 2013 is almost over...
And here's a tough question for you:
If your 2014 ends up just like your 2013, would that be acceptable to you?
OR...
If you want to accelerate your business beyond where you've been - perhaps significantly so - then you'll need to master these 5 key skills and behaviors:
Our first Accelerator conference call is scheduled for this Thursday, December 5th. And before the doors close on this kickoff program, I wanted to invite you to consider if this program is right for you...
There are 6 more spaces available and then the program is CLOSED...
You are warmly invited to take a peek at everything you get - all designed to give you MORE momentum, MORE focus, MORE clients, and MORE revenue.
There are TWO ways to join - a monthly option with zero obligation (cancel any time) and an annual option that gives you additional savings and benefits.
Looking forward to the possibility of YOU joining us... just in time to accelerate your progress and your revenues in 2014 and beyond.
p.s. FAST-ACTION BONUS: If you register at the bottom of this page by Thursday December 5, you'll get TWO 60-minute private mentor sessions with me personally to work on your marketing, sales, and business growth game plan for 2014 and make sure you're positioned for success ($720 value). We'll schedule one in December and one in January. Don't miss out!
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Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing for coaches, thought leadership marketing, marketing professional services, professional services marketing, trusted advisor marketing, marketing expert, marketing coaching, selling professional services, marketing coach, marketing consultant, marketing for authors, marketing for consultants, doit marketing, do it marketing, small business marketing coach
There's a nice group of folks coming together for the next "Simple Marketing Success" 10-week group coaching program that begins October 8.
In fact, you have about 24 hours to catch Early Bird pricing that expires tomorrow (9/21).
I'm talking with a lot of entrepreneurs, small business owners, and independent professionals about the program.
Some are a great fit for the program and will benefit hugely.
Some are not. I will almost always catch these people during the application process and weed them out.
This is one such story...
This entrepreneur emailed me the following question:
Hi David,
I hope you are having a great weekend! After some debate, here's the verdict: I want to take the course, I believe, you see, I'd make a great student - but money is an issue for the household if you know what I mean.
So here's a question: Would you feel comfortable giving us a 100% satisfaction guarantee? If at the end of 10 weeks I have not been able to get a solid booking(s) to at least cover the cost of the program, then you'd give us a full refund. But if I have been able to get a solid booking(s) at the end of the 10-week period, then we call it a major success and both parties are happy, including my wife. Can we do that?
I won't bore you with pointing out the half-dozen red flags with this prospect. You can probably see them all for yourself.
This post is about guaranteeing YOUR consulting, coaching, or training outcomes.
My policy - I don't do it.
And neither should YOU.
Here's what I replied to this fellow:
Pat,
If you're looking for some kind of guarantee, the problem is that I can only guarantee MY program.
I can't guarantee YOUR results.
Here's what I guarantee:
- I'll lead 10 weekly calls
- You'll get 10 weekly assignments
- You'll get digital audio downloads of 10 calls
- You'll get word-for-word transcripts of 10 calls
- You'll get 280+ pages of tested small business marketing strategies, tools, templates, and ideas
- The ideas and tactics you'll get have been proven with over 300 entrepreneurs, small business owners and independent professionals
- I'll be available for UNLIMITED email support and respond to you within 1 business day, usually much sooner
- You'll get TWO 30-minute private 1-on-1 calls with me which you can use for any purpose
- You'll get full access to the online Group/Forum website for asking questions, seeking feedback, and posting responses and assignments
- I can't guarantee you'll be on the calls
- I can't guarantee you'll listen to the recordings
- I can't guarantee you'll do your weekly assignments
- I can't guarantee you'll read the transcripts
- I can't guarantee you'll read the book
- I can't guarantee you'll implement a single strategy or tactic
- I can't guarantee you'll email me when you need help or guidance
- I can't guarantee you'll set up your 2 private coaching calls
- I can't guarantee you'll follow my advice
- I can't guarantee you'll participate in the online forum
- I can't guarantee you'll work hard (or at all) to make this program WORK for you
And I'm not in the business of "convincing" people with feel-good guarantees.
I don't work with hundreds of people at a clip. I work with a very small, very dedicated group of entrepreneurs, business owners and independent professionals who are committed to their own success and want to accelerate its timetable and expand its scope.
If that's you, then terrific. Let's do this thing.
If not, no hard feelings.
What do YOU think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on using guarantees in YOUR coaching, consulting, training or professional services business. And if you use a written guarantee, feel free to post the link and a quick plug for your services, too!
Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing for coaches, marketing concept, thought leadership marketing, marketing professional services, professional services marketing, trusted advisor marketing, marketing expert, marketing for trainers, marketing coaching, marketing coach, marketing consultant, small business marketing, marketing for authors, marketing for consultants, doit marketing, do it marketing, doitmarketing
How to unlock, unblock, and unleash LinkedIn Groups...
If you're a thought-leading executive or entrepreneur, chances are excellent that you are actively using the Groups feature in LinkedIn. (And if you're NOT - well, you're missing a tremendous opportunity to add value to your prospect base, find new clients, and build new relationships - but more on that in another post!)
I belong to 50 LinkedIn Groups and of those, I own or manage three of them.
Today's topic is in response to the following email I got from a member of one of my groups:
Hi David!
I have tried to submit comments at least twice now on discussions that have been started by someone else in the group. When I hit the submit button, it tells me my comment is pending review.
Is there something I need to do on my end to get my comments to go through? Am I being blocked for some reason?
And then the SAME THING started to happen to ME in other groups I belonged to...
It was both a real headache and a real mystery to figure out how to solve this... til now.
Take a look... [Click the Enlarge icon in the lower right for a better view!]
What do YOU think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on managing and profiting from LinkedIn Groups. And if you own a Group, feel free to post the link and a quick plug for your Group, too!
Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing for coaches, thought leadership marketing, linkedin, marketing professional services, professional services marketing, trusted advisor marketing, marketing expert, marketing coaching, small business coach, professional speaker marketing, marketing coach, marketing consultant, small business marketing, marketing for authors, marketing for consultants, small business marketing coach
I see broke people...
Here's a reimagined scene from one of my favorite movies, The Sixth Sense...
As a business owner, entrepreneur, or service professional, see if any of this sounds familiar to YOU - and if so, please share your experiences and advice in the COMMENTS area below...
COLE
I want to tell you my secret now.
Malcolm blinks very slowly
MALCOLM
Okay.
Cole takes an eternal pause. A silent tension engulfs them both
COLE
...I see people.
Malcolm just gazes quietly.
COLE
I see broke people...
MALCOLM
In your dreams?
Cole shakes his head, "No."
MALCOLM
When you're awake?
Cole nods, "Yes."
MALCOLM
Broke people, like beggars?
COLE
No, walking around, like business owners... They can't see each other. Some of them don't know they're broke.
MALCOLM
They don't know they're broke?
Malcolm becomes completely motionless. Works to hide his shock. He and Cole stare at each other a long time.
COLE
They tell me stories... how they used to land big clients without doing any marketing... how they wasted a fortune on a fancy PR firm... how they went into credit card debt to pay for a get-rich-quick internet marketing seminar...
Malcolm's words are extra-controlled. Revealing nothing.
MALCOLM
How often do you see them?
COLE
All the time. They're everywhere.
You won't tell anyone my secret, right?
MALCOLM
...No.
COLE
Will you stay here till I fall asleep?
Malcolm nods, "Yes." Cole pulls the covers up to his chin and turns to the window in the room. Malcolm is very still and stares at Cole.
MALCOLM'S EYES -- slowly turn and survey the room. They find nothing. Malcolm returns to watching Cole.
COLE'S EYES LOOK AROUND THE ROOM WARILY... WE MOVE IN ON THEM -- TILL HIS EYES FILL THE FRAME.
And then we see what he's staring at. Through Cole's hospital room window we look across onto a run-down housing project.
Rows of small offices are visible. In the windows are broke business owners... SOME OLD, SOME YOUNG... SOME ARE DRESSED IN MODERN NEW CLOTHES... SOME WASH THEIR NEW CARS...
p.s. If you want to STOP seeing broke people and build your marketing, sales, and business development muscles, we still have a few open seats for the Simple Marketing Success 10-Week Virtual Bootcamp experience that starts October 8, 2013. Let me know you're interested (email or call me 610.716.5984) and I'll forward you the application materials and program guidelines right away.
Tags: marketing speaker, consulting firm marketing, thought leadership marketing, marketing professional services, professional services marketing, trusted advisor marketing, marketing professional services firms, marketing coaching, small business marketing expert, professional speaker marketing, marketing coach, marketing strategist, small business marketing, doit marketing, do it marketing, doitmarketing, small business marketing coach
Watch this short video and see if you are making these same sales mistakes...
[Click the "Enlarge" icon in the lower right corner to watch full screen]
Scary, right?
Needy, desperate, pushy, salesperson-centered tactics are so obvious and easy to spot when OTHER people (especially spammers) do them to us.
But how easy is it (and probably imperceptible to you) to fall into the same mode with YOUR own prospects, clients, customers, and buyers?
Stop chasing.
Stop hounding.
Stop bugging.
Stop "following up."
Start engaging.
Start inviting.
Start offering.
Start adding genuine value.
That's how professionals win!
p.s. If you want to grow your marketing, sales, and business development muscles, we still have a few open seats for the Simple Marketing Success 10-Week Virtual Bootcamp experience that starts October 8, 2013. Let me know you're interested (email or call me 610.716.5984) and I'll forward you the application materials and program guidelines right away.
Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing speaker, marketing concept, thought leadership marketing, marketing professional services, trusted advisor marketing, marketing expert, marketing professional services firms, sales rejection, small business marketing, marketing for authors, marketing for consultants, doit marketing, do it marketing, doitmarketing, sales and marketing, small business marketing coach
My friend, Avish Parashar, just launched his "Speaking Expert" podcast and I was honored to be his first guest.
Check it out here.
As you know, it's smart friends that will make or break your success.
I'm lucky to have smart friends like Avish - and he's lucky to have smart listeners like YOU who will take all the strategies from his podcast (this episode AND all the upcoming ones, too) and implement them.
Remember, only action creates results.
YOUR results start here.
Enjoy!
p.s. We still have a few open seats for the Simple Marketing Success 10-Week Virtual Bootcamp experience that starts October 8, 2013. Let me know you're interested (email or call me 610.716.5984) and I'll forward you the application materials right away.
Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing for coaches, thought leadership marketing, marketing professional services, professional services marketing, trusted advisor marketing, marketing expert, speaker marketing, marketing consultant, small business marketing, marketing for authors, small business marketing speaker
I’ve quit.
Yup - done, finished, over.
“Quit what?” you ask?
I’ve quit blogging.
OK, that’s not quite true...
But I’ve quit blogging daily.
It was an experiment.
And it worked.
And it didn’t.
Here’s the deal - for most of last year, this website averaged between 5,000-6,000 visits per month. Not great, but not terrible either.
At the beginning of this year, I committed to an experiment - namely blogging every weekday.
Yup, 5 posts a week. Week in and week out. I stuck to the schedule and didn’t miss a day in 26 weeks. 6 full months.
The result?
It worked great.
Almost immediately (OK, it took 8 weeks, but that’s close enough) my web traffic went from an average of 5,000-6,000 visits up to an average of 10,000-11,000 visits. One month, we even generated 15,000 visits - triple the old number. I'll explain that "we" later in this post...
My opt-in rate doubled (for everything - my free ebook, blog subscriptions, my free teleseminars.)
My SEO went up - I moved from page 2 and page 3 of Google results for certain keywords to page 1.
The second result?
I found out what really worked to drive more traffic, more leads, and more business.
And it wasn’t the blog...
It was three things:
1. My new book. Specifically, the marketing plan for my book, which turned out to also become the marketing plan for the website and the marketing plan for my speaking and mentoring programs. Woo hoo - who'd a thunk it?
Lesson: If you “lean in” and commit to the marketing for ONE flagship product, service, or program like I did with my book - you will start to generate momentum that carries over into everything else that you are doing.
2. Email marketing. Plain and simple, the more marketing emails I sent, the more web visits I got. Accident? No, of course not. Most of my emails contained links back to the website for the latest blog posts, the occasional teleseminar invitation or a new program announcement.
Lesson: The more email you send that contains high-value content, advice, insights, and recommendations (aka email that’s too good to delete), the more stickiness you’ll generate for your fans and followers.
3. FLOP - Namely, “Featuring and Leveraging Other People.” I wrote about this concept in detail here and it has also been a tremendous driver of new traffic and new friendships, new clients, and new projects. Inbound FLOP is me shining the spotlight on others. And outbound FLOP is me participating in other people’s book launches, surveys, guest blogging, and so on.
Lesson: It’s not all about YOU. It IS all about how YOU can serve and promote other experts in your field who have a complementary skill set, message, or service offering. Welcome to the new collaborative economy. They win when you win. And you win when they win.
Sooooo... I’m still blogging.
But I’ve scaled down to once or twice a week.
And I’ve scaled UP the other activities listed above.
Because that’s what generates results.
What have YOU changed up in the last 3-6 months to STOP doing what doesn't matter and start DOING more of what matters most? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your specific changes and how they've freed up more time or made you more money...
Grab your FREE copy of the Ultimate Resource List!
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 strategy, marketing for coaches, marketing concept, thought leadership marketing, marketing book, marketing professional services, trusted advisor marketing, blogging for business, marketing expert, marketing coaching, marketing ideas, marketing coach, marketing consultant, marketing for authors, marketing for consultants, doit marketing, do it marketing, doitmarketing, business blogging
Guest post by Jay Baer, author of Youtility
Today, companies must compete for attention against consumers’ friends and family members. Each day as people log on to Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest they see a variety of messages in their newsfeed or timeline, some of these messages are from their friends and family and some are from companies on social media. How can marketers compete in this environment successfully?
Friend of mine awareness and Youtility are the answer. Friend-of-mine awareness is predicated on the reality that companies are competing against real people for the attention of other real people. To succeed, your prospective customers must consider you a friend. And if, like their friends, you provide them real value, if you practice Youtility rather than simply offer a series of coupons and come-ons, they will reward your company with loyalty and advocacy, the same ways we reward our friends.
Youtility is marketing upside down. I call this Youtility, not “utility,” because a utility is a faceless commodity. Instead of marketing that’s needed by companies, Youtility is marketing that’s wanted by customers. Youtility is massively useful information, provided for free, that creates long term trust and kinship between your company and your customers.
As marketers, we’ve always tried to build loyalty with people, and now we must build loyalty with information. Social media marketing has changed the landscape of marketing by putting us in the mix with photos from our block party, our cousin’s baby and other companies trying to reach people as well. What you have is an intermingled mixture of information that matters to you because of personal relationships, and information that matters to you because of commercial relationships. It’s not just Facebook, either. Twitter works the same way, as do YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, e-mail, blogs, and podcasts, too. For the first time, companies have to compete on the very same turf as our family and friends, using the very same tools and technologies and media and messaging as consumers.
My wife doesn’t buy radio ads to try and get my attention. My friends don’t buy newspaper ads to make sure I know what’s going on this weekend. But the opposite is most definitely true. Companies are now invading the spaces and mechanisms that we’re using to connect personally. The companies that will connect are the ones that are a Youtility in the social space, providing massively useful information that people want to see.
If your company and its marketing are truly, inherently useful, your customers and prospective customer will keep you close, as they keep their friends and family close. Making your company useful without expectation of an immediate return is in direct opposition to the long standing principles of successful marketing, and that’s a good thing.
Excerpted from Youtility: Why Smart Marketing is About Help not Hype by Jay Baer. See YoutilityBook.com for other resources.
Jay Baer’s Bio: Jay Baer is a hype-free social media and content strategist & speaker, and author of the Amazon #1 bestseller, Youtility: Why Smart Marketing is About Help not Hype. Jay is the founder of http://convinceandconvert.com and host of the Social Pros podcast.
What do YOU think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on these ideas and join the conversation...
Tags: marketing speaker, marketing strategy, marketing success, thought leadership marketing, social media, word of mouth marketing, marketing professional services, trusted advisor marketing, marketing expert, marketing professional services firms, marketing ideas, marketing strategist, social media marketing, becoming an expert
- Top 5 Blog Tune-Ups in 5 Minutes Each
- 10 Blogging Lessons from Your Dog
- 13 Quick Tips for Blogging for Business
- It's OK Not to Blog
- Blogging 101: 3 Reasons Your Blog Isn't Better
- Blogging 101: 7 Ways to Write Less and Say More
- Blogging 101: 7 Ways to Capture Ideas Like a Ninja
- Marketing Coach: 41 Fresh Blog Post Ideas
- Gesture Writing - NYTimes.com
What do YOU think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on these ideas and join the conversation...
Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing speaker, marketing professional services, professional services marketing, blogging for business, marketing expert, professional speaker marketing, marketing strategist, marketing consultant, small business marketing, marketing for authors, blogging 101, doit marketing, do it marketing, doitmarketing, content marketing, small business marketing coach
Guest post by Mark S A Smith
Image source: BellaDomainMedia.com
When you’re an expert on a topic, people want to learn from you, and if they can, they want it for free.
They’ll say, “I want to pick your brain. Let me buy you lunch.”
Worst case, they’ll take you to a fast food restaurant and buy you a $5 meal and get thousands worth of advice.
Best case, they’ll take you to a great restaurant, spend $100 and get thousands worth of advice.
While it’s great to meet new people, here’s how can you say, “No, I won’t have lunch with you just so you can get an hour of free consulting” without sounding like a jerk.
1. Just Say, “No”
If you don’t want to discuss your expertise with them, reply with “Sure, but I have ‘no talking about work’ policy at lunch.”
2. Just Say, “Yes, but…”
Or say, “I’d love to have lunch with you. But, if you are looking for input on your project, I charge a consultation fee even if we’re dining. Otherwise, I never discuss work over food. What day works for you?”
3. I Will, If You First…
Get them to do something that shows commitment and shortcuts the process before you accept their invitation.
Say, “Sure! I’m happy to meet with you if you’ll first…” Have them send you an email describing their biggest challenge. Or have them fill out your assessment form. Or, if you’re a content creator, have them first take one of your mini courses.
Guess how many people call to follow up? Very few. Those that do are serious. Those that don’t, aren’t. Do this, and you don’t waste your time on those who aren’t committed.
4. Send Them to Your Website or Blog
Say, “I’ve got a really full schedule for the next month, so why not check out my blog (or website) that answers many of the questions that I get when people invite me to lunch. So, take a look, and send me a list of questions, and we can then schedule something next month.”
5. First, Buy My Book
If you’re an author, say, “I recommend that you first read my book. I specifically wrote it to answer the most common questions that I get. Whatever advice I have to give on [your topic], it’s in there. And it’s cheaper than lunch. So, jot down your questions as you read it, then call me and we can schedule lunch.”
6. Bring a $100 Bill
Say, “Brain picking isn’t free and I don’t eat cheap food. Bring a $100 bill and buy me lunch at a nice restaurant. If you’re not happy with the value of my advice, keep the hundred.”
One of my colleagues does this and he always keeps the hundred.
If they object, say, “I tell you what. I’ll give you three free pieces of advice right now that will make you more successful. Your first free success lesson: never do free consulting. Your second free lesson: free advice isn’t acted on like paid advice. Your third lesson: if you don’t get value in exchange, there is no real value generated.”
And I invite you to pick my brain with free instant access to the questions I get frequently asked when people invite me to lunch. Go to http://CompetitionProof.com now to learn great ideas to sell more, keep more margin, and keep your competitors out of you accounts.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_S_A_Smith
What do YOU think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on this topic and join the conversation...
Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing speaker, thought leadership marketing, marketing professional services, trusted advisor marketing, marketing expert, marketing ideas, marketing strategist, marketing consultant, marketing for authors, marketing for consultants, doit marketing, do it marketing, doitmarketing
