active blog, a relevant e-newsletter or media resource area, and submit material to online article directories. Join social networking sites, such as Twitter, Ecademy and MySpace but use them wisely. Get good advice from a credible internet expert, not just a graphic designer.
Ask Questions: Don't make statements about your products or service, instead ask questions.
Examples: • DON’T SAY “Our containers hold 500 and can expand to 750’ ASK “How much capacity are you looking for?”
• DON’T SAY “We have blue, green yellow, red, orange and purple” ASK “What color did you want?” or “What is your color scheme?”
• DON’T SAY “Our widgets are $100” ASK “How much did you want to spend?”
• DON’T SAY “This car is the best medium-sized car on the market today” ASK “How many people in your family?” and “What will you be using the vehicle for?” and “Do you drive mostly in the city?”
Extend Your Reach: Many businesses market only to their customers, yet there are other groups that can help promote you. Keep your suppliers informed of your business activities. Develop a list of people who can refer business to you and people who can influence favourably what customers think of you. Don't forget your staff; they can be your best Ambassadors.
Join the free Insanely Clever Marketing public marketing forum at http://www.dralexmarketing.com/forums and free e-news at www.underdogmarketingchallenge.com for awesome information & results. The new book 'Underdog Marketing' is crammed with step-by-step guides, killer tips, proven formulas and fresh marketing solutions. Buy now at www.underdogmarketingchallenge.com and have a copy delivered to your door.
Even your best friends won’t tell you. Sigh! You're tedious, tiresome and repetitive. Well, you're products and marketing tactics are anyway. Mark Twain got it right when he said that the best fruit is higher up the tree (or on the farthest branch). If it was easy everyone would have gorged themselves already – which is what they have been doing on the lower branches and on the fruit that falls on the ground.
If you stuck out your neck, what's the worst thing that could possibly happen? Something bad? …..or something very very GOOD!
I love Seth Godin because he gave us the Purple Cow.
Siimon Reynolds told us to Zig when everyone else Zags.
I love Ed Polish and Darren Wotz because I have 'That's Queen Bitch To You' on my desk which has daily reminders not to take life seriously. Today is "Does My Fat Ass Make My Ass Look Fat?"
Paul Arden suggests that whatever we think, we should think the opposite.
And my all time personal favourite – wish I had the balls to write a book entitled "How to Succeed in Business Without a Penis" as Karen Salmansohn did.
I love Vivienne Westwood because she doesn’t give a shit if people don't like her designs; there are plenty of people who think she's a genius. Bob Dylan wouldn't have won American Idol, Arnold Swartzenegger didn't bow to pressure to change his name, Ita Buttrose didn't lose her lisp (and went on to become Australia's most successful women's magazine Editor).
What's the purple cow of your business? Can you zig when everyone else in your industry is zagging? Can you make a really ballsy statement about your business?
If not then get off the stage! If you don't think outside the bx and stop doing what everyone else is doing, then you will be ignored on or off the stage. So you might as well make space for people and products and services that stand out from the crowd.
Be the best real you, not an imposter!
I'm going off now to add the title 'Queen Poobah' to my business card.
PS Buy a copy of 'Underdog Marketing' my new book - go on, live dangerously and spend a few bucks to get awesome results.
In a recent blog, Seth talked about marketing intolerance. But what he also says is this;
"Marketing is a complicated beast. It's not just advertising. It's stories that spread, it's editorial content, it even includes interactions and facial expressions. Marketing amplifies human nature. When someone stands up in front of a crowd at a political rally or in a church, they're marketing. And when a Hollywood filmmaker turns someone of a particular race or sexual preference into an object of ridicule or contempt, that's marketing too." Here's the link - http://www.feedblitz.com/f/f.fbz?Sub=198516
In my new book 'Underdog Marketing' co-authored with Dr Alex Davidovic, I write that you are in marketing mode the entire time even if you don't realize it. I place this type of marketing, as described by Seth, also as public relations – with media relations being only one component of that.
The previous chapters have concentrated on explaining communication and the importance of clear communication both internally and externally. The next two parts deal with Marketing and Public Relations, respectively, and they do work together.
Marketing is, in a nutshell, providing products and services to your customers better than your competitors do. Marketing is an umbrella under which all other activities – sales, public relations, advertising, special events, promotions – sit. But the art of public relations is the single most impacting element. Public relations activities will give you a higher profile and greater market penetration than any other single form of communication. Public relations also adds credibility to advertising.
Public relations is not media relations. Your business has a set of ‘publics’ that includes everyone who has anything to do with your business or anyone who sees or hears anything about your business. Therefore, we are surrounded by public relations threats and opportunities at every turn. And the cool thing about public relations is that, done correctly, it’s practically free.
When you attract media-related public relations you also attract credibility and a higher profile that most small businesses could afford to actually pay for.
In terms of your publics, you will market to them and you will provide public relations to them, regardless of what you do. Because your business cards, website, stationery, sales material, shop front, staff, uniforms, packaging, suppliers, family members, customers, will all be portraying your business in some way – so you might as well ensure that it’s positive, image-building and sales building, right?
Public relations is about image and reputation
Even if you have more work than you can handle, public relations in the marketing mix is not about sales; it’s about image and reputation.
So, you have more work than you can handle – for now. Will this trend continue? Will word-of-mouth marketing confirm that you are a great company to do business with? Will your products and services confirm that you are a credible business? Will the way staff and customers talk about you and your products and services serve you well? Or will it start to undermine all the business you have right now?
Because sales and business growth are two things; but sustainability, goodwill and having a spotless reputation are others. Advertising just shows people that you can talk about yourself. Positive public relations is third-party endorsement (media, customers, suppliers, influencers) that is 7 - 10 times more credible than advertising.
But far in excess of people looking to buy are people looking to be informed. And that’s what public relations does – it informs, influences, shapes viewpoints and creates trends.
When was the last time Paris Hilton paid for an advertisement?
Public relations is how you relate ‘publicly’ and ‘to your publics’. We all communicate, every day, to a variety of people. And in business that usually means communicating with known clients and unknown customers, staff, contractors, stakeholders, board members, government authorities, and even the media. These are all your ‘publics’. Public relations is how you project your image to anyone – and how your staff and colleagues project the company image.
Therefore, when you give out a business card, answer the phone, write a letter, respond to a complaint or issue a media release, you are engaging in a form of public relations. When it all goes pear-shaped, that’s when you need crisis communication – an under-utilized form of image and reputation saving. So it pays to recognize who are your primary and secondary ‘publics’ and develop a strategy around communicating with them.
Unlike Bridget Jones, we don’t all “just fanny around with the press releases”.
To purchase a copy of the newly released 'Underdog Marketing' click here and receive a special gift from the Authors. To subscribe to the Underdog Marketing e-news crammed with useful tips and featuring expert business videos, please visit www.underdogmarketingchallenge.com and also join our FREE public forum. Click on 'Forum'
Please follow me on Twitter now for more useful marketing tips
If you're a hard-charging CEO with lots of vision and business acumen, you've undoubtedly wondered if you should blog. Before you take the plunge, though, Todd Defren has some advice:
Learn what it means to be a successful blogger. "Too many would-be CEO bloggers treat their new toy as little more than a weekly newsletter," says Defren, "a way to broadcast their thoughts, rather than a way to create a dialogue." Doing it right takes time, commitment and realistic expectations.
If you decide to blog, wait a month before you begin. "Spend that time finding other blogs in your industry," says Defren. "Read them. Comment judiciously. Leave your 'agenda' on the coat rack. Just get to know a few folks. Introduce yourself." Defren links to a number of CEO blogs that get it right, and notes they all have something in common. "Each of these CEOs comes across as a humble soul," he notes. "That seems to run contrary to our collective version of a hard-charging CEO, but you get the sense that these are 'nice guys."
Remember you're the newbie.
Defren compares the blogging experience to a block party where you're meeting the neighbors for the first time. "Giving freely of your attention in the form of commenting and linking liberally to your peers' blogs is the equivalent of handing out your BBQ goodies," he says.
The Po!nt: "Up for it?" says Defren. "Awesome. Cover up the keyboard, lay aside your ambitions, start reading, and join the fun."
I’m a dog person. At least with a dog you can play with them and teach them tricks. I am not a fish person. Fish just swim around aimlessly and, rumour has it, they have an attention span of 3 seconds.
So imagine my surprise when I started correlating fish activity, or lack thereof, with public relations and business marketing. My step-daughter has a black fish – one with the big bugs eyes – kinda cute – that I named Nero (for obvious reasons; although it didn’t play a fiddle and burn down Rome, it was black).
It was also suicidal. It would pick fights with a much bigger goldfish in the aquarium. It would wedge itself between the tank and the filter whereby I’d have to ‘fish’ it out. It wouldn’t eat, instead choosing to suck in a bit of food and then spit it out again and move on. It roamed around the treasure chest, hid in the fishy castle and swam around doing the same things over and over again.
It occurred to me that I see people in business doing the same things. Not scuba diving in the office fountain, but seemingly doing mindless ‘office housework’ rather than concentrating on the things that will really get their business on the fast track to success.
Try this simple test.
What are the three most important things you could do to improve your business bottom line?
And how many of the have done in the last week? The last month?
Are you surprised, or pleased, with your answers?
The majority of people are actually too busy stringing their instrument and not concentrating on playing their song. And that’s as suicidal as Nero picking fights with a big fish and not eating.
What are you NOT doing that you really should be doing?
Here are some ideas that should be as important to you as eating. Depending on your business, they can be done daily, weekly or, at least, monthly.
TALK DIRECTLY WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS:
Do this regularly. Pick up the phone, call in for coffee, invite them for lunch – depending on the nature and depth of the relationship. E-mails have their place for quick confirmations but nothing beats actually talking to clients. When was the last time you spike to your top 10? Or top 100?
After all, if you don’t have clients then you don’t have a business.
DIFFERENTIATE YOURSELF THROUGH EXCELLENCE:
It is now widely accepted that people do business with people they like and with people who make them feel important. You can have the best product (or service), the best price, the best location, the best gimmicks, the best distribution, the best Christmas parties – but unless your product (or service) stands up to your clients idea of value and unless you make them feel valued, you’re dead after the first purchase.
What have you done lately to improve your product (or service), make your clients feel valued or differentiate yourself through excellence?
NEW PRODUCTS:
Consider how you can provide a superior alternative to something that it already on the market. Stop development on anything that won’t be superior to the competition – you may not win on pricing or promotion but you will win on value and quality. OR – develop a product from a current service (‘Developing a Product from a Service’ at www.InsanelyCleverMarketing.com).
PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS:
Maximise every communication opportunity. Often, the first time a prospective client comes in to contact with your business it’s through written communication – a brochure, newsletter, business letter, web site, even a business card.
Whilst simultaneously taking care of your current clients, you also want to grow your business by putting yourself in front of new customers.
What new things have you done recently to expand your reach or improve your messaging?
REMEMBER: part of your promotion is generating publicity for your business. Talk to Insanely Clever Marketing about media releases, gaining radio interviews and feature articles in targeted newspapers and magazines.
Don’t become a suicidal goldfish – because if you are not working on these four areas then you are slowly starving your business to death!
If you require further detailed information on insanely clever marketing, brand management, special events, internet marketing and media relationships, join the www.UnderdogMarketingChallenge.com (a collaborative partner of Insanely Clever Marketing). Lifetime membership of just $US270 includes killer tips, step-by-step guides, mentored courses, videos, podcasts, global business interaction, and MUCH more.
When marketing is not your core business it's easy to make simple mistakes. But all it takes is a marketing professional to provide some friendly direction. The following 10 Marketing Mistakes can be easily avoided by recognising them and then having a plan of action that doesn’t repeat them. Some of them may require that you get out of your comfort zone, and that can be challenging. But perseverance will provide you with great outcomes – and surprisingly cost-effective marketing.
Mistake #1 Undervaluing Yourself
People buy you at the price you put on yourself. You have skills that are required by a sector of the marketplace. Marketing is, basically, about getting out there and providing your customers with what they want better than your competitors do. Don't make it even harder on yourself by undervaluing your products or services.
Mistake #2 Not Investing
Whilst you have invested money and time to GAIN the skills you have, you must also invest time, money and energy in learning to market yourself and your business. Commit now to learning better marketing skills (so enquire now about Insanely Clever Marketing seminars and on-line learning).
Mistake #3 Being Unprepared
Ensure you think about preparing your marketing in the same way you prepare the other aspects of your business. You have a stake in the outcome of your business so take a more hands-on and prepared approach to marketing, because you have a stake in the outcome that may be the difference between being IN business and being OUT of it.
Mistake #4 Not Writing
No-one expects you to be a Pulitzer Prize winning writer, but you should be able to clearly and persuasively put your ideas on paper. If you can't organise and express yourself how can you expect customers to understand your marketing messages?
Mistake #5 Not Leveraging the Internet
Effectively using and leveraging the power of the internet is not about having an on-line business. There are numerous internet marketing options such as a well-constructed website, quality e-newsletter, writing articles for on-line magazines & directories, and writing an interesting blog (enquire now about the Insanely Clever Marketing on-line Internet Marketing course).
Mistake # 6 Not Mastering Networking
Businesses are run by people, and people do business with other people. Networking is one of the most powerful, and cost-effective, marketing tactics you can employ. If you are not confident about how to behave and what to say at networking events, then seek the help of someone who can teach you simple networking skills.
Mistake # 7 Avoiding Public Speaking
It's not for everyone, in fact most people hare speaking in public. But it is a skill worth developing. Not only will you gain confidence but you can achieve leverage by speaking to many people at one time, not just one person. Your sales / persuasion skills will also improve. Consider joining a professional public speaking club (such as Rostrum or Toastmasters) or offer to speak to small, friendly groups, such as a Rotary Club, to gain some experience. Remember, the audience will be thinking "I'm glad that's not me" not "What an idiot that guy is".
Mistake # 8 Remaining Silent
Ask for what you want. Don't remain silent because you think you may cause offence or lose a sale. Because remaining silent will ensure those things happen. You can confidently ask for what you want in a friendly manner – ask for time, ask for a meeting, ask for information. (If you lack sales confidence, contact Insanely Clever Marketing for information on our non-manipulative sales course)
Mistake # 9 Failing to Implement
If you implement even a fraction of what you know, you could be more successful than you can imagine. You need to create strategies and implement tactics, implement action plans, timelines and systems to measure responses and outcomes. Implement to make things happen!
Mistake # 10 Failing to Take Risks
Seth Godin said it all very well in 'The Purple Cow' – why play it safe? You don’t have to be an irresponsible idiot but you do need to stand out form the crowd. Do something you haven't done before. Get outside your comfort zone. Go on, give it a go? What could you lose? But what could you GAIN? Remember, the sweetest fruit is on the highest branch.
for killer tips, fresh marketing solutions, step-by-step guides and proven formulas, join the Underdog Marketing Challenge for just $US270 for Lifetime Membership - 12-step on-line mentored marketing program - podcasts, video, text-based courses, downloadable software, research tools, expert panel and the Insanely Clever Marketing forum. Join now!
Many marketing books will tell you that an attention grabbing headline is required for advertising copy, print articles and even blogs. However one headline I read recently made me smile; and think. It said -
'Everything You've Ever Learned About Marketing Is WRONG!'
– and then it had a sub-title that amused me. It said –
'Beat Your Competition into A Demoralized Quivering Pulp'
The accompanying picture was of a very angry man wagging his finger contemptuously at the reader. The ad was for a free CD program. It's hard to say what level of response this ad may have attracted but the target audience was clear – angry and fearful people; people who would find this ad appealing because they feel so insecure about themselves.
"CRUSH THE COMPETITION, drive them screaming in to the hills and then I will dominate the world!" (accompanied by an evil laugh and toss of the head). Would this style of ad attract you? And would you like your customers to view you as a competition crusher? Don't you think there is a certain kind of twisted mindset that finds this appealing?
However, on the flip side, there are also people with mindsets that work better, are easier to deal with and leave you feeling fulfilled about your marketing.
If I had a conversation with the man in the ad – let's say his name is Doug – I wonder how he might view ads that DON'T appeal to slicing the competition up in to little bite-size pieces.
"Are you crazy?" Doug might say. "It's dog-eat-dog in the tough, non-compromising, cut-throat world of business. Ads have to slaughter the competition and leave them in a bloodied pulp. That's how victories are won."
Hmmm. Interesting philosophy. "Well, Doug, you might win a few customers in the short term but how many enemies will you create?"
"Oh don't give me that win:win bullshit," rages Doug. "You can't all be winners, it's the last man standing, it's Darwin's theory of evolution and it's only the tough that survive. Don't you watch Survivor?"
Well, I tend to get put off by programs that promote the 'last man standing' mentality because the formula wears a bit thin. Gordon Ramsay has the same old rage. Donald Trump has the same old expression as though he is sucking on lemons. Television shows that pretend to be creating champions but are really pushing a theme of 'win at all costs' are not ones I watch. The mentality is short-sighted, limited and on a single raging track.
Doug is pretty fired up now. "LIMITING!" he spits, "Winning is the ONLY thing that counts. No-one remembers the name of the person who came second at the Olympics! Winning is King, who needs losers? I want to be a winner. I want to be Donald Trump; he's my hero!"
Geez. Doug is pretty fired up about winning. But his winning is really about NOT losing. I am in marketing because I believe that marketing has winning formulas, that winning is actually part of the game. But at ALL costs? Even reputation and customers? That's just BAD business.
Often the biggest competition is ourselves. It's when we don't make the effort; we procrastinate, we allow indifference or resistance to win. Because quite honestly there IS enough business to go around if we can conquer our own self-sabotage.
"Hell, you don't EVER admit your weaknesses," rages Doug on his soapbox. "You'll be gobbled up and spat out by the big guys. You need to always show strength no matter how weak you feel otherwise you'll be LUNCH!"
Maybe Doug needs to think about WHY he thinks this way? What kind of person would be so worried about competition? What kind of person would have to succeed no matter the cost? Would it be the sort of person who is insecure? The sort of person who had something to prove, who lacked confidence and didn't feel that their products or services were of enough value to adequately compete?
The 'Beat Your Competition' mentality is limiting and can be very destructive. Marketing is not about demolishing the competition. Sure, you need to know what your competition is doing; you need to deliver your products and services better than the competition. But you don’t need to come across as Goliath annihilating everything in your path. Attract business with quality, convenience, innovation, an excellent customer experience and authentic credibility.
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Author of 'Underdog Marketing' a newly published DIY book on cost-effective marketing, PR & internet marketing on any budget; business & media writer; public speaker; magazine editor; film director; business owner; traveller; dog owner; gym goer; daughter; lover.
I regularly consult to small business owners who have marketing, brand management, sales, public/media relations and internet marketing dilemmas. They detail the problem and I find a solution.
