Do It! Marketing Blog: Marketing for Smart People™

Here are my Top Five Business Books of the Week - but these are not just any old business books.

They are...

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.

Get your amazon shopping cart ready for some racing stripes - here we go: 

1. Be the Best at What Matters Most: The Only Strategy You will Ever Need by Joe Calloway 
    
2. Create Distinction: What to Do When Great Isn't Good Enough to Grow Your Business by Scott McKain
   
   
3. Fred 2.0: New Ideas on How to Keep Delivering Extraordinary Results by Mark Sanborn
   
   
4. Running the Gauntlet: Essential Business Lessons to Lead, Drive Change, and Grow Profits by Jeffrey W. Hayzlett and Jim Eber 
   
   
5. People Buy You: The Real Secret to what Matters Most in Business by Jeb Blount
   

You hate cold calling, yeah, yeah, I know BUT...

Truth is, nothing beats having a voice-to-voice conversation with a real prospect. And when you reach prospects, you have less than 30 seconds to interest and engage them. Make a mistake and there are no second chances.

You need to have a solid, proven plan to engage your prospects by phone and consistently win them over so that more sales happen.

Join me as I interview Wendy Weiss, the "Queen of Cold Calling," for this empowering call where you will get specific answers to:

• Why cold call at all? Is it old-fashioned? Does it even work?
• Haven’t e-mail and social media replaced cold calling?
• How do I know whom to call?
• What should I say? 
• What is a good generic script?
• How can I convince prospects to speak with me without giving them the feeling I’m trying to ‘sell’ them something? 
• How do I deal with voicemail? Should I leave a message?
• Why doesn’t anyone ever call me back?
• And a whole lot more...

We'll have room on the teleseminar line for 100 people so take 10 seconds to register now so you don't miss out.

If you'd like to do better in your business... this post is for you.

If you're down in the dumps - no money, no clients, no prospects, no hope... this post is for you.

If you're doing great - and not sure exactly why or how long this "lucky streak" will last - this post is DEFINITELY for you...

There's a dirty word in business, especially among authors, speakers, and experts who, above all, feel that they should serve as shining examples of personal success and professional prosperity.

That word is shame. 

It's easy to feel shame when your business is doing poorly. I'm not saying that it's RIGHT - but it sure is easy. 

And yes, it's painful, negative, and unpleasant to feel shame. But perhaps there's an upside to that because it makes you feel uncomfortable to feel unsuccessful. 

At least THAT part makes sense. 

There's another kind of shame that is more pernicious, dangerous and much more common than you might think. 

It's the shame of success.

It's when you juuuuust start to break through... when your business juuuuust starts to take off... when the money juuuuust starts to flow abundantly. 

You're not only paying your bills, you're paying off debt (credit cards, home equity line, etc.), you're building up your savings, your rainy day fund is healthy, you're paying yourself regularly, you are even... GASP... putting away some nice money for retirement and/or your kids' college fund.

The it hits you... The Shame of Success. It's a little voice in your head.

You know what I'm talking about. I'll bet you even know what it's saying to you. Things like: 

• This won't last - it's just a lucky streak...
• You're one step away from being broke again...
• Don't count your eggs before they hatch...
• You're not that good...
• You're not that smart...
• You can't even handle this much client work
• You're going to blow through all this cash and be back at Square 1...
• Your clients will find you out...
• Your friends won't like your new level of success...
• Better not tell anyone about this success, they'll be jealous...
• They'll think you're lying...
• They'll think you're bragging...
• They'll feel bad that they're not doing as well as you... 

And on, and on, and on. 

Please... stop the madness. Kill that voice. Catch yourself every time you hear it and tell it to go take a hike. Refocus. Recenter. 

Remember once and for all - there is no shame in your success. 

If you have REAL friends, they'll celebrate with you. 

If you have friends who don't... guess what? They're not your real friends. 

If misery loves company, it has company enough. 

And it's time you quit that company.

You know who REALLY loves company? 

• Passion loves company
• Achievers love company
• Winners love company
• Success loves company

There are already way too many people and circumstances that make you feel weak, unworthy, and unsuccessful... they do NOT need your help!

FACT: You TOTALLY deserve to be successful.

FACT: This is ABSOLUTELY your time to crush it. 

FACT: YOU ROCK so hard, you don't even know it. 

FACT: You are insanely GREAT.

FACT: You ARE fabulously successful - so KEEP GOING!!!

In the immortal words of the great Zig Ziglar, "I'll see you at the top!" 

What do you think? Please leave a COMMENT below and let's hear YOUR advice, insights and recommendations on how not to get bushwhacked by the "shame of success."

Happy Friday. 

A day worth celebrating with a free gift for you - a copy of the best book I never wrote: The Fortune Cookie Business Book.

Click here to download your copy right here, right now. 

Enjoy - and thank you for being a reader of this blog and a supporter of my work. 

(Psst... Want a hardcopy version? That can be arranged here.) 

Comments? Questions? Want to share what YOUR favorite Chinese meal is? (Mine is listed on page 187)... then please use the COMMENTS area below and...

Today, you're getting a hot and juicy marketing interview that I did for my pal Craig Price, host of the terrific podcast series, Reality Check. 

Click here to listen in.

Criticisms, scathing remarks, bitter complaints? Awesome - Craig loves to get those. 

Comments, kudos, or congratulations? Leave THOSE in the COMMENTS section below and let's hear from YOU... 

Closing effectively is all about answering this question: "What can you do to minimize the risk to the prospect of buying your product or service?"

Look at all the products out on the market that offer risk-free, money back guarantees. Do you offer guarantees, warrantees, refunds, free trials or make-ups?

In today’s “do more with less” business environment, many economic decision-makers have a new top priority – and it’s NOT “Making the very best choice.”

It is “Not making a mistake that will cost me my job.”

If you can reassure someone with this mindset that buying from you is smart and safe and risk-free, you will automatically close more sales.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• How can I provide a free version of my product or service?
• What can I learn from the auto industry’s new trend of “the 24-hour test drive”?
• What does the buyer have to lose if they buy from me?
• What do they have to gain?
• How can I ensure the buyer’s success – not just their satisfaction?
• How can I employ the concept of risk-reversal – meaning that the risk is all on my side if they don’t achieve success?

When most sales training programs talk about overcoming objections, they usually don’t discuss the real objections that are in most buyers’ minds. These are things like:

• "I don’t trust you"
• "I don’t believe this will get the results you say it will"
• "This sounds too good to be true"
• "If this works, I would have heard of this solution already"
• "Who says so besides you?"

You should understand (and expect) that people probably will not trust you in the beginning of the sales process.

They have been sold stuff all their lives “against their will.”

They bought the steak knives, the late-night infomercial real estate program, the Girl Scout cookies, the raffle ticket, or the used car and regretted it later. (OK maybe not the cookies.) Trust has to be earned over time.

To address these aspects of buyer resistance, you can use a battery of smart sales tools.

You may be using some of these already, but the more you pile on, the more effective they will be.

Start to collect, document, and use:

• Client testimonials (letters are good; audio and video are even better)
• Awards and industry recognition of your product/service
• Press clippings and articles mentioning you or your clients using your product/service
• Objective, fact-based side-by-side comparisons with competing products/services
• Cost analyses and comparisons between using your product/service, using the competition, doing it themselves, and doing nothing

All of these items will help you reduce risk, build credibility, and pave the way for closing more sales - even to your toughest prospects!

Tags: Marketing speaker, marketing coach, close more sales, marketing for speakers, marketing for authors, professional services marketing, selling professional services

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

Email.

We all get too much. 

We all spend too much time writing, replying, sorting and processing. 

Here's one tactic that will help you - in some cases, immensely.

It's a simple three-word email.

You'll get it in a moment... 

First, more about the problem... Face it: Sometimes you get caught up in replying to emails that do not need a reply. 

You leave open loops. 

You're not sure if NOT replying would seem rude. 

And sometimes you're replying to a reply, confirming a confirmation or thanking someone for a thank you. 

This type of email is totally unnecessary.

And, as you know, the best way to cut down on the number of emails you RECEIVE is to first cut down on the number of emails that you SEND. 

The second best way is to adopt an email template that clearly indicates you acknowledge the other person's reply and that you do NOT need further communication about it. 

Here's the three-word email I suggest you begin to use... 

"Awesome - perfect - thank you."

This email note does a few things for you: 

1. Makes it clear the message was received

2. Gives thanks

3. Makes it clear that no further response is needed WITHOUT being curt, short, or rude. 

My acronym for this email is A-P-T: Awesome - Perfect - Thank you

Try it and see if you begin to see a more streamlined email inbox with less back and forth, less wasted time, and less "email for the sake of email." 

Rock on - and leave a COMMENT below to share your success stories using this APT email...

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...

Top 5 Tips for Twitter:

1. Listen and learn. As with other social media, the most important first step is to listen to the conversations. See what people are talking about in your industry on Twitter. The daily thoughts of so many people can be an incredibly rich source of new ideas for products and services.
2. Publish valuable news and information. Only after you've listened and understand the style and etiquette of Twitter communications should you consider creating an account and posting content. An easy starting point is to publish regular news and updates that you already distribute via other channels.
3. Distribute promotions. Some companies are finding that Twitter is an effective channel for sending out promotional messages. Timely sales and coupons are easy to distribute on Twitter, and the fast nature of the Twitterverse means that people can respond to the promotions quickly. Note: Keep offers and promotions to LESS than 20% of your tweets, otherwise you'll come off like a sleazy peddler rather than a trusted partner. 
4. Create or extend your brand personality. Ultimately, Twitter is far more valuable for distributing your brand personality than it is for merely delivering your content. Social media is social. Be a person first. 
5. Engage in conversations and customer service. Twitter is about conversations, not monologues. Twitter is about talking with people, not merely at them. Engage, thank, respond and reciprocate.
    

Top 5 Tips for LinkedIn:

1. Use LinkedIn Groups & stimulate new leads daily with value-first outreach.
2. Ask questions & build your credibility using LinkedIn status updates.
3. Create powerful events and promote them to relevant groups.
4. Run an advanced search to find buyers, prospects, and advocates in your target market.
5. Once you find leads, send personalized messages and connect 1-to-1 as real people, not as “targets.”
    

Top 5 Tips for Facebook:

1. Define your target market. Every online effort that will actually get you results starts with knowing exactly who your perfect clients are.
2. Connect with people in your target market. For every action you take on Facebook, ask yourself how doing this helps you connect and network with people in your target market.
3. Get and stay active. Facebook marketing will only work for you if you are active. Don't engage in "drive-by" activity and expect long-term results.
4. Share valuable tips and ideas. A big part of your Facebook marketing should be promoting and sharing your expertise – not pitching and peddling your wares
5. Start a Facebook business page. Start one if you don't have one yet. It's a great forum for discussion, answering questions, and building community.
    

Your Simple Social Media Marketing Plan:

Here is exactly what you need to do - step by step - to help you and your organization maximize the basics in your social media gameplan:

• Calendarize your social media tactics in less than 30 minutes a day
• Organize your social media priorities behind one of three main purposes (sharing resources, building relationships, engaging in reciprocity)
• Operationalize your social media game plan with time-saving tools such as TweetAdder, BufferApp, and ping.fm
• Leverage and grow the impact of all your social media efforts and assets

Remember – if you start small, stick to your plan and your calendar, learn as you go, and adjust your game plan based on your results, your social media strategies WILL pay off for you and for your organization!

Tags: Marketing speaker, marketing coach, social media gameplan, top 5 social media tips, marketing for speakers, marketing for authors

What do YOU think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on effectively using social media WITHOUT going bonkers...

Do you sell to chief executives, presidents, and corporate bigwigs? 

If so, chances are good you're doing it wrong. Here's why... and later in this post, you'll get some tools to start doing much MUCH better FAST...

The reason you're not getting the appointments you want or capturing the interest you need from senior executives and CEOs is that you're selling functional ideas to strategic people.

The last thing - and I mean DEAD LAST thing - that any chief executive cares about is the "how" of solving a particular problem.

You've seen the cliche in a hundred different movies of the top dog barking at an underling in the board room - "I don't care HOW you do it. Just get it done."

But when it comes to selling, we sellers and marketers are soooo in love with our "How."

What you need to focus on is the "Why" and then immediately jump to results and outcomes. 

But not just ANY results and outcomes - the results and outcomes that your CEO prospects are publicly, permanently and strategically committed to achieving. 

Not sure exactly what results or outcomes your top executive prospects care about? 

Don't guess... educate yourself. 

Here are links to some online and offline resources (magazines, annual lists, websites, books) that you should buy, download, read and integrate into your marketing game plan so that you can sell much more effectively to CEOs and other C-level buyers:

ARTICLES and WEB LISTINGS:

Harvard Business Review - Top 100 CEOs

Fortune Most Admired Companies

Fortune Best Companies to Work For

50 Most Powerful Women in Business

2013 NAFE Top 50 Companies for Executive Women

BOOKS:

The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success

What Got You Here Won't Get You There

The NEW Secrets of CEOs: 200 Global Chief Executives on Leading

The CEO Code 

The moment YOU start talking CEO Language about CEO Problems is the moment you start to earn their attention, their trust, and - eventually - their business. 

Tags: Marketing speaker, marketing coach, sales, selling, CEO language

What do YOU think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on effectively selling to CEOs and corporate executives...