Do It! Marketing Blog: Marketing for Smart People™

LinkedIn is the new cold call. Perhaps this sounds familiar to you... 

As a marketing speaker and marketing coach, I continually study the field, read a ton of books, and attend seminars and workshops from my fellow marketing enthusiasts.

And I'd like to respectfully disagree with that analogy.

LinkedIn is way better, smarter, faster, and more effective than a cold call. In fact, I'd slant the analogy a different way altogether:

LinkedIn is the new email with a red velvet rope around it, a priority seal, and a much more attractive return address envelope!

First let's explore those three points and then you'll see an example of LinkedIn in action PLUS here are some sample social media scripts you can use that have gotten awesome results for our clients in our marketing mastermind and private mentoring programs. 

3 Reasons LinkedIn Beats Email

1. Red Velvet Rope - This is a term popularized in the marketing arena by Michael Port. It means there's an exclusive, members-only feel to your marketing. It's not for everyone - and not everyone qualifies. You need to be "in the club." When you reach out to a fellow Group member on LinkedIn, you both are in the club and there's a strong element of peer-to-peer belonging that encourages community, communication, and responsiveness. Can't say that about a cold call or a plain old email!

2. Priority Seal - Most executives and business owners feel overwhelmed by email. When they're not tackling the email monster (click here if you'd like to master your email!), they are wall-to-wall with meetings, phone calls, and their daily dose of dealing with crises. LinkedIn messages DO trigger an email notification but you have the choice of responding via email or via LinkedIn -- and LinkedIn messages (for most of us) are few and far between so they give the impression of being more important, more filtered, and more personally relevant. Think of it as a FedEx envelope arriving in your daily mail. Sure, you can ignore it - you can toss it - you might not get to it for a few days. But chances are greater that you will because of curiosity - a basic trait of human nature.

3. More Attractive Return Address Envelope - LinkedIn messages tend to be shorter than emails - and a shorter note merits a shorter response. You've just given your prospects, clients, and connections a huge "out" because they do NOT need - and probably would not even consider - sending you a long, involved response. If you send a short, succinct note to reconnect with a past client - they'll respond with a short, succinct note and you'll probably use LinkedIn to make plans to connect in a longer format offline (phone call, lunch, coffee, in-person meeting). Yours will be a fast, easy and appealing note to respond to - so your chances of getting a prompt response just went up considerably!

LinkedIn in Action and Results

This story was submitted by my motivational speaker colleague Jim Clemmer to the excellent SpeakerNetNews:

Using LinkedIn to (Re)Connect and Build Business — Jim Clemmer

I have been using LinkedIn to reconnect with old contacts and to connect with anyone signing up for my newsletter. I do this with the LinkedIn for Outlook utility showing if anyone sending me an email (or completing any website form that is emailed to me) has a LinkedIn account. As my connection numbers build, more website visitors, book readers, and subscribers are now asking to connect with me. We’ve also done a few email blasts to our database asking for connections to those who have LinkedIn accounts. Over the last two years we can directly trace a few hundred thousand dollars in speaking/workshop or long term/ongoing consulting fees that started with these (re)connections.

3 LinkedIn Secrets from Jim's Success:

1. As my friend and Speaker Hall of Fame member Dr. Alan Zimmerman likes to say, "your business comes from your business." (He's a guy who enjoys a 92% repeat and referral rate from his client base so he's walking that talk.) Note that Jim Clemmer is also generating his success not ONLY from new connections - but from RE-connections. Try it for yourself and see what conversations you can generate with the folks who already know you, love you, and have given you money in the past.

2. You gotta ask for the connection. Note that Jim's strategy also involved email blasts to his list proactively asking them to connect on LinkedIn. And not just once - but several times over the past 2 years. Remember to make your social media scripts appealing, relevant, and NOT focused on you - but focused on the value you'd like to deliver to your connections.

3. It takes time and there are both direct and indirect benefits. Notice that Jim said, "over the last two years" - not the last 2 weeks or 2 months. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Notice also that he said he could DIRECTLY trace several hundred thousand dollars of new business. That's great - and in addition, Jim has likely generated that much money or more INDIRECTLY, meaning that people didn't hire him FROM LinkedIn but BECAUSE they saw something he contributed, received a connection update, or otherwise "bumped into" Jim's name, content, ideas, website, blog or network - and were prompted to engage with him.

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!

For a very long time, you couldn’t sit through any marketing seminar or sales training without some moron blathering on about the radio station WIIFM - “What’s In It For Me?” as if this was cutting edge information that you had never heard before.

Well, we’re changing the station, folks… because the only radio station your prospects care about today is WNOR:

• Wants

• Needs

• Outcomes

• Results

Let’s dig into each one of these individually so that YOU can begin broadcasting your marketing and sales messages on this channel to get more leads, attract better prospects, and close bigger sales.

Wants. Wants are desires. These are aspirational, positive things that your prospect is attracted to. Examples include more time, more money, more hair, more sex, more happiness, more cupcakes… you get the idea. In order to enter the conversation already happening in your prospect’s mind, it is vitally important that you speak prospect language about prospect wants. NOT industry jargon. NOT marketing-speak. Plain English. Put another way: this is where your prospects want to go.

Needs. Needs are problems and challenges that your prospect is looking to solve. Needs are generally articulated as pains, hassles, heartaches, headaches, and gaps. When there is a need, it is calling out for something. A fix, a missing puzzle piece, or a solution. Put another way, these are your prospects’ obstacles and roadblocks that need to be removed in order for them to achieve their wants.

Outcomes. Outcomes live on the other side of your prospect buying your product or service. Once they buy, use, install, or consume what you’re selling, their condition improves. Outcome statements are phrased in terms of boosting the positive (teamwork, innovation, productivity, profitability, etc) and reducing the negative (complaints, defects, returns, injuries, wasted time, wasted money, inefficiencies, etc.)

Results. Results are the emotional benefits of achieving the outcomes. Another way to put this is that results are the “ultimate destination” or payoff that stems from the outcomes. The pivotal phrases you can use to frame results are: “so that you feel...” - “so you restore...” “so you regain...” - “so you can relax about…”

Here’s a complete example from my work with small business owners and independent professionals who want to grow their business.

Use this as a "fill-in-the-blank" model - Remove MY language and plug in YOUR language that corresponds to YOUR specific product/service/value in ways that YOUR prospects will recognize, respect, and resonate with.

Wants:

Perhaps we’re a good fit to work together if you want to:

• Get laser-focused on getting more clients in less time and with less struggle
• Raise your fees and start working with more profitable clients
• Build a perpetual marketing plan that fits your particular strengths, personality and preferences
• Make small shifts in your positioning and promotion that will open the floodgates to more revenues  

Needs:

As a small business owner, independent professional, or entrepreneur do you…

• Get stuck when trying to figure out how to attract more clients and generate more revenue…
• Feel overwhelmed by the vast number of marketing options you could be doing to grow your business…
• Regret being burned by so-called marketing "gurus" that promised a quick fix…
• Suffer disappointment when investing in marketing solutions that seem to work for "everyone else..."
• Fear that your business is sliding back to where you were 2-3 years ago rather than leaping ahead…
• Find increased resistance today from clients and prospects about pricing…
• Have more prospects saying "No" to you and lose sales that you used to close easily
• Feel like you're banging your head against a wall - which gives you a giant marketing headache...

Outcomes:

Here are just some of your skills and abilities that will improve as a result of this program:

• Experience Marketing Detox: Stop poisoning your business with short-term "flavor of the month" initiatives and commit to a plan that works and lasts
• Discover why results DON'T come from "quick fix" schemes or outdated "best practices"
• STOP losing deals on price and confidently step into "Premium Positioning" while also raising your closing ratio and boosting your referrals
• Analyze the types of marketing activities that fit your unique personality, strengths, and preferences
• Build (or rebuild) a detailed marketing "blueprint" with hand-selected marketing activities and tasks that you'll actually enjoy doing
• Increase perceived value so you're considered a partner - not a "peddler"
• Tailor a questioning plan and set specific goals for every phase of your marketing and sales process
• Gain powerful insights into your prospect's problems, obstacles, and challenges -- and create "indisputable points of proof" that you can solve them
• Anticipate buyer behavior to prevent fence-sitting and endless stalling
• Implement a Perpetual Marketing Plan that brings results daily
• Use "inbound marketing" strategies to attract clients and customers to your expertise, regardless of price and regardless of your competitive environment
• Do what needs to be done (finally!) to create a permanent foundation for your entrepreneurial success

Results:

Results you can expect after this program:

• You'll consistently attract a much higher caliber of client
• You'll clearly articulate your premium pricing - and never cave on price again
• You'll feel focused on what matters most and make significant progress daily
• You'll be positioned as an expert
• You'll feel extremely confident
• You'll concisely convey exactly how your business helps your clients
• You'll trust yourself more than ever
• You'll have a razor sharp profile of the ideal clients you want to serve - and you'll know exactly where to find them
• You'll do ONLY marketing tasks that you find easy, effortless, and enjoyable
• You'll feel inspired, supported, and motivated to take action
• You'll know how to leverage your time and intellectual property

Your turn - how can you use the above WNOR model to restructure your marketing messages, web copy, sales letters, or other collateral so that they resonate 100% with your best prospects, customers and clients?

Please use the comments area below to share your advice, insights, and recommendations on using WNOR messaging in YOUR marketing and sales process.

"You'll Do It When You're Tired"

Hmmmm... that may be the dumbest prediction you've ever heard...

You'll do what, exactly? 

In a word: Succeed.

You know - get "it" done...

That pet project of yours, that book, that event, that special thing you've been working on, talking about, noodling, doodling, and planning for YEARS...  

Tired? Tired of what, exactly? 

• Tired of struggling
• Tired of excuses
• Tired of missing out
• Tired of complaining how hard it is
• Tired of striving
• Tired of faking it
• Tired of wishing
• Tired of hoping
• Tired of (day)dreaming
• Tired of fantasizing
• Tired of sketching
• Tired of postponing
• Tired of obsessing
• Tired of perfectionism (perfect time, place, people, conditions)
• Tired of being safe
• Tired of disappointment
• Tired of watching others zoom by you
• Tired of sitting on the sidelines
• Tired of keeping score when you're not even in the game
• Tired of talking
• Tired of planning
• Tired of noodling
• Tired of doodling
• Tired of starting 
• Tired of choking
• Tired of quitting
• Tired of fear
• Tired of uncertainty
• Tired of self-doubt

What do YOU think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on this topic and join the conversation... 

Nope, this is NOT a post about that kind of soft, squishy "mission-vision" thing...

This post is about what's on your plate right now - today - right this minute. 

My friend, Jose Palomino, sent me an email this morning about some website tweaking that he's doing. He wrote, "Getting the timing right and the sliders to stop rotating after the final reveal is today's mission."

Bam - that was his ONE thing for today. Was he doing other tasks? You bet. Was he developing business, calling clients, following up on sales leads, and doing paperwork? Sure... but he also had his "mission" for the day. 

When it comes to being a small business owner, independent professional or speaker/consultant, you have a million things to do and a hundred priorities. 

Wouldn't having a SINGLE mission for the day be great? 

Well - you can. Many important tasks can be done in as little as 15 minutes -- and tackling ONE head-on might be exactly what you need to regain that most precious entrepreneurial asset - MOMENTUM.

Some examples to get you started: 

• Revise your home page copy
• Write an important email to a client or prospect
• Send an invoice you've been proscrastinating on
• Post a blog
• Submit an article to a trade journal or industry publication
• Respond to a media request
• Send out your email newsletter
• Circle back with a prospect who's on the fence
• Clean up your LinkedIn profile
• Post a long-overdue recommendation on LinkedIn
• Send a thank-you note
• Mail a book to a prospect, influencer or decision-maker
• Pick up the phone and apologize to someone important
• Ask for that referral you've been shy about pursuing
• Contact that virtual assistant you've been thinking of hiring 
• Post your internship job description with your local university
• Begin a research file or a Google Doc for your next book
• Make a list of 20 companies you'd like to do business with
• Clear off your desk (you can do this in 5 min. if you create a file folder called "Crap from Desk" and today's date!)
• Do a competitive sweep and see who's doing what in your industry so you can refresh your offerings
• Shoot a 2-minute video and post it to YouTube
• Buy my book and get $747 in bonuses right now (Shhh...)
• Erase the whiteboard in your office and create a "fresh start"
• Take yourself out to a coffee shop for a 2-hour strategic meeting with yourself, a legal pad, and a pack of Sharpies
• Take a nature walk and bring your pocket audio recorder or smart phone to capture ideas
• Reconnect with an old client, friend, or colleague
• Write an amazon book review for a book you admire in your field
• Call your tech wizard to fix a nagging technology problem you've been tolerating for way too long
• Leave a 45-second voicemail for a client just to say how much you value your relationship with them
• Visit your favorite bookstore or newsstand and buy a magazine to flip through for new business ideas

Guest post by Scott Plum

Last week I made a visit to my neighborhood mobile phone carrier’s retail store and noticed a ‘No Solicitors’ sign in the window.  This gave me pause before entering.  I thought – “I’m a Solicitor, what’s wrong with me.  Why don’t they want me to come in?”

I peered through the glass like a school boy at a peep show, wondering what is going on inside that I was forbidden to see.  Others inside the store began to look at me and I finally mustered up the guts to pull the door open and walk in...

Read the rest of the story here...

My friend, Karyn Greenstreet, is an amazing marketer and small business coach. You can learn from her - and so can I. Here's how...

Imagine sending an email like this to YOUR subscribers (and please do TAKE Karyn's 2-minute survey too!)...

_______

Subj: Your help with 2-minute survey + 22 gifts

I'm asking for your help to find out exactly which ways you like to absorb new content, learn new skills, acquire new knowledge for your business and professional life.

We're asking small business owners to take this quick, 2-minute survey with six easy questions.

But even 2 minutes is a lot when you're busy, so we're making it irresistible by offering you 22 practical, helpful free educational bonuses, just for completing the survey.

Can I ask you the favor of taking just 2 minutes from your schedule today to take our survey?

Here's where you can take it online: http://bit.ly/152avHr

Thank you for your help!

_______

It is short, to-the-point, value-rich and specific to the needs of small and solo business owners.

You also get 22 amazing gifts - not for BUYING anything, mind you, but for sharing your opinions in a 2-minute survey. Wow. Genius.

By the way, please do take the survey - and get the gifts - this is a REAL offer in exchange for your REAL opinions. Karyn is not only very smart - but she's very generous as well.

Let me know what you think of the approach above - and please share your advice, insights and recommendations about surveying YOUR audiences, prospects and subscribers in the COMMENTS area below...

Marketing 1.0

Cajole convince persuade chase sell beat up interrupt intrude close close again stalk give up

No wonder you're exhausted...

Marketing 2.0

Solve answer enlighten equip fix listen nurture connect engage attract entice invite buy

So much better... 

Here are two visual reminders for you.

Please share them, post them, pin them - and most of all, remember to USE them as daily reminders for how YOU engage your own prospects, customers and clients.

Tags: Marketing for speakers, marketing for authors, marketing coach, Marketing 1.0, Marketing 2.0

Thoughts? Ideas? Recommendations? Please use the COMMENTS area below and let's hear from YOU...  

As a marketing speaker and marketing coach, I've noticed that my clients and audiences are always fascinated by the topic of business blogging - specifically blog writing. 

Questions include: 

• How can you write so much?
• Where do you find the time to write?
• Do you REALLY post a new blog every day? 
• Where do your blog ideas come from? 
• Do you do your own writing or do you have people that blog for you? 
• How do you know what to put on your blog and what to put in your email newsletter? 

This week, we'll dig into Business Blogging 101 and you'll master the basics of business blogging. So stay tuned and please DO use the COMMENTS area of the blog to share your own blogging advice, insights and recommendations. 

Let's dig in... 

Business Blogging 101: 3 Reasons Your Blog Isn't Better

Simple, really:

1. You are unable to write QUICKLY.

2. You are unwilling to write BRIEFLY.

3. You are inefficient at IDEA CAPTURE.

Notice I didn't include the two biggies that YOU probably think are YOUR problem - 'cuz they're not. These are... 

1. Inability to write. (That's a convenient BS lie/excuse)

2. Not having ideas. (That's another convenient - and bigger - BS lie/excuse!)

We'll address all of these business blogging challenges and more in this week's posts. So stay tuned for more Business Blogging 101...

Please use the COMMENTS area below to share YOUR biggest questions, stumbling blocks, or burning issues when it comes to blogging for your business...

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!

As a marketing speaker and marketing coach, I get a ton of questions about LinkedIn.

Although I'm no social media expert like my pal Corey Perlman, I have learned a thing or two about the REAL value of using the Skills feature on LinkedIn.

In case you missed it, here's my earlier post with a video that walks you through the REAL value of LinkedIn Skills and how YOU can maximize the connection value of endorsing the Skills of folks in YOUR network.

Below is part 2 of the series: Skills Shaping on LinkedIn showing you how you can decide EXACTLY which Skills are featured are on your profile, and how much you'd like to emphasize each.

After watching this video, you'll discover that YOU are 100% in control when it comes to your LinkedIn Skills: which ones you'd like to feature - and which ones you'd like to turn down or turn off - and why.

That's called "Skills Shaping" and you'll find it VERY handy...   

(Hit the "full screen" icon in the lower right for a bigger, sharper video)

Are we connected yet on LinkedIn? If not, I'm happy to put my professional network at your disposal here.

(And if we ARE connected and if you're comfortable doing so, would you be wonderful enough to give some love to the Skills you see on my profile? Thank you in advance for your help.)

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What do you think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your experience and opinions about the Skills feature of LinkedIn...