The Blank Piece of Paper

While participating as an online observer to the PCMA Convening Leaders Conference I had the chance to participate in some live chats with others who were remotely viewing the sessions.  Much like being in-person at an event, I found the most valuable nugget or idea did not come from a presentation, but instead from another attendee (it is always the "Hallway Conversations" that bring the best information!).

Meredith Low, a meeting professional from Toronto (and my new virtual friend), added her thoughts in the online "Group Chat" during an afternoon session.  She was building on something said by the speaker, and her words carried a punch that out-shined the great information that was coming from the event's planned agenda.

She talked of an exercise she does with her clients where she asks them "If this meeting you are planning did not exist, and you were to start fresh to design a way to bring your community together, what would you do?".  In other words, take out a blank piece of paper and let's create an ideal situation to achieve your purpose... what existed before does not matter.

This is a GREAT idea for anyone regardless of their products or services.  All industries can benefit from Meredith's idea of looking at your world with a fresh perspective.

I spent the rest of the day reviewing at my speaking business.  As something becomes established, like a career, you can easily get caught up in "what is" and not "what could be" (or "what should be").  It is easy to look at concepts and processes that have worked in the past hand hold onto them for dear life.

This process of thinking about my company from a blank sheet of paper spawned several interesting thoughts and new ideas.  It also made me examine some of my habits that may or may not be in my long-term best interest.  I am still sketching out what I would be creating if I was starting today (and if money was no object).  Much of what I am doing is right.  Some of it was right at the time I began bootstrapping the business, but not as much now that I am established.

I discovered some areas that could use immediate adjusting, and a few that can be tweaked over time.  I still do not have the luxury of unlimited funds, so a few ideas I have cannot be implemented because there are the financial realities that everyone faces (except, apparently, the U.S. Government).  However, this exercise gave me the chance to dream and to explore.  That is what all entrepreneurs and intrepreneurs (you need not work for yourself to be a creator of something exciting) need to do more often.  It is easy to get caught up in the minutia of our day-to-day routines.  The "Blank Sheet of Paper Exercise" is something we should all do regularly.

Thanks Meredith!

Have A Great Day

thom singer

Getting The Word Out

Small businesses all struggle with how to get the word out about their products and services. There is no magic marketing formula that produces results, and every entrepreneur has to create their own unique path to success.

Many solo entrepreneurs are hopeful that they will find instant fame that will help propel them to the top. While this could happen, it is rare.  In my line of work I see new speakers who are waiting for someone to "discover" them and get them onto a fictional "Speaking Circuit".  There is not "circuit" that is a guaranteed route to success.  For each success in the speaking industry there has been a different set of circumstances that have led to victory.

Everyday you need to wake up and do the hard work to get the word out about why your business is spectacular.

Like Sisyphus (Greek Mythology) who has to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down, and to repeat this throughout eternity, marketing your business never ends.  I know more than one small business owner who has stopped promoting the company after finding a comfortable level of success, only to find the competitor take over the mind-share of the clients and prospects.

Getting the word out is a never-ending activity.

What do you think? How do you get the word out about your business? What should I be doing differently to promote my career?

Have A Great Day.

thom singer

I Got Your Voicemail.... And Called You Back

Yesterday's blog post was titled "I Got Your Voicemail... And Deleted It".  The world is full of noise and too many people simply ignore all incoming information.  They get a voicemail or an email from a sales person (or anyone for that matter) and instantly jump to conclusions about the value of the call.  Delete is a natural response to most phone voicemails and incoming emails.

We cannot expect other people to be interested in the products and services we offer if we do not communicate how we can make a difference to their needs. Too often our own goal of making a sales is all that is visible in our first impressions.

To make it worse, few people have "Follow Through DNA".  While they might be interested in you and your services, as soon as the next shiny object appears in their view they are distracted and never get back to calling you back. (I have discovered the general lack of "Follow Through DNA" to be a huge determent in many areas of business, not just in getting your calls returned).

Experimenting with my own call-back ratios, and that of those I am working with for individual consulting, have shown that there is never a "one size fits all" solution.  There is no turn key scripts that will work for every situation.  The following tips have been yielding better results and help make you more prepared for any potential encounter:

6 Tips To Get Your Cold-Call Voicemails / Emails Returned

1.  Sit in their chair.  Too often when we call someone we talk too much about ourselves.  It is natural to try to fit in all the features and benefits we offer into the conversation as fast as we can.  We know from experience that time is limited, so we jump into an "Elevator Pitch" that blurts out tons of information.  But the first time people hear from you they do not care that you exist.  They care about themselves. Make the call less of a commercial and more of a conversation.

2.  Know your purpose.  Selling them on the spot is most likely not what your expect from the call.  Most business sales do not take place on an initial cold-call, so keep in mind that your purpose is to get them to have an interest in talking with you further.  If your goal is not to close a sale, then do not be in "sales mode".  When you are clear on your purpose you will have a better success in moving the relationship along the path.

3.  Network and research first.  If you have been actively networking in your industry you most likely can find a meaningful connection into a company.  When you have met the person before and had a positive conversation, or a similar chat with someone inside their company, you will be more likely to get noticed.  If you have not had a personal connection to the person you are calling, at least be sure you have done your homework on them and their company.  If you have not read their LinkedIn profile, do not make the call.

4.  Keep it short.  Long voicemails get deleted before the person has reached the end.  Say your piece, but be concise.  Do not ramble.

5.  Give them a reason to call back.  This is hard to explain, but too many voicemails are simply information dumps followed by the caller says things like "call me back if you get a chance", etc...  There is nothing that motivates the prospect to return you call.   If you have something of value to them, they will call you back.  Yes, this is subjective.  You need to study the words you use and continue to tweak your approach.

6.  Call back often, but not too often.  You do not want to be a stalker, but a single call that gets deleted is forgotten.  Over time, your cold calling can be a marketing tool.  If you are professional and persistent many people will give you a chance.  Most people give up after just a few un-returned calls, but over time I find that it can be years before a prospect whom I have called, emailed, mailed fliers, etc... will eventually call back.  The weird part is they often act as if they know me, because they have heard from me for so long.  However, call too much and you are a pest.  I think one call every three to four weeks is plenty, but you have to be patient, as it can take seven to ten calls before the call back.  Can you wait nearly a year?

If you are seeing the call from through their eyes, know your purpose, have a connection and/or knowledge about them, and keep your message on point, give them a reason to call back, and if you are persistent, you will find success.

***Addendum:

7. Make sure you are calling the right person.  I got a note via Twitter from Tom Singer (yes, TOM Singer, not Thom Singer) from London.  He complimented this post, but pointed out he gets calls from sales people all the time, and he does not control the decisions on the products and services they are trying to sell.  This is very important that you discover whom to call and do not waste your time (or that of the person you are calling).

Have A Great Day.

thom singer

I Got Your Voicemail.... And Deleted it.

We are part of other people's noise.

The world today leaves us constantly bombarded with incoming information and inquiries.  It has reached a point where most just ignore everything because there are so many choices that it is impossible to dedicate the amount of time necessary to become informed.  Even a trip to Starbucks yields over 19.000 beverage choices, but most people always order the same thing on each visit.

I recently saw a presentation by Jill Konrath (author of "Selling to Big Companies" and "Snap Selling"). She facilitated an exercise with the audience where 12 people came to the microphone and pretended to leave her a voicemail.  When she became bored she screamed "DELETE".  Only one person from the sample of sales and marketing professionals had their message "SAVED" in her example.

The live laboratory for voicemail messaging was a great experience.  We all think we have important things to tell our clients and prospects, but we forget that we are just part of the noise.  They are distracted and if we do not gain their attention we get nowhere.

It is difficult to stand out from the crowd (and not just when leaving phone messages or sending emails).  To be successful we must walk a mile in the shoes of the people we are trying to reach.  Often I find people that are rude as hell to others, never return calls, jump to conclusions, and are totally emerged in their own "stuff".... and then cannot understand why others do not respond to them.  Ummmmm.....   Hello!  Why do we see our own lives as busy and assume others are just waiting to hear from us?

To get noticed you must do a series of things that make you interesting to others.  Scott Ginsberg ("The Nametag Guy") calls it being "Call-back-able".  The successful cultivate a well rounded reputation and brand that positions them as part of a solution.  You cannot expect any one marketing effort to be the magic bullet.  Instead you must create a program of "Integrated Visibility" so that your cold-calls are not actually cold.

This can be even harder for "Solo-Entrepreneurs".  Many professionals have hung out their own shingles in the last few years offering services on their own that they used to provide as part of a larger firm.  Their experience in their previous careers came with large sales and marketing departments with established brand recognition.  They are often surprised to start on their own to find that seemingly nice people do not return phone calls and emails.

When call-backs do not occur, people give up.  When you quit on sales and marketing... you come up short on new business development.  If you get no new customers, you fail to make money.  End of game.  Thus the stakes are high to create a visible presence and grow your business.

If you left a voicemail and it got deleted you are not alone. Do not let it discourage you.  People are busy and they are not interested in what they are not interested in.  Look from their point of view.  Are you a "must have service", and "nice to have service" or a "what is that service"?

Discover how make yourself more interesting then you will get your calls returned.

Have A Great Day.

thom singer

See the follow-up post "I Got Your Voicemail... And Called You Back" on the July 3, 2011 blog post on The Some Assembly Required Blog.

Who Is Telling Your Business Story? You or Your Competitor?

In a business context we often forget that others are human beings. Too often we lump everyone into buckets: co-worker, customer, prospect, vendor, boss, etc...  But everyone is a person first and that means they have emotional responses to everything.  When you fail to connect with them at the level of their soul you are vulnerable to a charismatic competitor who can come in and take their attention.

Both companies and individuals struggle with how to tell their story.  This has gotten more complicated in the social media world as we are constantly facing new venues where we need to present ourselves (live and online). Marketing has become very data focused and the importance of the story seems to be lost on some.  Yet those who are excelling in every industry usually have got a firm grasp on how to position themselves via how they tell their own story.

Since the beginning of time people have gathered to hear stories. Ancient tribes relied on the power of the story for education, entertainment, social engagement and survival. They did not share graphs and statistics around the fire.  Parents tell their children bed-time stories, not bed-time spreadsheets and PowerPoints.  It is natural for us to be drawn to a story.  There is nothing primal about marketing speak that has been cleared by the legal department.

If you are not able to communicate your story you lose.  We all know the difference between a great book or movie and a lousy book or movie.  People want to be inspired.  Many professionals have forgotten this and allowed corporate communications to abandon style for substance?  It sounds good to tell the CEO that you are all about high-level content marketing (CEO's love to hear that), but if nobody in your community cares then the company will fail.

Telling stories is how successful sales organisations win market-share.  We need to look no further than Apple.  Steve Jobs weaves captivating stories around every product launch.  People question why he has such power on the stage that moves people to buy his latest gadgets, and yet the answer is simple.... he is a storyteller. While his presentations are wonderfully produced, it is not the bells and whistles that matter.  Other CEO's have great visuals and yet suck the energy out of the room when they open their mouth.

If your organization has never had a meeting to discuss your corporate story then my belief is that your company is not being heard. I find it fascinating when I work with clients, as often there is no consistency in what is being said about the company.  The CEO has one message, while finance has another.  Marketing and sales are in total disconnect around messaging.  Most employees have no idea what to say, so they say nothing.  The business has gag order on the story and they wonder why nobody in their community cares about their latest press release.

This is not just about PR and marketing.  Knowing how to tell your story to each audience and why they even care is paramount to your success and the bottom line.  If your company is lagging it might be because there is no story.... or worse, you are abdicating the story of your industry (and your company) to be told by your competition.  Guess what, when your competition tells the story, you do not shine.

Is your company lacking a story?  Are you tossing out jargon, facts and figures without any emotional connections to your audiences.  Are you boring people?  You can expand your reach into your business community via the art of telling your corporate story.

Are you an individual who is out of work or feeling stuck in your job?  Why would anyone offer you an opportunity?  Do you think a resume or a LinkedIn profile is all you need to capture the attention of a potential employer?  Without a compelling story you are just a face in the crowd.

The good news is that everyone has an interesting story.  Who is telling yours?  Anyone?  Your story will not happen by accident.

Have A Great Day.

thom singer


***Contact me to help you find your corporate story.  thom(at)thomsinger.com

5 Demand Generation Tips From DemandCon

I spoke this week at DemandCon, a national conference for sales and marketing professionals.  Here is a short video from the folks at Eloqua (who was a sponsor of the conference).



If you cannot see the video, here is the link:  http://youtu.be/DGb54jJxsS8

Featured in the video:

Jennifer Pockell-Wilson, Vice President of  Marketing and Demand Operations, DemandBase. Jennifer’s biggest tip is for marketer’s to challenge their assumptions about sales and their customers.

Thom Singer, author of Some Assembly Required: How to Make, Keep and Grow Your Business Relationships.Thom’s tip is for marketers to remember “leads” are human beings. Get to know them and let them know you care.

Christopher Justice, CEO, SparkSight. Christopher reminds businesses to stay aware of new technological tools and to take advantage of them.

Clifford Pollan, CEO and co-Founder, VisibleGains. Clifford advises companies to try video in their demand generation efforts, even if it just means dabbling at first.

Alex Steinhart, Marketing Operations and Demand Generation, Avid Technology. Alex stressed the importance of knowing your audience, delivering timely messaging and plugging any leaks in the funnel.

Have A Great Day

thom singer

The 12 Pillars of Integrated Visibility - Number Four: "Marketing"

I have been writing about all "12 Pillars of Integrated Visibility" recently. The skills involved to create success in each area are rarely present within a single individual, and this is why so many companies fail to achieve the success they desire. There must be company-wide involvement to make it all come together.

The face of marketing has not changed as much as many have claimed. The buzz around social media, traditional and alternative media convergence, and societal shifts have lead many to think how we market our companies (and ourselves) is drastically different.

However, I believe that sometimes the more things change... the more they remain the same.

The definition of "Marketing" (according to Dictionary.com) is:

"the total of activities involved in the transfer of goods from the producer or seller to the consumer or buyer, including advertising, shipping, storing, and selling".

The term developed from the original meaning which referred literally to going to a market to buy or sell goods or services.

While new marketing tools exist, the concepts and theories of marketing are still the same.

The definition is not focused on any one activity. Instead, marketing is a strategy, not a specific action. It is an integrated process through which companies build strong customer relationships and drive understanding for their customers and community with the ultimate goal of increasing sales.

Marketing is a mix of creative practices (including advertising, distribution and selling) and academics and science (social sciences, psychology, sociology, mathematics, economics, anthropology and neuroscience). Marketing begins with research and goes through market segmentation, business planning and execution, ending with pre and post-sales promotional activities.

Marketing does not happen by accident and is not successful if simply delegated to a single department or a "marketing person". Left brained professionals often think that there is a secret sauce and continuously replace the people hoping to find some of the marketing magic. Company executives must be involved in both the creation of the marketing plan, and in the actual execution if they want to achieve success.

Get involved in your marketing plan and create more business. Embrace marketing as an important part of your business.

Have A Great Day.

thom

Boost Your Sales With "Integrated Visibility" and A Motivated Staff

I have been talking with many business leaders lately about "sales". This is an important to all companies, law firms and other organizations.... but to many it seems mysterious. Everyone wants "more" sales, but some question what it means to have a plan to bring in the business.

For a long time people looked at "sales", "business development", "marketing", "pubic relations", "networking", "social media", and "branding" as totally separate functions. Everyone agrees they sound like they belong together, but few work on making them work in sync.

To enhance your company's efforts you need an "Integrated Visibility" program. Discussing the definitions or descriptions of "what is sales? or "what is marketing" (etc....) eats up a lot of time. If an executive team is hoping to prove to each other who is the smartest person in the room, they can debate the semantics all day long.

Smart companies put their focus on the results, not the definitions of the disciplines that will lead them to more business.

When the numbers come up short, some will rationalize all sorts of excuses why the company is not meeting expectations. Fingers get pointed, sales and marketing professionals get fired, and new plans get drawn up to do better in the future. But often nothing new happens.

I believe all companies must ask themselves:

1. Do those who are responsible for sales, marketing, and other revenue generating activities believe in their soul that the company's products and services are spectacular? Does the leadership have the same confidence? Are people coming to work to advance a cause, or just to check the box to get a pay check?

Often when a business is falling short the answers are often negative.

2. Do the employees all believe that EVERYONE, regardless of job title, is part of the business development team? Or do they wait for the "sales" people to take care of all aspects of new client acquisition?

When people do not believe they are responsible for the growth, they wait for those with official sales jobs to produce. It can be a long wait.

Has your company planned a team meeting to kick off 2011. Is everyone included? If the answer is no to either (or both) of these questions.... why not? Getting everyone on your team motivated to grow your overall "Integrated Visibility" will boost your sales.

Have A Great Day

thom singer

I Participated In ProductCamp Austin Summer 2010

I spent the day yesterday at ProductCamp. While this was the fifth ProductCamp in Austin, it was the first one I had ever attended. I am careful not to commit my Saturdays away from home, as I travel during the week in my career as a professional speaker, but many friends encouraged me to participate.

This is an "Un-Conference" in that the speakers are not pre-determined. Over 50 people submitted proposals to speak, but there is no "speaker selection committee". Instead, the attendees show up and vote in the morning for the speakers and topics they want to hear. About 30 were chosen and a schedule was created. Once in a session, people vote with their feet, if they do not like the speaker, they walk out to go to a different room.

I was honored to be selected to present "Your Personal Brand Is Tied To Your Company". The participants in my session and I had a fun, informative and interactive discussion.

The flow of the presentation took its own direction as people asked a lot of questions and shared their thoughts. There was some division in opinions over the good and bad of being too transparent on social media, but I was impressed with the high level of respect that those with differing opinions showed to each other. There were lots of laughs.

While encouraging participants to look closely at the nuggets of information they got from all the speakers they saw at ProductCamp Austin I blurted out "Go home and look at your nuts" (yes, I meant "notes", but sometimes in a high energy presentation the wrong words gets out of a speakers mouth). It was funny, and the participants and I had continued chuckles with that line over and over and over.

One ongoing conversation in the hallway and on Twitter after the presentation was about generational differences in how much they share online. Some people thought I was too "old school" in my views, but I think we agreed more than we disagreed on the topic. The examples used were too superficial, but my point was that while making mistakes is part of life, sharing EVERY mishap could hurt your reputation. I did not mean never share anything, but why give people reasons NOT to hire you in the future.

Example above --- I am cool sharing things like the mistake of saying "nuts" instead of "notes". It was as mistake, but it did not hurt my personal or professional brand (did it?)... and it was really funny to everyone in the room! In fact, some could argue it makes one more human and approachable when you share harmless faux pas.

But there are other things people share on the internet (sex, drugs, politics, crime, dis-respect, hate-speech, etc....) that are hurting their chances at employment, client engagements, and other relationships. Plus if your employees are doing these things it can harm you company's brand. One participant shared that HR Departments conduct searches looking for reasons to eliminate people from contention for jobs over things online that could later embarrass the company.

My message was to think things through. I don't buy into the argument from younger professionals who say "it does not matter" to their generation, as in 20 years these types of things will make no difference to anyone. While society always gets more accepting over time, some things could come back to haunt you later in your career.... thus one should be cautious and careful.

When I was in college 25 years ago there were not cameras and video cameras on every cell phone (here is a shocker... nobody had cell phones!). Thus we were not recording each and every thing we did (THANK GOD). The times are different and the tools we use to communicate are different, but that does not mean people should not think about this topic of personal brand and the long term ramifications!

I think the organizers of Product Camp Austin did a great job. I will certainly attend again. The next ProductCamp in Austin will be January 15, 2011. If you live in Texas, save the date!

Have A Great Day.

thom

Attention Sales Managers, Business Owners, and Law Firm Managing Partners - The Time Is NOW To Start Thinking About 2011 Business Development

If I was to ask you if you believed "your organization will have its best year ever in 2011?", how would you answer?

Perhaps you would tell me that you are unsure. You may sight the current economic conditions as a reason for your uncertainty. Maybe you would question the competition's roll out of new technology, and wonder if it would give them a leg up? And it is possible that after two hard years you are concerned about your firm's survival. Your answer might be that you are going to wait and see what the new year brings.

Perhaps you would respond that you were confident that 2011 will be fantastic. The reason for this is because you have no competition and your organization prints money quarter after quarter. Your CFO has never seen any hiccups on the balance sheet. Recession? What recession? You are on fire, and know it will continue into 2011 (if this is your answer - GOOD FOR YOU! Keep it up!).

Perhaps you would state that you are committed to doing just that, making 2011 your best year ever, and you would ask me if I could assist you in discovering the path to more success. Maybe you would share that you have a good team of people but they need more direction to be the great business developers you know they can become.

If the third answer sounds the closest to your response, now is the time to take action. To impact 2011 you have to begin to have the hard discussions with your people now. You have to lay the ground work for creating a business development culture that will bring in new clients and expand your brand in the marketplace. There is now wishing or hoping when it comes to changing the direction for next year. You must have the hard conversations, and the sooner you start, the faster you will receive results.

There is no magic bullet. Waiting to see what the new year brings will just leave you behind. It is always harder to catch up when the year is half over and you are panicking about hitting your numbers.

If you want to grow the visibility of your organization in your business community, and end up on more "short lists" with prospective clients, it takes a commitment from everyone who works with you. You cannot do this alone. Relying on a few "rainmakers" leaves you vulnerable.

As the person in charge of revenue growth you have to lead a cultural revolution that supports the efforts that bring in business. Allowing people to stay in the status quo will mean that nothing will happen.

If you are reading this post and feeling a tug in your soul that you have to take action, then quit rationalizing excuses and just do it. Uncover your path to success and lead your team out of the forest of mediocrity.

Have A Great Day.

thom

Second Tier Efforts Bring Second Tier Results

There is no magic that will bring you marketing and business development success.

While consulting with professionals I ask them; "If you had a magic wand, and money was not an issue, what would you do to improve your business development, markteting, branding, PR, social media, visibility and sales?"

The answer always comes down to the same thing.... in one way or another they wish they could just get someone else to do it all for them. They want it to be great, but they do not want to think about it.

Professional services firms (and others) throw lots of money at consultants and outsourcing options, only to find that these efforts come up short.

Why? Because nobody can do these things for you. You have to own the tasks to build a long-lasting and recognizable brand. No magic... just consistent hard work.

Treating business development and marketing as a second tier priority will always give you second tier marketing and business development. Pony up and take the actions needed to win.... or stop wishing.

Have a great day

thom

An Author's Plan for Social Media Efforts (by Chris Brogan)

The post below is by Chris Brogan. It originally appeared on his blog and is re-posted with his permission.

In my work with New Year Publishing I know first hand that promoting a book is harder than writing a book. I continuously invest time to discover unique and productive ways to help our authors get more attention for their books. Additionally, I am the author of seven books on the power of business development and networking (and another one on public speaking skills), so I have to actively promote my own work.

Many believe that if you write a book, people will line up to buy it. "If You Build It, They Will Come" is not the best philosophy for getting attention for your product (be it a book or anything else). With hundreds of thousands of books published each year authors must realize that they are responsible for becoming a marketing machine if they want people to notice them. While publishers and PR professionals can help, any success in building "BUZZ"rests with the author.

The list that Chris has provided for social media tips is a great guide for everyone who has written a book, or is planning on doing so. I suggest you begin taking action on this list long before your book is released and then plan on continuing to do these things everyday for the rest of your life.

An Author’s Plan for Social Media

by Chris Brogan

1. Set up a URL for the book, and/or maybe one for your name. Need help finding a URL? I use Ajaxwhois.com for simple effort in searching.
2. Set up a blog. If you want it free and super fast, WordPress or Tumblr. I’d recommend getting hosting like Bloghost.me.
3. On the blog, write about interesting things that pertain to the book, but don’t just promote the book over and over again. In fact, blow people away by promoting their blogs and their books, if they’re related a bit.
4. Start an email newsletter. It’s amazing how much MORE responsive email lists are than any other online medium.
5. Have a blog post that’s a list of all the places one might buy your book. I did this for both Trust Agents and building blocks.)
6. Consider recording a video trailer for your book. Here’s one from Scott Sigler (YouTube), for his horror thriller, Contagious.
7. Build a Facebook fan page for the book or for bonus points, build one around the topic the book covers, and only lightly promote the book via the page.
8. Join Twitter under your name, not your book’s name, and use Twitter Search to find people who talk about the subjects your book covers.
9. When people talk about your book, good or bad, thank them with a reply. Connect to people frequently. It’s amazing how many authors I rave about on Twitter and how few actually respond. Mind you, the BIGGEST authors always respond (paradox?)
10. Use Google Blogsearch and Alltop to find the people who’d likely write about the subject matter your book covers. Get commenting on their blog posts but NOT mentioning your book. Get to know them. Leave USEFUL comments, with no blatant URL back to your book.
11. Work with your publisher for a blogger outreach project. See if you can do a giveaway project with a few bloggers (here’s a book giveaway project I did for Donald Miller’s A Million Miles in a Thousand Years book).
12. Offer to write guest posts on blogs that make sense as places where potential buyers might be. Do everything you can to make the post match the content of the person’s site and not your goals. But do link to your book.
13. Ask around for radio or TV contacts via the social web and LinkedIn. You never know.
14. Come up with interesting reasons to get people to buy bulk orders. If you’re a speaker, waive your fee (or part of it) in exchange for sales of hundreds of books. (And spread those purchases around to more than one bookselling company.) In those giveaways, do something to promote links back to your site and/or your post. Giveaways are one time: Google Juice is much longer lasting.
15. Whenever someone writes a review on their blog, thank them with a comment, and maybe 1 tweet, but don’t drown them in tweets pointing people to the review. It just never comes off as useful.
16. Ask gently for Amazon and other distribution site reviews. They certainly do help the buying process. And don’t ask often.
17. Do everything you can to be gracious and thankful to your readers. Your audience is so much more important than you in this equation, as there are more of them than there are of you.
18. Start showing up at face to face events, where it makes sense, including tweetups. If there’s not a local tweetup, start one.
19. And with all things, treat people like you’d want them to treat your parents (provided you had a great relationship with at least one of them).

This sounds like a lot of steps. It is. But this is how people are finding success. Should this be the publicist’s job? Not even a little bit. The publicist has his or her own methodology. The author will always be the best advocate for his or her own work. Never put your marketing success in the hands of someone else. Always bring your best efforts into the mix and you’ll find your best reward on your time and effort.

You might have found other ways to be successful with various online and social media tools. By all means, please share with us here. What’s your experience been with promoting your work using the social web?

Chris Brogan is the New York Times bestselling author of the NEW book, Social Media 101. He is president of New Marketing Labs, LLC, and blogs at [chrisbrogan.com].

Have A Great Day

thom

Speaking Can Be A Tool To Promote Your Business -- But Don't Be A Tool

As a professional speaker I devote a lot of time to watching everyone I can who delivers presentations. I am not there to critique those on stage (I do not share my observations with those I am watching unless I am asked. Even then I am cautious), but I am looking at style and delivery methods from which I can learn to improve my own abilities.

Every time I am in the audience I consider myself at "Speaker University". Anyone, good or bad, is the professor, and I am the student.

I am understanding of the fact that most people who speak at business events are not professional speakers. While I spoke over 50 times last year, and have already delivered 30 talks in 2010, not everyone who addresses an audience has the same desire to make their living doing this as a career.

Most presenters are local executives and subject experts who have been asked to speak to share their knowledge or sought the opportunity to promote their business. Speaking is one of the best ways to expand your reputation and become more visible in your business community, and when done right you can have a positive impact on others.

Speaking can be a tool to raising your profile. But just because you are smart, or have accomplished something amazing, does not mean you are ready to deliver a meaningful presentation. Much as a couch potato would not get up and run a marathon, you should not assume because you took a freshman level speech class in 1984 that you are ready to take the stage at a business event.

Presentation Skills are just that.... skills. Thus they require time and effort to build up the experience to preform at the highest levels. When people are paying to see you speak, you need to respect their time and not "wing it" (heck, even when it is free you need to be respectful of your audience's desire to hear something meaningful).

I recently saw a business speaker at a major sponsored event who was awful. Most members of the audience were hoping for a fire alarm or other distraction to keep them from choosing to stick needles in their ears. He made nearly every mistake of a beginner, but he speaks regularly as a tool to promote his company.

He had a "verbal tick" in his over usage of the sound "ahhh" between sentences. I began counting at the ten minute mark and he crossed 30 "ahhh's" when I bored of making hash marks on my paper. About once a minute he said "ahhh". It was subtle, but annoying.

This speaker talked of his passion for his subject, but you never would have known it by his enthusiasm level. He was static, monotone and pretty boring. He never moved from one spot and his voice was so soft that he should have had a microphone.

The worst part was the hard close he made for people to hire him as a coach or to purchase his countless laundry list of other services. I am not critical of the concept of asking for the business, as that is important to anyone who has something to sell. Without asking people to buy, there would be no sales. But there is a fine line between letting people know what you have to offer, and making the whole presentation about the captive audience being made up of easy mark prospects. I felt cheapened by his self-centered attitude.

The rule to remember is that it is called "Giving A Speech", which means every time you are on stage the audience comes first. You "GIVE" to them. When the whole talk is a commercial for you, your company, or your products / services... then you have it backwards and nobody will remember you for what you knowledge you poses.

I find I like speakers who give me information and challenge me to take action. I want to buy their products when they touch my soul, not when they just try to touch my wallet.

Use speaking as a tool, just don't be A Tool!!!

Have A Great Day.

thom

Get Your Seat For The Webinar - Sign Up Today

Sign up now for the "Some Assembly Required Webinar"

Monday, April 12, 2010

3PM Central Time

Cost $35

Pay once and bring your whole office into a conference room to participate.

Each person in your company needs to care about their network, personal brand, and the company's visibility in the business community. If your employees do not give a darn about these things, then your business is leaving money on the table.

Think about this for a minute: As an entrepreneur, business owner and manager of people..... would you stand up and tell the world.... "My people don't care, and I don't care that they don't care!" ? Nobody I know feels that way. So do not ignore this topic!

The webinar is designed as a catalyst to make people think about the power of business relationships and networking. After the session your team will be inspired to talk more about the important things that help get your firm more business.

Sign up now.

Have A Great Day.

thom

Law Firm, Banks, and Professional Services Business Development Coaching and Training

After years of pulling back on spending, there is a renewed interest in training, coaching and business education in law firms, banks and other professional service firms.

Several years ago there was push-back on the topics of marketing, networking, business development, and branding. Firms were so busy working with clients that they laughed off the thoughts that the future could ever be different from the land of milk and honey. Business was rolling in, and they never thought it would change.

Then the recession hit. It hit hard. Deals dried up and prospective clients held on tight to their current vendors. The risk of making a change was too great for most customers. Professional service providers found that there was not much in their pipeline and new business was allusive.

The new clients they did find came through their trusted referral partners. Suddenly the power of long-term mutually beneficial relationships became clear. They are now hungry to cultivate connections with others in their business communities.

I have had many conversations with law firms and other organizations the last several weeks who are seeking ways to create better marketing and business development plans. There is an interest in getting both partners and associates (senior and junior employees) engaged in creating a far reaching reputation that will lead the organization to more business.

My "Integrated Visibility" program (which combines Marketing, Sales, Business Development, Advertising, PR, Networking, Social Media, and Personal Branding) is suddenly of interest to many firms who in the past had ignored the power of business relationships. Some are looking for a short-cut or an automated system, but I have never a consultant who promises "nirvana" that can actually deliver the goods. In the end nobody can do this for you. The members of an organization need to own a visibility plan that will produce results. They must work, collectively and independently, to put the pieces together..... Some Assembly IS Required!!!

Second quarter is the ideal time to embrace a culture shift within a firm. The year is underway, and if they wait too long the year will be lost. Smart firms are addressing these topics now before 2010 is gone.

Have A Great Day.

thom

Do I Have To Use Twitter?

While speaking at a luncheon, with an audience of small business owners, the discussion moved to the importance of social media. I was talking about having a strong internet presence and utilizing all the tools that are available to help promote their companies via the internet and mobile. It is important that everyone be aware how their clients, prospects, vendors and competitors are using the variety of tools available in cyberspace and beyond.

I had just spent five days at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Conference with 14,000 heavy social media users. While being emerged in the epicenter of social media, it seemed that the whole world lived in online and mobile social communities (Four Square and Gowalla were the darlings of SXSW --- Don't know what they are? Seems there are constantly new things we need to learn about).

But the truth is that many people are still on the sidelines when it comes to social media. Some think that it is a fad whose tentacles do not reach into their industry. Social media is NOT a fad!

Hands went up in the audience and there were abundant questions about LinkedIn, Facebook, Blogging, etc.... Then one professional raised his hand and said, with trepidation, "Do I have to use Twitter?"

No. You do not have to use Twitter. You do not have to use any tools (I would assume you don't HAVE to use a telephone if you don't want to), but some tools will make you more productive and help you expand your personal and professional brand. The realities are that for many, Twitter has no impact on their world. Their clients, prospects, employees, and others in their orbit are not on Twitter.

But that does not mean anyone should ignore Twitter, or anything else that becomes widely adopted. Several years ago I would have told you that LinkedIn was a useful tool, but not necessary. Today it is a widely accepted tool. Not being on LinkedIn could leave you looking out of touch if someone is seeking a fast way to learn more about you. In today's crazy / busy world we are looking for ways to connect with others. People want to do business with those they know, like and trust. We expect to be able to find information quickly so we can speed up the "getting to know you" part. Without "know", you cannot ever get to "like" and "trust".

If you have never looked at Twitter (or the other popular social media tools) you must become informed. Never dismiss anything as a waste of time because you do not understand it or "assume" it is not for you. Knowledge is key. If you find that nobody you work with is using a tool, then you can move on. But you never want to wake up and find that your competition has staked a claim to a community where your customers actively participate, as you may never catch up.

Twitter is useful for some, and a waste for others. The only way to know the answer is to do the research. The same thing is true for all the available tools and communities that are popping up online and via your smart phone. Being "too busy" is a lame excuse and just might lead you to being "less busy" in the future.

Have A Great Day.

thom

Fox News Houston - Channel 26 - Branding Yourself and Your Company

I am in Houston today delivering two presentations on the power of creating a strong personal and professional brand. Sales, marketing, networking, PR, business development, customer service and social media all wrap up together to be part of your brand and reputation. You must put all the pieces together to reap the benefits....Some Assembly IS Required!

I was also interviewed on the Fox News morning show on Channel 26 in Houston. Here is the video:



Have A Great Day.

thom

Umbrellas Needed: Elements of a Heavy Rain Maker

I wrote the below article originally for the February/March 2010 edition of Originate! (an online Legal Business Development Magazine).

Many attorneys proclaim that they want to be rainmakers. They want to be one of those lawyers who are experts in their field while simultaneously being a wizard of business development. They admire their peers who can balance achieving high billable hours while still finding the time to cultivate successful business relationships that lead to referrals.

It is not that some lawyers are born with a “sales gene” and others are lacking the ability to be a rainmaker. It’s true that some people do have more outgoing personalities, but anyone can learn to be better when it comes to creating mutually beneficial connections in the business community.

Law schools do a great job in preparing lawyers for the law, but they come up short in delivering the real business skills that it takes to navigate a lifetime in practice. Big law firms nurture associates on the nuances of their legal career, but fail them by shielding them from the realities of running a business. Nobody would suggest a client only worry about business development and marketing when they have free time, yet many lawyers run their practice this way and treat their client development as an after-thought.

Lawyers need to realize that in their careers they are also entrepreneurs running individual companies. In this manner they are no different from the corporate executives who are their clients. Look at any corporation, regardless of the industry, you will find that sales, marketing, PR and business development (and now social media) are keys to success. There is no hiding from the fact that to succeed you need clients both now and in the future!

Whether in a solo practice, a mid-size group, or big law firm every attorney must embrace the responsibility for being a rainmaker. Real rainmakers do more than wish they could develop business; they take the actions necessary to cultivate a reputation. They go out of their way to assist others in their careers. And they make sure that others know exactly how to help them should the opportunity arise.

Here are five fundamental things to remember if you want to make it rain to the point that you need a bigger umbrella:

1. Make business development a priority. You cannot wish your way to success. You have to take action and put in the effort to build your personal and professional brand. Just doing good work will not inevitably make your phone ring with clients.

2. Ask questions of the people you meet. If you do not know what other people do for a living, who makes up their clientele, and how they find new business...you will never be able to be a real rainmaker. A strong curiosity about other people will uncover your roadmap to success. Talking about yourself too much when you first meet people will make them think you care only about you own career.

3. Make other people feel important. Never ignore anyone in your network. Even when you are busy you need to find the time to let people know they matter to you. People are more impressed when they know you care about them than they are by how many hours you work.

4. Give referrals. The more referrals you give to people in your business community, the more you will get. The secret is that real rainmakers give three to five referrals for every one they get in return. The inbound referrals are also not necessarily from the people they assisted. People are watching you and when they know you are a giver, they are thrilled to help you. Meanwhile, they never help the takers.

5. Say “Thank You”. Every time someone helps you, directly or indirectly, you need to acknowledge the assistance they sent in your direction. Busy professionals (not just lawyers) often forget to express gratitude and thus they kill the golden goose of referrals.

No, it’s not magic; it’s elemental business development action we’re talking about here...the start of your own heavy-rain making.

Have A Great Day.

thom

For more great article on business development for law firms, visit the ORIGINATE! website.

Do Not Spend Your Time Picking Up Pennies While Stepping Over $100 Bills

Tough economy aside (yes, we need to stop talking about the economic problems of the last two years!), you have to see the big picture if you want long term success. I have learned this lesson the hard way in my life, but I come to appreciate that those who surround themselves with iron clad policies and procedures in how they do business can circumvent the long tail and cut off future profits and referrals.

When we do business we are interacting with human beings. People come with all sorts of background, baggage, opinions, emotions and feelings. Not a good combination for someone who wants everything to be corner stapled and signed on the dotted line.

The cliche "under promise and over-deliver" comes to mind. I work with too many people who deliver exactly what they promised and then want a trophy. Well woopty-do, you delivered what you promised. Shocking, yes, but doing your "job" is just the starting point. The thought of giving a little more does not always have to come with a new contract and a bill for additional services. Humans are impressed when you give them a little more than was expected. To make customers say "wow" you have to bend your own rules and find a way to make people feel they are special.

The most successful people I know (those who are successful financially, emotionally and spiritually) do not nickle and dime those around them. At a restaurant they split the tab down the middle, even when the other person had an extra glass of wine. In business they host their best clients for special events without tagging on additional money to their invoice (aka, provide extra value). With friends they celebrate victories no matter how small (what is important to the other person is important to them).

People who spending their time picking up pennies while stepping over $100 bills never even know they are doing it. They view every interaction as a potential for a win/lose... and they want to ensure they win. But win/win is not just a catchy theory that motivational speakers sing from the stage. It is real. Just because you give a little more to a customer without charging them, you do not lose.... you actually win -- as that person will invest more money with you over the long run and recommend your products and services to others.

If your customers feel they only exist in your world only to pay invoices, then they will eventually move on to your competition. You may have thought you won, because you got the money up front, you missed a whole pile of cash that could have been delivered to your doorstep in the future.

Look around at your business policies. Is everything you do directly tied to billing the client? Do you even know what you clients value from you company? (Those pesky humans again, each client will hold different things that will impress them).

How about you... what have you done lately for a client that gave them value and did not require them to pay for it (I do not mean emailing your newsletter!).

Have A Great Day.

thom

Everyone In The Company Is On The Business Development Team

Video Blog Post



Have A Great Day

thom