How to get a meeting!

I was at an event where a business broker was discussing how to prepare your business for sale to get the highest dollar when selling. At the event I met several people.

I received an email a few days later from one people who simple said: “I want to meet with you and learn more about your business to see if I can help. Are you available for a meeting?”

Naturally, I said yes and we had a great meeting. Ironically she bought from me.

Contrast that to the emails I receive (sometimes daily) where some internet company (typically web design) sends me an email that talked about how good they are: we are from India, we have these skills (and proceeds to list them), we have all these employees, we worked with all these great companies, and you should hire us.

They don’t tell me why (what’s in it for me), they don’t tell me why I should care and most importantly they don’t tell me why I they are the best (right and safe choice) for me. This is a problem because I have worked with some Internet marketing companies and they don’t response after they take your money. It is frustrating because it is impossible to stop these types of emails other than make them as junk.

If you want a meeting, tell me what’s in it for me. It could be as simple as I want to get to know you better. Someone recently did that and I spent 30 minutes on the phone with him and we agreed to have a follow-up meeting.

When requesting a meeting there are three things to keep in mind:

1. Tell the person the purpose of the meeting – be clear.
2. Tell them what you want to cover – have an agenda – they can’t read minds.
3. Tell them why they should meet with you (answer that lifelong question of what’s in it for me?) Put yourself in my shoes and ask yourself is this a good reason. Be brief.
4. Suggest a date/time so we can eliminate phone tags – in the event the other person accepts the request.

Have a great meeting.

About Our GE Network Expert - Ron Finklestein

After a successful consulting career, Ron Finklestein has spent the past 6 years building his business AKRIS Inc and helping entrepreneurs and business owners build their businesses by helping them solve the tough problems that hold them back. Ron is called The Small Business Success Expert by his clients because of his passion for their success and his knowledge of business. Visit Ron's website at http://ronfinklestein.com.

• Web
|
• More Posts (24)

I’m sure you’ve heard this a ton of times already – that the gold in your business is in your list. And what this means is that if you’re going to run a successful business then you need to have people who are ready, willing, and able to buy your products, programs, and services. And you need to have this information all stored in one place, i.e. a list!

So, let me ask you, how is your list doing? Are you getting new subscribers to your list every single day, or is your list stagnant and not growing?

One of the areas I teach my clients about is creating an online marketing flow – that is having a series of list building strategies in place that draw new people into your list on a daily basis, and automating as much of this as possible. But if you find that this isn’t happening for you and you’re not getting new subscribers on a daily basis, it could be down to one of these five problems here:

1. No clear call to action. You attract people to your website/blog but once they get there it’s not clear what you want them to do. Obviously you want them to sign up to your list, but are you ASKING them to do that? And is your sign-up box in a prominent position on your website? Research has found that the best place for your sign up box is top right-hand corner of your website.

2. Not utilizing a squeeze page. People get to your website and there’s so much information there that they simply don’t know what to do – it’s too confusing. One way to streamline this is to create a ‘squeeze’ page – that is a page where your website visitor can do one thing and one thing only – and that is to sign up to your list. Then in all your marketing activities you will direct your visitors to your squeeze page.

3. Requesting too much information. Are you asking your visitor for everything except their shoe size? If you are then maybe you’re asking too much from them. Typically you want to get their first name, last name, and primary email address. If your visitor feels that you’re asking for too much information in exchange for a free report then they may leave your website all together.

4. No opt-in box on EVERY page of your website. This is another classic mistake I see many business owners make – they don’t have an opt in box on EVERY single page. If you have a blogsite then it’s really easy to make sure you have this on every page simply by adding your opt in box to your sidebar. Remember: not every visitor will enter your website via your home page – there are many different ways in for them.

5. Not asking your current subscribers to forward your ezine to their friends. This is one of the easiest and quickest ways to grow your list – simply use a Tell-A-Friend service to make it easy for your current subscribers to let their networks know about your ezine. You can set it up so that the more friends your subscribers forward your ezine to they are then eligible to get some kind of bonus. This could be a free report, tip sheet, checklist, or audio … anything that is easy to deliver and will make a great ‘special bonus’ as a way to say thank you to your current subscribers.

If your list isn’t growing then you’re going to have real problems maintaining a long-term successful business. Review the five areas I’ve shared with you above, and see if your lack of new subscribers is down to one (or more) of the above areas. And then set about creating a plan to rectify this problem.

About Our GE Network Expert - Tracey Lawton

Tracey Lawton is an expert in online business management, office administration, and developing administrative systems. Online Business Manager and Virtual Assistant, Tracey Lawton, supports professional speakers, coaches, and authors to operate an efficient, organized, and profitable business. Learn how to create an efficient and organized office in 7 EASY steps, and receive free tips at http://OfficeOrganizationSuccess.com.

• Web
|
• More Posts (61)

If you wonder why you are losing business, the story below may be useful. I run several groups call the Business Growth Experience (www.businessgrowthexperience.com). During one group I mentioned how frustrated I am with contractor not showing up on time or not showing up at all and not letting me know. My specific comment was “if I am not yet a customer how will they treat me when I am a customer?”

This lead to a discussion of how disrespectful it is to be late. When you are late you are telling me that I am not important, you do not respect my time and effectively you do not respect me. Each member of the Business Growth Experience talked about how difficult it is to be on time and one gentleman stated, “when I am late I am not honoring who I am, I am not in sync with my values of honesty, respect and dignity towards myself. With that said, I am almost always late and people think nothing of it.”

Have we reached a point where we have no respect for our time or the time of others? I realize that people run late, do not returning call (people I know) or respond to emails, are not necessarily the people I want to do business with. I decided I would not do business with any contractor who was late, did not deliver the proposal when they said they would or did not show, even if they had a good reason (without a call).

I do not think I am too different from the average business owner. I do not have time to waste. I want to associate with people who value my time as much as they value their own time.

How much business is this costing you when you are late? What message are you sending your prospect, associate or friend?

About Our GE Network Expert - Ron Finklestein

After a successful consulting career, Ron Finklestein has spent the past 6 years building his business AKRIS Inc and helping entrepreneurs and business owners build their businesses by helping them solve the tough problems that hold them back. Ron is called The Small Business Success Expert by his clients because of his passion for their success and his knowledge of business. Visit Ron's website at http://ronfinklestein.com.

• Web
|
• More Posts (24)

Why is it that some people are wildly and effortlessly successful at different aspects of marketing while others have to fight for every inch of ground they gain?  Could it be that the phrase “natural-born __________” applies to the various elements of online marketing just like everything else?

As someone who is fascinated by consumer and human behavior, I’m always intrigued by how much our God-given abilities come into play with our business lives. If you’re like most people, you were told by your parents or loved ones that you could do anything you set your mind to.  And I don’t doubt that for a minute.  Every online businessperson has the capability to learn.

My question is: would you really want to?

You see, I’ve found out the hard way that happiness in what you do is more important than anything else.  So, while we, as humans, can learn to do practically anything, if those duties are ones that stress us out or cause us anxiety, why bother?

Stories from the Trenches

A friend of mine (Liz) wanted to be a teacher for most of her teenage years.  Her mom, however, kept emphasizing that teachers (unfortunately) don’t make a lot of money.  So Liz went into dental hygiene instead.  It wasn’t too long after starting her first job at a dentist’s office that she realized this was not her thing.

Back to school Liz went, this time to pursue a degree in finance.  She spent the next 16 or so years working as a branch manager for a local bank – and hated every day of it.  Yes, she was very good at what she did.  She was also miserable.  It wasn’t until she made a life-changing decision that Liz achieved a real sense of job satisfaction.  She turned back to her love of teaching.

You can find similar stories all over the ‘Net. Like Steve Belanger who shared his tale of leaving a six-figure corporate job with Men’s Health magazine.  Belanger recalls, “I wasn’t happy. Never had been, really. After I graduated college, I dreamed of writing for a magazine. I found a job at a small publishing company, but as a financial analyst. I didn’t really have a numbers background, but at a time when computers were just starting to take over the workplace, my ability to drive around an Excel document served me well. My path was chosen.”

He goes on to talk about the whirlwind of corporate suits, promotions, raises and misery he endured over the next decade.  In the end, Steve went after what was preprogrammed into his DNA (creativity) in order to find peace and prosperity.

My guess is, you could find five people online with just a quick social media post who have similar histories to Liz and Steve.  For some reason, we all seem to have a knack for painting ourselves into corners in the name of doing what must be done.  Hmph

“I Have to Do It All.”  Not!

I’m not sure why small business owners and entrepreneurs feel this way.  Undoubtedly, part of it has to do with the size of their budgets.  Get ready to breathe a sigh of relief.  No, you do not have to do it all.  And, what’s more, chances are you’ll make more money if you don’t try to do everything yourself.

If your love is social media (for example), put your efforts there instead of wasting hours a day spinning your wheels only to make a tiny bit of progress with something else.  Get the necessary training (if you haven’t already) and put the majority of your energy into this segment of marketing.  Because you’re good at it, you’ll be able to complete social media tasks more quickly and – almost certainly – be profitable to boot.

With the additional revenue you make, you can compile a virtual team and pay others to handle your web design, videos and whatever else is on your “dislikes” list.  And, yes, you will have more than one like.  As a matter of fact, you will have an entire short list of “likes” and “dislikes” in your marketing DNA.

Getting It Done Without Actually Doing It

In the Internet age, the world has gotten a lot smaller.  It’s oh-so-simple now to fire off an email and hire someone to do what we don’t want to or don’t have time to do.  You can increase your chances at success and significantly reduce your stress level if you focus on what you were born to do.

But how do you know what you have a natural tendency toward and what you would be better off leaving to others?  Just like career assessments given in high school and skill aptitude tests conducted on the job, you can also take a marketing DNA quiz that will reveal what you should be focusing your time and energy on.

It’s More Fun (and Profitable!) to Do What You Love

I’m the first to admit: techie details are not my thing.  When I’m creating new copywriting training products, I love generating ideas.  Planning out what to include in a new course, writing the lessons or recording the video modules, teaching the material at live events or via webinars online… all of that is fun for me.  I get excited about it!

Ask me how to integrate my shopping cart with PayPal or how to set up a system that promotes my course on autopilot and my eyes roll.  When you start talking digital delivery options that would allow my copywriting training to get to thousands of people 24 hours a day, I begin to feel nauseous.

Those are not part of my marketing DNA.  Yes, I have been trained on how to do those things and – if I just had to – I could get everything set up.  It would likely cut 10 years from my life and stress me out to no end, but I could do it if I had no other options.

What about you?  What gives you the heebie-jeebies?   What part of marketing makes your mouth go dry and your palms sweat?  Public speaking?  Copywriting?  Relationship marketing?  Negotiation?  Campaign management?  Systems creation?  Making videos?  Creating products?  Social media?  Website design?  SEO?

Then don’t do them.  Discover what’s in your marketing DNA and stick to the things you do best.

It’s very liberating to find out what you were created to do and then develop a plan that allows you to spend most of your days doing it.  Here’s the path I suggest:

1. Find out what’s in your marketing DNA.

2. Using the results, go through your to-do list and write down the activities you do that are on your “likes” and “dislikes” lists.

3. Research products, services and vendors that can help you to do more of the things you love and less of the ones you don’t.

I can’t tell you what a relief it was to give myself permission to do the things that come naturally to me and stop struggling with the rest.  From my experience, when you’re true to your marketing DNA, then peace, prosperity and purpose quickly follow.

About Our GE Network Expert - Karon Thackston

Karon Thackston is President of Marketing Words (http://marketingwords.com), a full-service copywriting agency specializing in web and search engine copywriting. She has over 25 years combined experience in marketing, advertising, copywriting and SEO copywriting. Karon has a strong understanding of the processes involved with creating successful advertising strategies.

• Web
|
• More Posts (12)

“Strive for progress, not perfection!”

That’s a quote I’ve heard several times over the past couple of weeks, and I think it’s a brilliant summary of what we, as business owners, need to do. (I really don’t know who said this, by the way.)

We get so caught up in a lot of the hype that’s out there, and judge our success against what other’s are doing, rather than what we are doing ourselves. And as a result we become overwhelmed with so much to do; frustrated that we’re not achieving the same results as everyone else (so-and-so’s just had a $10k month, why can’t I do the same??); and just plain exhausted by the busyness of each and every day.

However, if we were to just take a pause … breathe … and focus on our own progress and what we’re doing each day to take our businesses forward, a lot of the problems currently being experienced would simple fade away.

For example:

How many people have you shared your business with this week? It could be through an in-person networking event; a one-on-one conversation with a potential client; hosting your own teleclass, or being a guest on someone elses’; or some other way that you’ve connected with people.

Jot down all that you’ve done this week to share your business … that’s progress.

What marketing activities have you done this week? Building regular marketing activities into your business, however small, will see your subscriber base grow week after week. Have you posted to your blog? Updated social media? Shared an article with your clients/colleagues? All of these small, quick marketing activities, when done regularly, lead to more subscribers.

I’ll give you a little sneak peek into my marketing activities… I have a weekly Monday Marketing appointment with myself that happens every Monday morning from 12-1pm Eastern. This is when I update my blog, schedule social media posts, record my podcast audio etc. It happens every week … it’s on my calendar!

What project have you moved forward with this week? We all have projects that we’re diligently working on behind-the-scenes. Some of them are huge projects that are ongoing over several weeks (such as a new program launch), and others are much smaller and can be accomplished quickly.

Jot down those projects that you’ve taken action on this week, however small and imperfect that action has been. You’re still making progress.

Next time you’re in overwhelm mode, just take a minute to acknowledge the progress that you’re making in your business … and don’t worry about it being perfect. If you waited for everything to be perfect, there never would be a right time!

About Our GE Network Expert - Tracey Lawton

Tracey Lawton is an expert in online business management, office administration, and developing administrative systems. Online Business Manager and Virtual Assistant, Tracey Lawton, supports professional speakers, coaches, and authors to operate an efficient, organized, and profitable business. Learn how to create an efficient and organized office in 7 EASY steps, and receive free tips at http://OfficeOrganizationSuccess.com.

• Web
|
• More Posts (61)