Do It! Marketing Blog: Marketing for Smart People™

How to Generate 10X Traffic from LinkedIn in 10 Seconds - Wow, that sure sounds like a lot of over-the-top, frothing at the mouth internet marketing hype, doesn't it?

Well - in this particular case, the technique you're about to pick up does EXACTLY that.

Here's a quick video to show you exactly how powerful this 10-second tweak on your LinkedIn profile can be...

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

Tags: Marketing speaker, marketing coach, LinkedIn, social media marketing

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What do YOU think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your tips about making the most of your LinkedIn profile...

Elevator pitches remain as critical as they have ever been - perhaps even more so given the increasingly short attention span we all seem to have. Here then is some good advice on how to create your own elevator pitch from Toby Marshall at Lead Creation.

1. A great ‘Elevator’ provides just enough information to hook the listener in and spark a conversation. It is just the beginning, not the close; think lead generation not sales.

2. It should be short—10 to 20 seconds. Our attention spans have become shorter due to fast-paced city living and Social Media.

3. Practice it by speaking out loud and standing up—never just write it and read it to yourself. Say it again and again in front of a mirror; then with colleagues or friends. Say it 20 times and you’ll then know it enough to improvise and vary it so it comes alive and doesn’t sound stale.

4. An ‘Elevator’ is not just for sales people or business owners. It’s also for people who have jobs and want better ones—that’s most of the population!

5. A great rule of thumb is to only use your ‘Elevator’ when asked the question. If you walk up to someone and start talking about yourself it’s usually a big turn off; most people would say something like “so tell me about you.”

6. Sell yourself, not your product or business. The other person needs to be interested in you before they will buy anything from you. The old adage that ‘People buy from people they like’ still rings true for B2B marketing

7. Elevators are never about closing a sale, despite the name ‘pitching’. In this Social Networking age, blatantly selling is less and less acceptable. Even at Chamber of Commerce meetings—a pure business setting—I run a mile from people who are all about themselves. Life’s too short!

8. It’s NOT your cold calling script (if you are still foolish enough to be doing cold and not ‘very warm’ calling!)

9. Use pauses to emphasize; it is not a race to get the words out. Vary your tone as speaking in a monotone bores people—it’s very common though, possibly because they themselves know the words are boring!

10. If you are in a business setting, think about how you can help the prospect achieve their goals. That may be the breakthrough you are looking for with your lead generation—thinking about the implications for them?

Note that there is nothing in the above about providing a case study. In my experience they will ask me if they are interested, once they have heard my ‘Elevator’. Also, including studies that are meaningful makes it too long, and you are likely to see their eyes start to glaze over! Just have a couple ready to go in case they ask, though.

The above rules will help you see much better results with your lead generation in all types of social and business settings; learning to change the pitch depending on who you are speaking to, and where you are speaking to them, is a huge advantage to you and your business.

Tags: Marketing Coach, 10 Golden Rules for Your Elevator Pitch, Marketing Speaker, Marketing for Speakers, Marketing for Experts

What do you think? Use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on the elevator pitch, otherwise known as your "verbal business card," "audio logo," "10-second introduction," etc.

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...

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

Although I'm no LinkedIn expert like my pal Viveka Von Rosen, I have learned a thing or two about the REAL value of using the Skills feature on LinkedIn.

Here's a short video to walk you through how YOU can maximize the connection value of endorsing the Skills of folks in YOUR network: 

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

As you've heard me say about many other social media marketing tools and tactics - the power of using LinkedIn Skills is really not about YOU. No good marketing, sales or business development tactic ever is. 

It's about THEM. 

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

Two quick things for you:

1. NEW Group on LinkedIn for "Professionals Who Speak"- if you're a speaker, author, independent professional, corporate executive or entrepreneur, the conversations, resources and people you'll connect with here are top-notch.

We are up to over 300 members in just over 5 weeks. Great community and great content is being posted and discussed daily.

Join us here: http://bit.ly/LI-ProSpeak 

2. We still have a few seats open for next week's zero-cost teleseminar called "Product Development Roadmap." If you or someone in your circle is looking to write a book, produce audio, video, or online assets, package a coaching or consulting program, or otherwise "productize" your expertise, this may be worth a look. Especially because it's FREE...

Register here:

http://www.doitmarketing.com/product-development-roadmap 

Have a great weekend!

1. Fewer resolutions. More resolve.

2. Increase your daily level of optimism. AMAZING things will start to happen! 

3. Be a lamp. Or a lifeboat. Or a ladder. 

4. Mean people suck. Don't become one of them. Not even for a second. 

5. Write more. Journaling, blogging, morning pages, notes to friends and loved ones.

6. Feature and leverage other people. Read this to find out how.

7. Be more gracious and more grateful.

8. Less excitement. More execution.

9. Let it go. Yes, you know EXACTLY what I mean. (Thanks again, Joe Calloway!)

10. Create a mastermind alliance or partnership. It will make all the difference.

11. Write your damn book already.

12. Drink more water.

13. In case of emergency, oxygen masks will drop from the overhead compartment. Secure your own mask before assisting others.  

14. Clean up. De-clutter. De-pile. 

15. Make more lists and use them wisely.

16. When it comes to social media: Post value (not ego); Retweet generously; Shout-out loudly; Thank abundantly.

17. Carry a notebook everywhere. Got an idea? Write it down. With today's date. And a "next action" step. Repeat.

18. Get more sleep. 

19. Do more of what makes you happy. 

20. If you speak or present regularly, your ideas deserve beautiful slides. This might help. And you totally need to read this (PDF) too.

21. If you DON'T speak or present regularly, you are missing out on the #1 way to boost your career, grow your business, and magnify your impact on the world. Want some ideas? I can help you (yes, it's free.) 

22. Nobody buys your products, services or ideas "sight unseen." So go get seen.

23. "If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough." ~ Mario Andretti

24. Read Getting Things Done by David Allen. 

25. Master your inbox once and for all. Massive freedom will follow. 

26. Tap into trends to generate more and better ideas for both your business and your life. Start here or here. (Read this to see how Harvard Business Review connects trend hunting with sales success, too.)

27. Stop worrying about the HOW. Focus on your bigass WHY and a small set of very specific WHATs. The rest will take care of itself. Honest.

28. Become more in tune with the time/space continuum. Seriously. Rather than wanting everything to happen "Now, now, and now" (which only causes overwhelm and frustration) focus more consistently on what you need to do "Next, next, and next." 

29. The three factors to your long-term success: 1. Your Authenticity 2. Your Expertise 3. Your Enthusiasm.

30. Replace "Who's going to let me?" with "Who's going to stop me?" (Hint: Maybe no one?)

31. Reflect on the shortness of life. This slide show of people we lost in 2012 may help remind you. And pack as much goodness as you possibly can (for you and for others) into every single day.

32. Always pick up the check and leave a big tip. 

33. You're pumped... You're peaked... It's game time... Bring it!

Tags: Marketing coach, marketing concept, marketing for authors, marketing for speakers, success tips

Please share this post with those you want to help. And add your own wisdom in the COMMENTS area below... 

"No great deed is done by falterers who ask for certainty."
– George Eliot  

"One must verify or expel his doubts, and convert them into the certainty of Yes or No."
– Thomas Carlyle  

The importance of “execution” is a business and marketing concept that has gained a lot of currency. At its core, it's pretty simple...

Execution is just a big word for DO SOMETHING!!  

In the old business world, the normal process for getting something done could be described as “Ready, Aim, Fire!”  With the quality movement and the other management fads that came and went during the 1980’s and 1990’s, the process became a little more involved.

Perhaps “Aim, Ready, Aim, Fire!” could describe the resulting corporate mindset: Document everything you Do, and Do everything that you’ve Documented.  That meant a lot of extra work and not much improvement in actual quality.

Then Tom Peters encouraged managers to adopt a new philosophy which he presented as “Ready, Fire, Aim” — execute on your ideas, and then refocus/refine later.  Today, successful corporate and entrepreneurial leaders need to be innovative, brave, smart, and fast.

Perhaps our new motto needs to become “Fire, Fire, Fire, Fire!”  

That means that “Ready” has to be built in - In the corporate world, it has to be built in to every department, every manager, every employee. In the startup and entrepreneurial world, "Ready" has to be built in to your venture - your ideas, your messaging, your services, your network.

"Ready" is the new status quo. And aiming is no longer a separate step.

Aiming is about creativity, scoping out the possibilities, and finding the next opportunity before the competition does.  Part of being Ready is, in fact, to always be aiming!

This is the only way that “Fire, Fire, Fire, Fire!” is ever going to work without descending into havoc.  

Yes or No? Fire!  

What do you think? Leave your comment below and... 

One marketing concept that a lot of thought-leading professionals wrestle with is headlines.

Well, this just came across my email from copywriting and
info-marketing genius Bob Bly:

***Words that work in headlines***

Here are some words and phrases that, according to advertising
great Ted Nicholas, work especially well in headlines:

Announcing ...

Secrets of ... 

Facts you ...

Advice to ...

Protect ...

Do you ...

Yes ...

Love ...

Hate ...

How much ...

How would you ... 

Only ...

Free ...

You ...

How to ...

New ...

Now ... 

Amazing ...

Breakthroughs ...

At last ...

Life ...

Discover ...

Bargains ...

Sale ...

Free...

Source: "Success in the Sun," Ted Nicholas seminar, Tampa, FL.

p.s. Bob and I are two of the seven experts in the Speaking Expert Teleseminar Series that just launched. You still have time to catch 6 of the 7 sessions LIVE. The best part? There are both PAID and FREE options so you get to choose which one works best for you. Hope you'll join us for the series. My session is on Feb. 14 ('cuz you GOTTA LOVE to speak!!)

As a marketing speaker and marketing coach, my clients often ask me to critique their Professional Bio.

Whether YOU are a professional speaker, consultant, coach, author, or professional services firm owner - your Bio is one of your most powerful marketing tools that will make or break your future clients' perception of your expertise.

Writing an effective, attractive and client-magnet bio is hard.

Here's what you must NOT do:

• Be boring
• List achievements and awards out of context
• Brag
• Come across as a corporate stuffed shirt or pompous twit
• Trot out a bunch of acronyms, jargon and consultant-speak
• Preach
• Tell us about your awesome vacations, Harley collection, adorable kids, and scuba diving prowess

Without further ado, let me present a Professional Bio I recently came across from a consultant with the Tom Peters Company in the UK that I found quite impressive and that you might consider modeling into your own. My comments are numbered and explained below:

Like you,(1) leadership expert and business author(2) Robert Thompson has seen the word leadership defined numerous ways over the years. Is it charisma and positive thinking? Pinstripes and red power ties? Decisiveness? Is it all about the situation? Is it meant only for the chosen few who rise to the top? Or, is there a different story?(3)

With over three decades of executive coaching, speaking, and most importantly, real-life, in-the-trenches business experience, his view is radically different.(4) Robert appreciates, and shares with listeners, that leadership is a moment-to-moment choice and not about title, tenure or position. Leadership is for everyone, everyday. It's how we should live our life.(5)

Robert, sometimes referred to as the “Provocateur” for his ability to stir up a group(6) or as the “People Whisperer” for his coaching skill that brings out the best in people, is known for his practical, street-savvy style; Robert's fusion of real-life stories and his conversational techniques connect with his audience at an intimate, intense and individual level.(7)

Robert has served as a senior consultant with the U.S. based Tom Peters Company for several years. He is a Certified Master Facilitator of the The Leadership Challenge Workshop™, and continues to work with the best and brightest in the leadership development field. (8)

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1. The most powerful word in marketing is YOU. Starting the bio with "Like you..." is flat-out brilliant.

2. Label yourself immediately. Prospects need to know your expertise upfront and you get 2 seconds to position yourself. Put "_______ expert" in the first 10 words of your bio.

3. Using engaging questions in your bio is something you've probably never considered - and it WORKS. People judge you MORE on the questions that you ask rather than the statements you make. Add questions to your bio - it's a kickass idea!

4. Buyers are lazy, busy and befuddled. One way to make yourself come across as "different" is simply to claim it! "His view is radically different" works. I also recommend the phrase "Unlike many consultants/ speakers/ fill-in-the blank..." (Ex: "Unlike many marketing coaches, David Newman shows you exactly what to say and how to say it, what to do and how to do it")

5. Philosophy sound bites that serve as a preview of your thinking. Consider these "bullets without the bullets." They share snippets of what you'll share and implement with your future client in a conversational way.

6. Always promote your benefits, not yourself. I'm not crazy about these unattributed third-party references ("known as the Provacateur") but the saving grace is that they are framed in terms of benefit to the audience/client. This could be stronger if it said "The Financial Times called him 'the CEO's secret weapon'"

7. Love the fusion concept. It says subconsciously to your buyer - "hire this guy and you'll get the best of both worlds." It's also an implied differentiator. What are you a fusion of? And the masterstroke is that the fusion is also framed as a benefit to the audience.

8. He works with the "best and brightest" so YOU, Ms. Prospect, must be pretty sharp if you hire him. This implied compliment gets buyers to WANT to qualify to work with you. Nothing like a little ego boost for your reader as they cruise through your bio. This signals - again subconsciously - "I'm making a good decision."

9. Claim authorship. Calling his talks "conversations" is also a brilliant differentiator.

10. Name names. Client names are powerful. I do NOT like "His successes include" simply because it sounds like he's taking credit for the success of giant global corporations. A better turn of phrase might have been "Companies such as X, Y, and Z have partnered with Robert when they want outcome 1, 2 and 3." This might also be a great place to put in some testimonial snippets from execs inside these specific companies. Their words carry a lot more weight than his.

11. List your accomplishments in the REAL world. Speakers and experts are not hired for what they know so much as they are hired for what they've DONE. Connect who you are to what you do and your credibility skyrockets.

12. Creme de la creme. Board service and being seen as a leader among your peers implies that you are respected within your field and thus, you must be among the best at what you do.

Use these guidelines to turbo-charge YOUR professional bio right now and you'll thank me later -- DO IT!

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!