Do It! Marketing Blog: Marketing for Smart People™

Here's another in my series of marketing and business book reviews - but not just any old business books.

Fire starters...

Game changers...

Show stoppers...

Books that will transform the way you think about your work, about your business, and - yes - about your life.

Ready? Take a look...

What do you think? Please leave a COMMENT below to share your experiences with this book, with this author, or with other game changing books that YOU recommend...

Guest column by Ryan Pinkham, Engagement Marketing

Engagement marketing is a lot about relationships.

Your current customers are the lifeblood of your business. These are people who know you, the products and services you provide, and who return week after week and month after month to see you again.

Your current customers are also your best source of new business—especially those who you’ve built a relationship with in the past.

That’s because when you build a relationship with your target audience, they’ll not only be more likely to do business with you again, but will also feel more comfortable referring you to a friend, family member, or colleague.

Email marketing is a powerful tool in your toolbox for building those relationships online.

[Ed: The email marketing software we use at Do It! Marketing is Constant Contact. Click here for a 60-day free trial.] 

By connecting with customers in their inbox each month, you’ll stay top of mind with your target audience. And by delivering content they enjoy, can use, and want to engage with, you’ll build trust with the people who already know you best.

Here are 10 tips for building long lasting email marketing relationships:

1. Get to know each other before things get serious

You should never start any relationship until you really get to know each other. You may think that you know your customers, you might even see them every day, but until they are comfortable enough to share their email address with you, don’t assume anything.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask. Having a sign-up sheet at your business or a Join My Mailing List feature on your website or Facebook Page is a great way to start things off.

2. Make sure you have something in common

Without common interests, your relationship is never going to work. If someone has signed up for your email newsletter, that means you have at least something in common, but you have to make sure the content of your emails remains relevant to keep the relationship going long term.

Keep an eye on whose reading and who’s opting out. It’s a good way to see who’s engaging with your content and who is not. Just keep in mind, sometimes it’s just not meant to be and it might not always be your fault.

3. Don’t take them for granted

Your customers should be the most important thing to you … or at least to your business. They aren’t just names on a list; they are people who want to be appreciated. Once your subscribers start to feel like they aren’t being valued, they’ll be packing their bags.

Show that you appreciate them by getting exclusive with content, whether that’s an informative article or a coupon. Also keep an eye on how often you’re sending emails. Be careful not to smother your list by overloading their inbox—remember, sometimes less really is more.

4. Be yourself

Think of every newsletter as a first date. It’s your chance to make a first impression and to show your list what you’re all about. You already know they’re interested, they said “yes” to joining your list, didn’t they? Be confident. Don’t be afraid to have fun with it.

5. Make sure your signals are getting through

Your relationship’s not going to go anywhere if your signals are getting lost in translation. When you get someone’s number for the first time, you better make sure you get all the digits, right?

It’s the same thing with your emails, make sure your recipients have an easy way of giving you accurate contact information so your messages get to where they are meant to go.

6. Earn their trust

Trust. It’s the most important part of any relationship. The best way to prove your customers can trust you is by showing them you can keep a secret. That means never EVER sharing your customer’s contact information with someone else. They trust you to protect their email addresses and once you break that trust, it’s tough to get it back.

7. Set realistic expectations

A great way to set expectations for your customers is by sending a welcome email. It helps make a good first impression and gives you a chance to show your intentions. Just don’t make promises you can’t keep. If your newsletter is going to be a monthly newsletter, it needs to be a monthly newsletter.

8. Dress the part

This should be an easy one. All you need to do is find the best “clothing” store for email newsletters.

Constant Contact has plenty of outfits to fit any business or organization and they’re easy to customize to fit the look and feel of your brand. Not only that, it's easy for you to use the same template for each of your newsletters. That way you don’t have to worry about showing up wearing two different colored socks. 

9. Be responsive

Just because you’re the one sending out your newsletter, that doesn’t mean you’re the only one who has something to say. Like in any relationship, you need to be good at listening.

Send out a question in your next email or use a survey to get customer feedback. This is a good way to show you care - and to get valuable feedback on what your buyers want!

10. Pay attention to the details

I don’t mean that you need to clean your fingernails and brush your hair (although you probably should anyway). I mean you need to be aware of how things are going AND pay attention to how your relationship is progressing.

Keep an eye on your email reports. Watch your open rates, click-through rates, and opt-outs. They’re a good way to see if things are really going as well as you think they are.

Build relationships online and off with a WOW! experience

Remember: the best way to build relationships is by providing a WOW! experience online and off.

Make sure your email marketing reflects the type of service you provide and you’ll build long lasting relationships to help grow your business.

What rules do you follow with your email marketing relationships? Use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice and insights...

Marketing Coach: 6-Step Secret Sauce for Awesome Email Subject Lines

Guest post by Corey Eridon

How many emails do you receive every day? And across how many accounts? The Radicati Group reported that 1.9 billion non-spam emails are sent every day. Most people aren't reading every one of those emails (do you?), and the way people determine which ones to open and which ones to trash is by looking at the email subject line. It may be one of the smallest components of your email marketing strategy, but it's the keeper between the reader and your message. That's a pretty hefty 50-something characters.

As one of the most crucial parts of your email message, you should dedicate serious time to crafting that copy. But if you know the secret sauce for writing an awesome email subject line, you'll find you need less and less time as you practice and learn what resonates best with your audience. Next time you draft an email message, use this recipe to formulate a great email subject line that will help you get your message in front of more eyes.

The Ingredients

• Deliverability
• Actionability
• Personalization
• Clarity
• Brevity
• Consistency

The Recipe

Step 1 - Check for deliverability. There are two kinds of filters you need to get past: actual SPAM filters, and your readers. Readers have a BS detector up when checking their inboxes, and it's as sharp as a bloodhound's nose. Avoid spammy words like "free," "act now," and "limited time." Don't yell at the reader by using all caps, like "REMINDER," which is another spammy word that should be avoided. Also, steer clear of excessive use of punctuation marks such as dollar signs and exclamation points at the end of sentences.

Step 2 - Make it actionable. To have an actionable subject line, ask yourself one thing: does the reader know what he or she can do in the email? An email subject line is similar to writing a call-to-action; using verbs helps create the sense of urgency and excitement you want them to feel when reading your subject line. For example, a well written email subject line reads, "Meet the Legendary Ming Tsai at Blue Ginger," versus the less actionable "Ming Tsai at Blue Ginger." With the first subject line, I know I could do something in this email to help me meet Ming Tsai, as opposed to the second, where for all I know, Ming Tsai just went to Blue Ginger last night.

Step 3 - Personalize. The only way you can provide value to your email recipients is by knowing them...even just a little bit. And if you've segmented your subscriber list like every email marketer should, you do know something about your recipients! Your email subject line should reflect that you're sending something thatthey want. For example, a realtor may have a segmentation just for renters looking for an apartment in a certain zip code. Reflecting this knowledge in your subject line, such as "View a Vacant 2 Bedroom Apartment in Muskegon" will drive up the value of that email for the recipient.

Step 4 - Scrub for clarity. You know what your recipient will get if they open the email, but try to step out of your own shoes for a moment. Is it clear to an outsider? If your subject line is too broad, it won't resonate. This often happens when email marketers try to be witty with subject lines. If you can find a way to be clever and straightforward, go for it, but never at the expense of clarity. Can you further help recipients identify what the email is about by putting identifying keywords in the beginning of the subject line, alerting someone that their favorite item is on clearance? Include it at the beginning of the subject line.

Step 5 - Edit for brevity. You could write a haiku to your recipient, but it's to your benefit to keep the subject line as short as possible. A good rule of thumb is 50 characters or fewer. Not only do you want as much of it as possible to display in the email pane (especially on mobile devices), but people are quickly scanning their inboxes to decide what to read, and what to delete. The shorter your subject line, the less likely you are to get glossed over.

Step 6 - Ensure consistency. What the subject line promises should correspond with what is delivered in the email. Think about getting an email with a subject line that promises 75% off men's clothing, only to find out that it only applies to men's socks. The old bait and switch frustrates people and leads to lower open rates, lower click through-rates, and higher unsubscribe rates.

As with any recipe, testing is required for best results. Experiment with different verbs, reorder your words, and try different offers to see which ones resonate the most with your recipients.

Have you tested your email subject lines?

Use the COMMENTS are below to share YOUR email subject line secrets of success!

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. Drink more water.
2. Watch less TV.
3. Action makes traction.
4. Try new things.
5. Hang in there. 
6. Get better daily.
7. Begin with enthusiasm. 
8. Finish with flair.
9. Celebrate small wins.
10. Eliminate wasted steps.
11. Aim higher sooner.
12. Never stop learning.
13. Start fresh today.
14. Write that letter. 
15. Practice deep listening.
16. Pay yourself first.
17. Seize the day.
18. Cashflow is king.
19. Life is good.
20. Eat more vegetables.
21. Thank your Mom.
22. Make others shine.
23. Ask me anything.
24. Think WAY bigger.
25. Focus your energies.
26. Now beats later.
27. Tweet more often.
28. Zig don't zag.
29. Marketing comes first.  
30. Hug your kids. 
31. Content before commerce.
32. Never sell alone. 
33. Don't get distracted.
34. Always ask "Why?"
35. Amp it up!
36. How doesn't matter.
37. Invite and engage.
38. You're already there. 
39. Make silly faces.
40. Get off email.
41. See the sunrise.
42. Simplify, eliminate, outsource.
43. Kiss your dog.
44. Fascinate to dominate.
45. Write it down. 
46. Keep on truckin'!
47. Love your clients.
48. Ask for help.
49. Value follows fee.
50. Never give up.
51. Decide, organize, act.
52. Sharpen your edge.
53. Lose some weight.
54. Hammer it out.
55. Doodle more often.
56. Drink hot coffee.
57. Expand your circles.
58. Consider crazy alternatives.
59. Chinese food rocks!
60. Use beautiful things.
61. Not so fast. 
62. Get a massage.
63. Unlock, unblock, unleash
64. Go for no. 
65. Blow 'em away.
66. More chocolate, please.
67. Fill your buckets. 
68. Don't shy away.
69. Give more generously.
70. Don't be scared.
71. Freshen it up. 
72. Go play outside. 
73. Thank your heroes.
74. Respond, don't react.
75. Sing real loud.
76. Schedule "me" time.
77. Bake a cake.
78. Live the dream.
79. Invest in yourself.
80. Fall in love. 
81. Seek the truth.
82. Avoid the obvious. 
83. Laminate your kudos.
84. Birds gotta fly. 
85. Fish gotta swim.
86. Potential ain't performance. 
87. Relationships are perishable. 
88. Kill your television.
89. Make that call. 
90. Hire the weirdo.
91. Speak more honestly.
92. Track your progress. 
93. Decisions drive momentum.
94. Take notes everywhere.
95. Look further ahead.
96. Stop playing small.
97. Sell the dream.
98. Deliver the goods. 
99. Never shortchange yourself.
100. You're so ready.
101. DO IT. Now!

As a marketing speaker and marketing coach, my clients often ask me for advice on sales.

Naturally, this makes a ton of sense because the MORE and BETTER marketing you do, the FASTER and EASIER your sales process becomes. 

BUT... 

Nothing frustrates me more than when my clients DO a lot of the great marketing we work on together ONLY TO BLOW IT during the sales process!

So... don't let this happen to YOU. 

Let's talk about what you need to close the deal: the steps you need to get from the first solid marketing conversation to the final signed contract.

Depending on your particular business, this could take anywhere from 10 days from first contact all the way up to a year or more. The sales process can be a long and winding road.

BUT there are several factors totally within your control that make it go faster and easier.

The most important one - by far - is asking smart questions early and often.

Think about it: delays in your sales process come from one main source...

Surprises.

You don’t want surprises on their end - and they don’t like surprises on your end.

Each surprise or question or unexpected element can add anywhere from a week to a month to your sales process - and you don’t want that.

Understanding this, you’ll want to ask them some key selling questions early on in your conversations and throughout at every major step and milestone.

Let’s cover them together now so you can begin using these 21 killer sales questions to close more deals - more easily and more often.

1. If you were to decide this is a good idea, how do you buy things like this?
2. How do you implement?
3. What should I know about your timing? Signoffs?
4. When do you budget for things like this?
5. Do you think this deal is going to work?
6. What’s missing or what should we add?
7. Are you going to pitch it?
8. What else do you need to see from me?
9. Can I help you put together some numbers?
10. Do you have some numbers I could include?
11. Who else besides you will be making this decision?
12. Are “they” going to like it?
13. WHAT are they going to like?
14. WHAT are they going to push back on?
15. What else is going to be in our way?
16. How would YOU respond to that?
17. What answers do you need from me to so you’re prepared to answer their questions?
18. How much detail do YOU want?
19. How much detail will THEY want?
20. Are there any surprises we should be prepared for?
21. If this were just you and me, how excited would you be to move ahead on a scale of 0-10?

Hint: If they answer 9 or 10 - you’re good; If they answer 7 or 8 - ask, "What would need to change to get us closer to 10?" If they answer 6 or less, you have a problem. Go for no with “I don’t think we can make this work. Do you?”

Be relentless and follow up like a friendly bulldog.

Never let an active prospect get more than 10 days away from you.

Always show up in their world like a happy squeaky wheel: Circle back. Send more value. Ask more questions. Offer more engagement. Invite further dialogue. Come back with more ideas to genuinely help them. 

More and better and faster sales will follow.

I guarantee 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!

In this final installment of New Year Goodness... you're getting my top picks of marketing must-read info, strategies, templates and tools. 

Why?

Simple... 

So you CAN (and WILL!) make 2013 your best year yet. 

Is this just more smoke and mirrors and hokey motivation?

Nope - it's a 12-pack of "Real Deal" marketing tools that you can review over a weekend (ahem... maybe even THIS weekend?) and start to implement bright and early Monday morning. 

Ready? 

Here we go...

Most popular posts:

1. Marketing Coach: 17 Ways to Drive More Traffic FAST
2. Email Blast: Creating subject lines that pack punch
3. 23 things to say when you're asked for "free consulting"
4. Small Business Marketing Coach: Developing Customer Intimacy
5. Referral Blurbs - Marketing Coach Tip
6. Marketing Coach: How to Write Your Kickass Bio (12 Tips and Example)
7. Social Media Scripts: Tips from a Marketing Coach
   
   

Hidden treasures:

1. Marketing Coach: 33 Ways to Make 2013 Your Best Year Yet
2. Professional Services Marketing: Speaking to Attract New Clients
3. Marketing Concept: Use these headline techniques if you dare
4. 5 Signs that Your Prospect is Giving You Too Much Bullsh*t
5. Business Coach: 50 Reasons People Should Buy from YOU
   
   

Ah, heck - I can't resist giving you THIS one...

The (REAL) Idiot's Guide to Social Media Marketing

And one more for good luck:

Marketing Speaker Tip: Erase. Start Fresh. Kick Ass

p.s. As you review these, please share YOUR advice, insights and recommendations in the COMMENTS section for each of these blogs. Even if the posts are older, I always see new comments as you post them -- so I'd love to generate discussions with YOU on how you can max out these ideas in 2013 for YOUR business!

Guest post by Art Sobczak

Several years ago I started a year-end tradition of posting a list of questions for sales pros to ask themselves as they started their new year.

It was extremely popular, received tons of reprint requests (like this one I got from David!), as well as suggestions to share them again the next year. So now I do it every year.

I suggest you set aside some time, look at each of these questions, and answer them with an action plan.

Follow that plan, and like many others, you will guarantee your own success.

Here we go:

1. What are you going to do to improve your industry and product knowledge in 2013? 
    
2. How many inactive customers will you revive and turn into regular customers again? What do you need to doto make that happen? 
    
3. What will you do to ensure you're protecting your best customers, and adding more value to the relationships? How will you sell even more to them? 
    
4. How many new customers will you bring on this year? 
    
5. How do you plan to do that, specifically? 
    
6. What will you do to improve your physical health in 2013? 
    
7. What, specifically, are your sales and production goals for 2013? How does that break down into quarterly and monthly goals? 
    
8. How much more money will you make in 2013? How will that happen? What will you need to do, today, to take the first steps in that direction? 
    
9. What will you need to do to increase THAT number by an dditional 10%? 
    
10. What are you going to do every day to keep your attitude at a high level? 
     
11. How much time are you going to spend, daily, to improve your own sales skills? What will you do? 
     
12. How many referrals did you get in 2012? How did get them? From whom? What will you do to turn them into sales? 
     
13. Speaking of referrals, will you please forward this post to two others who would also benefit? And invite them to get weekly sales tips at http://businessbyphone.com (OK, that's one of mine.)
     
14. In which areas will you improve your personal, family, and spiritual life? 
     
15. How are you going to maximize the use of your time? Where will you cut out the time-wasters in each day? 
     
16. What have you been putting off that you will take care of within the next two weeks? 
     
17. Who can you help to feel special every day? 
     
18. What challenge, wish or desire--that you've never attempted before--will you finally achieve in 2013? 
     
19. How will you do that? Why? 
     
20. Where are you going to write all of this down so you can review and revise your plans regularly? 
     
21. What will it LOOK like when you accomplish everything you've just been thinking about? 
     
22. How good will it FEEL? 
     
23. What will it SOUND like when you achieve these things? 
     
24. Why COULDN'T you do all of this? 

Any answer to that last one is not a reason, but rather a self-imposed limitation, excuse, or lack of desire or effort. The biggest deterrent to success looks us in the mirror every day. 

Now, go out and plan to have, no, COMMIT to having...

...YOUR BEST YEAR EVER IN 2013! 

________________
About the Author 

For the past 30 years, Art Sobczak’s tips and training have helped others do “rejectionless” prospecting and painless  and profitable sales. Get his free ebook of 501 sales tips at www.BusinessByPhone.com 

Marketing Concept: Writing Page One

Today you are writing the first page of a 365-page book. 

Make it a good one. 

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. Join us here:

2. There is still time to register for Speaker Liftoff - the program begins Dec. 7 and all the details are waiting for you online here: