Marketing concept for today: Storytelling for Business. This infographic came across my desk recently from the folks at Fathom Business Events. Whether your preferred method of telling your story is LIVE, such as speaking and seminars, or other online/offline channels, THIS is exactly what you should be spending your time doing:
What do you think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to (wait for it...) share YOUR STORY about how these strategies have worked for you!
Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing speaker, marketing for coaches, consultant marketing, consulting firm marketing, marketing concept, storytelling, professional services marketing, marketing ideas, marketing strategist, success tips, marketing consultant, marketing mix, brand strategy, conference speaker, raintoday, advertising
Today's marketing concept for you is simple - check this out:
Your marketing and sales process should be easy, effortless, and enjoyable.
Period. End of sentence.
If it is not - and if you're attracting difficult, high-maintenance or non-enjoyable prospects - here's another marketing concept for you:
If the dating doesn't go well, it won't get better once you're married.
As the great business sage, Donald Trump, once said:
"Sometimes the best deals are the ones you don't do."
Amen, brother Trump!
5 Signs that Your Prospect is Giving You Too Much Bullsh*t
1. Agreeing to sign on and then backing off at the last minute or the next day to ask for references, birth certificates, blood tests, or guarantees.
2. Bargaining. Namely, asking for a price reduction with no corresponding reduction in services, terms, value, or relationship. (Asking for a price concession "just because" is a classic form of prospect bullsh*t!)
3. Undervaluing your services, track record, and expertise. "I could do this myself, I just don't have time..." or "We've outsourced this to several vendors and have never been happy..." (Run, my friend, run!)
4. Telling you upfront, "We're notoriously difficult to work with / a control freak / a perfectionist / highly demanding - but don't take it personally." (This means they've been fired by other service providers in the past and they're prepping you for the same eventuality while playing BOTH sides of good cop / bad cop. Nice!)
5. Using terms of false affection like "Big Guy'" and "My dear" or false compliments like "You are a great salesperson!" (Obviously, if you were a great salesperson, you would not be wasting your time with this narcissistic sociopath nightmare client from hell, would you?)
As poet Maya Angelou has so eloquently said, "When someone SHOWS you who they are, believe them."
Finally, a cautionary (and VERY funny) video to illustrate the point about Prospect Bullsh*t and how it looks in everyday life:
Grab your FREE copy of the Strategic Marketing eBook.And then leave a comment below with your questions, thoughts, and advice on the ideas above.
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Tags: marketing speaker, consultant marketing, consulting firm marketing, marketing concept, keynote speaker, marketing agency, professional services marketing, small business marketing expert, professional speaker marketing, marketing coach, marketing strategist, motivational speaker marketing, success tips, speaker marketing, marketing consultant, small business marketing, marketing mix, thought leadership, small business marketing speaker, inbound marketing, raintoday, advertising, internet marketing
Every day here at Do It! Marketing HQ, we work hard to make sure the clients we love are extremely happy with our work and our results. At the same time, we work hard to keep OUT clients who will make us nuts, sap our energy, or for whom it will be impossible to do our best work.
In this spirit, here is today's marketing concept: Your Client GPS tool (Goofball Prevention Screening)
A client may well prove to be a Goofball if they…
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And then leave a comment below with your questions, thoughts, and advice on the ideas above.
Are you a DO IT freak? Welcome to the club!! Please use the social media buttons at the top of this post to share it with your network. YOU are a rock star!
Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing speaker, marketing success, marketing for coaches, consultant marketing, consulting firm marketing, marketing concept, keynote speaker, professional services marketing, small business coach, persuasive speech topics, professional speaker marketing, marketing coach, motivational speaker marketing, success tips, marketing consultant, small business marketing, marketing mix, small business marketing speaker, marketing tip, inbound marketing, raintoday
As a marketing speaker and marketing coach, the question often arises about how to deliver persuasive speech topics effectively.
This week, we lost one of the great journalists of our time, Andy Rooney. As a side note, there is a strong case to be made that Andy Rooney was the very first video blogger - and certainly the first man to produce viral videos. You can see some examples here and here and a CBS-produced retrospective here.
So as you're crafting your next persuasive speech topic, here are seven lessons from Andy Rooney to inspire your preparation and increase your effectiveness...
1. Start strong - don't waste a lot of time in the wind-up. Begin like a good courtroom lawyer and come out swinging with no doubt as to your position and perspective.
2. Use specific examples we can all relate to. Model your favorite stand-up comedian: "Don't you hate it when..." "How come that every time you..." or "The thing that makes me crazy about ABC is XYZ." Specificity sells your ideas - and in the case of comedians, it also adds humor.
3. Go negative when it makes sense. And it almost always makes sense. Yes, when it comes to marketing and persuasion, some people will tell you to plant yourself firmly in the world of aspirations, dreams and goals. I disagree - the sound bite is "If you're going to sell fire extinguishers, first show the fire." Sell their problem - then you can sell your solution.
4. Don't be afraid to share your opinions on the facts, not just the facts. Yes data is important - but it's emotion that sells. Andy Rooney always had plenty of emotion behind his comments - and he often tapped into yours. Spark an emotional reaction and you'll quickly separate your supporters from your detractors. And when you're trying to persuade, it's the middle of the road where you find the roadkill.
5. Don't let the critics get you down. As I always say to my audiences as a marketing speaker, "if you don't risk turning some people off, you'll never turn anybody on." If you are working on a persuasive speech topic that is selling an emotionally charged idea or one that requires your audience (prospects, colleagues, boss) to take a leap of faith, you will have to deal with critics, skeptics, haters and even some saboteurs. Take it all in stride and understand what my friend, motivational speaker Marvin LeBlanc likes to say - "You ain't nobody 'til somebody hates you."
6. Charm will go a long way. Even at his most ornery moments, Andy Rooney always had a twinkle in his eye. Yes, he could be sarcastic, negative, nasty even... but although he took his subject matter seriously, he never took himself too seriously. And his good-natured charm showed through his most acidic banter, sarcasm, and negativity. It set a unique contrast. It was effective for him and it might be effective for you.
7. Share your passions. Persuasive speech topics are nothing without the persuasion - so once you've made your case, don't be afraid to go positive in a strong way and share what you love, what you believe in, and what you want your audience to believe in. One of the greatest examples from Andy Rooney is this piece in honor of newspapers.
Andy's obituary in today's New York Times concluded like this:
Mr. Rooney frequently said he considered himself “one of the least important producers on television” because his specialty was light pieces. “I just wish insignificance had more stature,” he once said.
But he put things in perspective in his 1,097th and last regularly scheduled “60 Minutes” appearance.
“I’ve done a lot of complaining here,” he said then, “but of all the things I’ve complained about, I can’t complain about my life.”
Thanks, Andy - for showing us how to persuade, how to spread your ideas, and how to have a great time doing it.
Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing speaker, marketing strategy, marketing success, consultant marketing, professional services marketing, public relations, speaking, persuasive speech topics, professional speaker marketing, marketing ideas, motivational speaker marketing, success tips, marketing tip
1. I'm scared to...
2. They won't let me...
3. It sounds too simple...
4. It sounds too complicated...
5. I'll never find the time to...
6. Sounds crazy...
7. I've never done anything like that before...
8. I've done that a bunch of times...
9. It'll turn everybody off...
10. I don't know how...
11. That's not the way we do things around here...
12. It's too expensive...
13. It's too far-fetched...
14. I need another 6 months to test it...
15. I need to be 100% sure...
16. It's not perfect yet...
17. People will say I'm foolish...
18. People will say I'm crazy...
19. I would never buy something like this myself...
20. I don't know...
21. I'm not ready...
22. I'm not smart enough...
23. I don't have the right degrees and certifications...
24. What's the exit strategy?
25. The competition is already way ahead of us...
26. We can't just pick up and start...
27. The other guys are bigger...
28. The other guys have more money...
29. The other guys are so well-connected...
30. It'll never work...
31. Maybe next year...
Which one(s) of these scare YOU the most? Please use the comments area below to share your SCARIEST source of fear, uncertainty and doubt... so we can overcome them TOGETHER!
Want to blow past all these scary excuses and tackle your most important marketing, sales and business growth TO-DO items all in a single, super-focused day? Check out DO IT DAYS and join us for the next one.
Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing strategy, marketing success, marketing for coaches, consultant marketing, consulting firm marketing, marketing concept, keynote speaker, small business marketing expert, small business coach, marketing ideas, marketing coach, success tips, small business marketing, social media marketing, marketing tips, conference speaker
Welcome to the first in a series of powerful marketing concepts... you can call them riffs, sound bites, or guiding principles.
When folks come to us for marketing mentoring, marketing speaking, or our done-with-you marketing services, the first place we begin is to help them operationalize one or more of these marketing concepts.
If YOU try them, you'll be amazed with your results. (And when that happens, please stop by here again to leave a comment and share your success stories!!)
The first one is among the most powerful - and it's the marketing concept of overcoming inertia.
Starting.
Moving.
Implementing.
Executing.
DOING!
As my motivational speaker friend Scott Ginsberg likes to say, "You don't need an idea - you need an I DID."
No matter how small the action - stop planning and start DOING. Only action creates results.
Scottish mountain climber W. H. Murray wrote:
"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way."
Whatever your big idea happens to be - writing your book - launching your product - kicking off your new service - shipping your insanely great software - putting on your amazing conference - reinventing your career - birthing your awesome project - embarking on your new adventure...
Get Started - Now!!
Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing speaker, marketing for coaches, consultant marketing, consulting firm marketing, marketing concept, persuasive speech topic, entrepreneurship, motivational speaker, leadership, software marketing, product development, professional speaker marketing, marketing ideas, marketing coach, motivational speaker marketing, success tips, small business marketing, small business marketing speaker, conference speaker
I got a phone call a few days ago from my friend Steve who is a fellow independent professional. He said to me at the beginning of the call, "David, I'm calling you as a reference."
So I'm thinking, "OK, he wants to hire someone I've worked with or someone I know - perhaps even a client of mine whose testimonial he saw on my website."
I say, "Steve, what can I do for you?"
And then he mentions someone's name. Let's call this person Larry. Now I like Larry and he's a good guy - perhaps a little confused about his marketing and messaging... and frankly that's OK because Larry is NOT a client of mine (although I've given him plenty of chances!)
Steve stops me and says, "No, no... I don't want to hire Larry. Larry wants to hire me. I'm calling you to ask you what kind of client do you think he would be?"
Wow. It's not a consultant reference, speaker reference, or service provider reference - Steve was asking me (essentially) "Would this guy be a good client?" FYI Steve saw me connected to Larry through LinkedIn and some other social media sites.
Lessons for YOU:
Comments? What do you think? Have you had some experiences to share along these lines? Would love to hear from you in the Comments section below...
Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing success, marketing for coaches, consultant marketing, consulting firm marketing, consulting, small business marketing expert, marketing coach, motivational speaker marketing, small business marketing, small business marketing speaker, marketing tips, referral marketing
As a marketing speaker and marketing coach, I've seen firsthand that there are three kinds of service business owners and independent professionals - which one are YOU?
1. You may have NO thought-leadership products and wish you did (audios, ebooks, high-value binders,client-pulling premium special reports, etc)...
2. You may have a published book through which you're selling your life's work for $20 a pop and you realize that's not smart professionally or financially...
3. You may have a mix of professionally published and self-published work both electronic and hardcopy but you want a NEW high-value information product that better reflects your current niche, expertise, or opens up an entirely NEW market for your services...and you want it FAST!
Good news...The NEW Product Development Toolkit 8-week group coaching program kicks off on May 10 and you're among the first to hear the details...
http://www.ProductDevelopmentToolkit.com
Somehow, some way, you want to grow your business so you get:
Which will in turn, help you generate:
Just like YOU, I know what that feels like!
And as a marketing speaker, marketing coach,and former VP of Product Development for a $5 million revenue infopublishing company, I want to show YOU how to enhance your cashflow, grow your client base, and increase your leverage by helping YOU create your NEXT information product FAST.
http://www.ProductDevelopmentToolkit.com
The Product Development Toolkit is perfect for:
1. Experts who have finally realized that givingaway all their information in $20 books iskeeping them broke;
2. Executives fed up with the rat race, who want to start a business built on their personal orprofessional experience and expertise;
3. Professional speakers who are stuck in thebroken business model of chasing after a different audience for speeches every week;
4. Consultants who are stuck in the trading-hours-for-money trap;
5. Independent professionals who want to build their practice, establish their brand, and break away from the pack of "Same-o, Lame-o" competitors.
You'll get a customized product CREATION *and* product MARKETING toolkit that FITS, WORKS and LASTS... and you're also getting the help and support you need over time to IMPLEMENT it to create RESULTS.
Details and application information is onlinefor you here...
http://www.ProductDevelopmentToolkit.com
I look forward to hearing from you if you're one ofthe FEW smart, brave, and committed entrepreneurs who want more leverage, more momentum, more clients, and more fun in your professional services business...Not someday - but right now.
SPECIAL DEAL: As a reader of this blog, you're also getting a $100 discount on Dan Janal's Guaranteed Press Release Service where he will make sure your press release appears on at least 40 media sites with links pointing back to your site -- or its free! Normal price: $795. Your special price: Only $695. For info, go to www.PressReleaseSender.com and put "David Newman" in the "referrer" box and you'll be mailed a check for $100 for your discount.
Not sure about sending a press release? Get Dan's free report on "How to Get Guaranteed Publicity with Press Releases" at http://www.pressreleasesender.com
What better way to position yourself as a thought leader than to have 40 or more high-traffic media sites SHOWCASE your expertise?
Hope you'll take advantage of BOTH of these opportunities to significantly boost your thought leadership platform!
Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing speaker, marketing for coaches, consultant marketing, consulting firm marketing, keynote speaker, media relations, kickass pr, professional services marketing, public relations, product development, professional speaker marketing, motivational speaker marketing, pr, recognized authority
What's YOUR take on the list above? Please SHARE and DISCUSS in the comments section below...
Tags: marketing speaker, marketing success, consultant marketing, consulting firm marketing, small business, professional services marketing, marketing, leadership, marketing ideas, thought leadership, small business marketing speaker, questions, recognized authority
Here is some typical web copy for a speaking, training or coaching business: MARKETING TIP: Nobody CARES about YOU and what YOU do! They want to hear about the outcomes. Outcomes go way beyond features, benefits, processes, and methodologies.
Sell me on the HOUSE and what my life will be like when I've moved in, or have guests over, or have a picnic, or retire.
Talk about ME, MY life, and what MY experience of your product/service will be. That's all I really care about!
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David Newman is a marketing speaker and marketing coach who works with professionals who want to do a better job of marketing so they get more leads, better prospects, and bigger sales.
Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing speaker, marketing strategy, marketing success, marketing for coaches, consultant marketing, consulting firm marketing, copy writing, competitive analysis, marketing coach, motivational speaker marketing, marketing tips, conference speaker
