Do It! Marketing Blog: Marketing for Smart People™

As a marketing speaker and marketing coach, clients often ask me for branding and naming advice to help create a great company name.

Names like...

• The Cookie Machine
• The Video Advisor
• CareerNavigator
• SalesGPS
• The Coffee Hangout
• Guitars After Dark
• The Fitness Foundry

I've seen solopreneurs and companies go through the branding/naming (or re-branding/re-naming) process smoothly and efficiently in less than a week - and I've also seen train wrecks that needlessly dragged on for months. 

How to get started

First, take a look at two blog posts to help you set the stage for an easy, effortless, enjoyable naming and branding process: 

Instant Branding Toolkit

Building Your Brand Sandwich

How not to screw it up

Here are some ideas to dig into for the "how" or "do's and don'ts" of the naming process...

1. At first, sit down with your leadership team. No spouses. No customers. No low-level employees. 5 people maximum.
2. Generate ideas for your raw branding/naming "building blocks" (as outlined in my "Instant Branding Toolkit" blog post)
3. Work over the list until you have 10 strong candidates.
4. Whittle the list down by eliminating 5 of them - the process is "1 vote to eliminate." If there are no objections from the rest of the group, it's gone. If there are objections, then it is up to those individuals to argue the case for "saving" that name until the vote is unanimous either way. This voting/defending process makes things go MUCH faster. And it gets you to focus on much stronger names faster. 
5. With your top 5 candidates, do a customer survey. Not your spouse, your brother-in-law, your Uncle Marvin who used to be an ad agency exec, not your sister who is a brand manager for Tide. Actual, real, live customers. 
6. Take the top 2 scoring names from the customer survey and do an in-house survey with your own team. Use ONLY customer-facing executives. Sales reps are great. Customer service people are great. Field service people are great. Ask them two simple questions: 1. "Given what you know of our customers and prospects, which one of these two names will resonate with them the most?" 2. "Why?" 
7. Compile your results, make your decision, announce your winner, and start your transition to your new name. 

Boom - done!

Here's a piece I submitted to CMO magazine. 

Wanted to share it with YOU first because, heck, you deserve to see it before a whole bunch of corporate dudes get their hands on this info, take it into meetings, and debate it for months before deciding not to implement any of it... Ya dig?

The lesson? Action creates traction... so GO, GO, GO!!!

Top 10 Marketing Secrets

1. There is NO secret - it's just hard work, good luck, and a great team
2. Social isn't marketing. Social is social. Marketing is marketing. Doing one and expecting the others' result is probably the #1 cause of heartaches, headaches and disappointment.
3. It's all about the basics - always has been, always will be. Now more than ever.
4. B2B and B2C are different animals - yes, really. Thus, genius in one can make for a train wreck in the other.
5. Marketing's main client is sales. Boom!
6. There is no industry or market sector where thought leadership isn't going to make a huge difference to your success. HUGE.
7. We've been saying this for a decade but still so few are doing it: stop "spreading messages" and focus more on starting conversations. Real, open, 2-way conversations with the public, the media, consumers, clients, influencers, and friends (real ones, not the ones on Facebook).
8. The more you rely on third-party platforms like Facebook, the less stable and more endangered your brand becomes. Build traffic on your own properties where you have 100% control of what's visible and what's not, who can see what and when and for how long, and how content and community are built and nurtured.
9. Good, creative, smart advertising has always worked. It's not about where you see it - it's about what you see. And how much it makes you think, smile and act.
10. Stop following the herd - we need more leaders. Stop reading Top 10 lists like this one - and start writing your own. Stop blathering on about your products and services - and start telling real stories about real customers making real improvements in their real lives because you were there. 

Does your dog blog? 

Yes? No? Not sure? 

Well, don't worry because mine does.

You're about to get 10 blogging lessons from my black Labrador retriever, Woofie, who turns 10 soon. (FYI her birthday is April 29 and she loves getting birthday notes by email. And she replies to every one!)

What makes Woofie such an authority on blogging? Well, it's simple really - she gets a TON of traffic. Every month, I get emails from GoDaddy, where her website is hosted, to the effect that her website bandwidth (5GB/month) has been exceeded. Sometimes by a factor of two or three!

Put simply: there's a chance that this dog's blog is more popular than yours. 

So to help you fix that, here are Woofie's guidelines for blogging.

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!

Where did that lead come from?

"It came out of the blue..."

How did that customer find you?

"They found us out of the blue..."

What made them call?

"They called out of the blue..."

How many times have you heard yourself give these types of answers?

Hmmm... me too.

Until last night when I was having dinner with The Hot One™ - aka my lovely bride of 27 years.

I was telling her about a brand new client and she asked me, "How did they find you?" and I instinctively answered, "I dunno - they found me out of the blue."

By the way, this is a terrible answer for a marketing guy to give.

I should know exactly how and why my specific marketing activities attract specific clients but I must admit things have been going fast and furious around here lately so I've lost track. A good problem to have - but a problem nonetheless...

Back to dinner with The Hot One™ - she looks over at me, pauses meaningfully and says... 

"There is no blue."

Ouch. And she's right. So she made me think harder - look harder - connect the dots - to where and how this client came to me. 

This is a terrific reminder for YOU, too... 

There is no blue.

So here are 12 potential sources of "blue" -- inbound leads, prospects and referrals. You need to work harder at identifying, specifying, and inquiring about these when GOOD prospects come your way. And even more so when - like in my situation yesterday - good prospects become clients!

1. Google (or other search engines)
2. Your articles in hardcopy publications (industry magazines, trade journals, association publications)
3. Your articles posted online (guest blogs, contributed columns, niche industry websites)
4. Your social media accounts (Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook, etc.)
5. Your blog
6. Your personal network (friends, family, colleagues)
7. A referral (current client, past client, or non-client fan/influencer)
8. Directories and listings (online, offline)
9. Your speaking engagements (local, regional, national, fee or free)
10. Your videos (on your website or sites like YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)
11. Your teleseminars (the ones you host or where you're the guest)
12. Your media interviews (TV, radio, print)

Become fanatical about connecting new customers and clients to specific marketing channels. 

Put a sign up on your office wall to remind you if necessary... 

There is NO blue!

Tags: Marketing speaker, marketing coach, thought leadership marketing, lead generation

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!

1. Charge higher prices
2. Focus your energies
3. Do less marketing
4. Attract bigger fish
5. Narrow your niche
6. Promote your expertise
7. Make clients shine
8. Believe in yourself
9. Clarify your value
10. Articulate your fabulousness
11. Start your movement
12. Begin right now
13. Stop wasting time
14. Don't be afraid
15. Close that deal
16. Use the phone
17. Blog more often
18. Take your shot
19. Make idea lists
20. Be the shortcut
21. Different ain't better
22. Better is better
23. Develop more allies
24. Serve great food
25. Showcase others' genius
26. Make it fun
27. Do it right
28. Manage your money
29. Aim higher sooner
30. Never give up
31. Look around you
32. Serve your peeps
33. Make your bed
34. Polish your shoes
35. Do the unthinkable
36. Think the undoable
37. Shift your services
38. Meet new needs
39. Solve old problems
40. Start with kindness
41. Elbow grease rules
42. Do the work
43. Fear the reaper
44. Listen with love
45. Energize your base
46. Refresh your perspective
47. Rediscover your mojo
48. Let it go
49. Be the change
50. Drive more innovation
51. Share the goodies
52. You're already there
53. Pass the Tabasco
54. Live the dream
55. Work crazy hours
56. Write that letter
57. Don't get arrogant
58. Don't get complacent
59. Use better bait
60. Kiss the dog
61. Boost your magnetism
62. Flip their switch
63. Dance the tango
64. Build your empire
65. Sell more passionately
66. Market without fear
67. It's game time
68. Sweat the details
69. Remember the goal
70. Invite more conversations
71. Offer deeper engagement
    
72. Don't wimp out
73. You're so close
74. Take the leap
75. Schedule your tweets
76. Get OFF Facebook
77. Buy the Book (Shhh...)
78. Make more videos
79. Write snarky posts
80. Think more visually
81. Death to PowerPoint
82. Always buy lunch
83. Pitch bigger deals
84. Put clients first
85. Close your email
86. Watch the horizon
87. Keep good notes
88. Capture ideas everywhere
89. Be the rock
90. Leave bigger tips
91. Share your toys
92. Rock their world
93. Make it work
94. Play your hand
95. Take a break
96. Time is limited
97. Jump on it
98. Now or never
99. Action makes traction
100. Kick some butt
101. We need YOU!

1. "The main ingredient of a star is the rest of the team." John Wooden
2. "Life is growth. If we stop growing, technically and spiritually, we are as good as dead." Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969) Founder of Aikido
3. "The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender." Vince Lombardi
4. "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition." Steve Jobs
5. “To be nobody but yourself in a world that's doing its best to make you somebody else, is to fight the hardest battle you are ever going to fight. Never stop fighting.” E. E. Cummings
6. "It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like 'What about lunch?'" Winnie the Pooh
7. "You cannot be afraid to be who you are. Live your values. Live your life. A woman confided to me about 'sneaking out of the office' to go to her child's play and I said, ' Stop right there! I have never snuck out of any place. I walk right down the center hall, and if somebody doesn't like it, too bad. Don't worry about me. I will deliver.' Just stand up, do what you need to do, and smile about it. Look them in the eye and say, 'If you don't like it, fire me, and I'll go find another job, because I'm talented enough and I'm committed enough." Shelly Lazarus, chairman, Ogilvy & Mather
   
8. "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust, and sweat, and blood; who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows achievement and who at the worst if he fails, at least fails while doing greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." Theodore Roosevelt
   
9. "No road is too long, no honours too distant, advance slowly and without losing heart, for victory belongs to the most persistent." Winston Churchill
   
10. "Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by his ability to climb a tree, he will spend his entire life believing he is stupid." Albert Einstein
    
11. "It is not my job to make mean people nice, crazy people sane, or stupid people smart. It is my job to find nice, sane, smart people, and do business with them!" Bob Loeffler, Fearless Agent
    

By the way, these quotes were originally posted in a thread of over 50 great quotations shared on the LinkedIn Group, Professionals Who Speak. Smart cookies in that group - please join us here:

What is YOUR single favorite inspiring quotation of all time?  

Please take a moment to post yours in the COMMENTS area below - it could be one of your own or from someone famous, past or present. Doesn't matter if it's more personal, more professional, for business or for life.
Let's hear YOURS...

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...

Not only is there "no further ado"... there's no ado period. 

Here they are:

1. Social Media Strategy in 8 Steps http://bit.ly/WmdxmR 
~ Jay Baer, Convince and Convert

2. Get Booked and Stay Booked on LinkedIn http://bit.ly/WtSwqA 
~ Viveka Von Rosen, Linked into Business 

3. Eight Reasons You Need to be Blogging http://bit.ly/XLSAwO
~ Corey Perlman, eBootcamp 

4. 21 Killer Sales Questions to Close Any Deal Faster http://bit.ly/UogBwI
~ Do It! Marketing blog 

5. Top 12 Email 1-Liners to Revive a Dead Prospect http://bit.ly/ZpREDV
~ Do It! Marketing blog 

6. Proprietary Research + 10 Questions to Ask Prospects http://bit.ly/ZRETT4
~ Henry DeVries, New Client Marketing Institute

7. Seven Ways to Ensure Your Emails Get Read http://bit.ly/XtttRa
~ Tom Searcy, Hunt Big Sales (writing at Inc.com)

8. 23 things to say when you're asked for 'free consulting' http://bit.ly/Ydeqvb
~ Do It! Marketing blog 

9. 17 Ways to Drive More Traffic FAST http://bit.ly/V4nb78
~ Do It! Marketing blog  

Boom, baby! 

Have a good weekend - and if you feel inspired, please leave a COMMENT below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on any of the topics above. 

For professional services providers, entrepreneurs and thought-leading executives... the #1 dreaded question is, “How much do you charge?”

Especially when it's asked too early, out of context, and before you've established any sort of relationship with the prospect or any sort of value for the project...

In short, if you blow the answer, your prospect is gone.

Here are three things NOT to do:

1. Quote a random price out of thin air (unless you sell haircuts for $18 or oil changes for $34.95 or you do bookkeeping for $65/hr)
2. Act surprised or unprepared for the question ("Uhhh... what do you mean?")
3. Get defensive or go on a rant about how "all people care about these days is price, price, price."

Some of the answers you're about to get are evergreen, some you can adapt to your own personality, and some you may want to keep in reserve until just the right moment with just the right prospect.

Here we go...

"How Much Do You Charge?"

1. A lot. Why do you ask?
2. I don't think we're there yet because I don't know what you're buying
3. I'll answer your question in a moment but to give you a more accurate answer, may I ask you three questions first? 
4. Well, the friends and family rate might apply but we're not friends yet - do you mind if I ask you a few friendly questions that will help us answer your pricing question together?
5. It's nine million dollars until I know what you're buying. Can we spend a few minutes narrowing that down to help you lower the price?
6. I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is that you don't have a $500,000 problem. The bad news is that you don't have a $10,000 problem, either... if you can help me answer some key questions, we'll both know a lot more about what your investment might look like.
7. If it works, it's cheap. If it doesn't, it's expensive. 
8. Let's talk about what you're trying to accomplish first and then we'll work out some pricing options based on that. 
9. Do you want the Ferrari version, the Lexus version, or the VW Bug?
10. A project like the one you're asking about ranges from $X to $Y. Sometimes a little more. Not usually less. Is that what you were expecting to invest?
11. There's no good answer to that question in a vacuum. Can we talk a little more about what you're hoping we can do for you? Then I'll give you some pricing options that make sense for your budget. 
12. A project of this scope only makes sense if it's already in your budget. Nobody wakes up one day and suddenly finds the money to solve these kinds of problems. If you can share the budget range you have set aside for this, I can tell you if it makes sense for us to talk any further.
13. I have a feeling that if I quote a random number right now, I'll be dead in the water. Do you mind if I ask you some questions to get a better idea of what your goals are? Then the numbers we talk about will be specific to you and your situation. 
14. Just like you need to make an educated decision about which partner or resource to hire, I need to give you an educated answer to your pricing question. And I'm feeling pretty dumb right now, since we just started talking. Mind if we have a 10-minute conversation about your situation? After that, I'll have a much better idea of what you're after and some different ways we can help. 
15. Sounds like price is the most important factor to you. In my experience, everything is expensive until you want it. Can we talk about what you want and then work our way to the pricing options based on that?
16. It's more than a cab ride to [local landmark, i.e. "the Empire State Building"] but less than [the landmark, i.e. "the building"]. If we can chat for 10 minutes about why you called, I can give you a much more specific answer. Do you have 10 minutes now or shall we look at our calendars?
17. Until I have a better idea of what you want - and whether or not we can even help - any number I give you is going to be too high. Would it be OK if we spend a few minutes discussing why you called? Then if we can help, I'll get you the pricing options you need. And if we can't, I'll refer you to some other great resources that do things we don't. Fair enough? 
     

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!

Just came across this Facebook post from someone who shall remain nameless to protect the self-absorbed.

On the surface, this will look innocent enough. 

But a treacherous marketing gaffe lies in wait... 

Another victim is about to fall prey to the Social Media disease known as... 

[Drum roll]...

Social Me... 

Check it out and let's discuss... 

While I really value having connections on Facebook, I'm noticing that I'm not as active on my personal page and decided that focusing on my Public page will be the best use of my time and allow me to really connect more with people. So I am in the process of deactivating this page - if you haven't already, please 'like' my community page so we can still connect there: [link]

What's wrong with this picture?

Let's color-code it and you'll see how NOT to confuse "Social Me" with "Social Media"...

While I really value having connections on Facebook, I'm noticing that I'm not as active on my personal page and decided that focusing on my Public page will be the best use of my time and allow me to really connect more with people. So I am in the process of deactivating this page - if you haven't already, please 'like' my community page so we can still connect there: [link]

If you were keeping score, you noticed that there were 10 - TEN! - mentions of "I, Me, My" in this two-sentence post. 

One of the games I like to play with my marketing coaching clients is to take ANY piece of copy - a sales letter, a web page, a prospecting email - and totally REMOVE ALL "I, Me, My" language and translate it 100% into YOU and YOUR language, which is much more compelling to most of your prospects, readers, and fans. 

Here goes... 

The level of activity on this page has diminished so that the value you're getting is not at the level you deserve. Please click over to this new page [link] where you can tap into a much more active community, ask your questions, take part in value-rich discussions, get the answers you need PLUS you'll get access to valuable downloads, resources, and tools. See you on the other side!

Social Media... 

Did you notice the new score? 

Let's turn on the colors again and see how you did...

The level of activity on this page has diminished so that the value you're getting is not at the level you deserve. Please click over to this new page [link] where you can tap into a much more active community, ask your questions, take part in value-rich discussions, get the answers you need PLUS you'll get access to valuable downloads, resources, and tools. See you on the other side!

Old score (Social Me): 0-10. You lose! 

New score (Social Media): 7-0. You win!

What do you think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations when it comes to Social Media vs. Social Me... 

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!