Category: Sales & Marketing

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Sales & Marketing

3 Simple Steps to Marketing Even If You Hate Marketing

Of all the things entrepreneurs struggle with, this one is probably the most difficult and most dangerous. Why? Because it directly impacts the success of your business.

I know I’m not revealing any big eye-opening secret when I tell you that if you don’t regularly and consistently market your business, your business won’t grow. I know you know this. But none of that helps you when you hate marketing. (In fact, it probably makes you feel even worse, doesn’t it?)

So what did you do? Here are 3 steps to get you started (hint — these work even if you love marketing):

1. Find a marketing strategy or tactic you enjoy. There are LOTS of ways to market yourself, I guarantee at least one of them you will like doing. Your job is to find it and then build your main marketing strategy around it. Here’s a list of a few marketing activities to get you thinking:

a. Writing — blogs, articles, etc.

b. Speaking — live, on teleclasses/webinars/livestream, or even podcasts

c. Being interviewed on radio or television

d. Video

e. Chatting with people via social networking

At least one of those should resonate with you.

Once you figure out your favorite marketing activity, the next step is to build your marketing strategy around that activity. (More on that in step 3 but first…)

2. Outsource what you hate to do. The problem is no matter how much you may love one marketing activity, there are probably other essential activities you don’t love quite so much (hence why you probably hate marketing to begin with). So the trick is to build your marketing plan around what you enjoy doing then you outsource the other pieces you don’t enjoy.

Sounds pretty easy when I put it that way, eh?

Okay so what if you have no one to outsource to and you’re worried about cash flow. My advice is to take a deep breath and find someone. Look, outsourcing your marketing is the easiest way to see a return on your investment — if you start consistently marketing your business that money WILL come back to you.

Start by looking at your budget. See what you can put aside each month for marketing help. Then find someone who can do the tasks you need done in that budget. You might not be able to get everything done, but prioritize what’s most important (i.e. what you’re going to see a return on your investment the fastest) and focus on that.

3. Start small and build from there. Yes I know there are lots of marketing activities out there you could be doing, and the more marketing you do the better your results. However, that doesn’t mean I want you try getting everything done tomorrow.

Here’s the minimum of what you need to have a successful, growing business — one main lead source bringing leads into your business and one main way of converting those leads into customers and clients. That’s really it (at least for the marketing side). You get that nailed down and the rest will come.

And here’s some examples of how this can look:

1. Lead source (speaking, blogging, videos, interviews, social networking)

2. Lead cultivating (ezine, free calls)

See how simple this can be?

And to take this one step further, let’s say you love speaking and hate writing. You can focus on speaking and hire a virtual assistant to take care of putting an ezine out for you.

Voila! Marketing plan built around your strengths and outsourcing your weaknesses.

Then once you have that nailed down you can start adding more marketing activities to the mix. Before you know it, you’ll find you have built up an amazing marketing system that’s feeding your business (and better yet, you may discover you don’t mind marketing quite as much as you thought you did).

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Sales & Marketing

Attract Your Ideal Clients and Charge What You’re Worth

Article Contributed by Lisa Cherney

Every entrepreneur starts her business wanting to make lots of money doing something she loves. We dream about it. We plan out what our life will look like, and where we will take vacations. But then something happens. We start getting nervous about not making money fast enough, and think maybe we’re charging too much. We spread a wide net and take on clients that are more of a drain on resources than a boon to our cash flow.

Think about your business. Does your income reflect the value of your services? If what you do is worth more than what you’re making, this is a sign that you are selling yourself short. You need to take yourself out of the equation and get an honest assessment of your business strategy. There’s no slick cookie-cutter formula to use for every business, but here are some points that helped me create a successful business model:

1. The main reason you’re not charging enough for your product or service could be that you don’t believe in yourself. Ouch! But it’s true. When was the last time you raised your rates? Don’t be afraid to ask for what you’re worth. The clients who get what you do, and appreciate what you can do for them, will pay it.

2. You need the right words to describe what you do: on your website, blogs, advertising copy – anything that your ideal client might read. An unintended wrong message could be what’s standing in your way. Write as though you are having a conversation with the person you are presenting to. Don’t worry about the economy, and what you think people can and cannot afford. Just put the right message out there, and let them decide.

3. Invest in your #1 asset – yourself! This is where a mentor and/or mastermind group is key, to give you the support to command the level that you are worth. Friends and family, though well-meaning, don’t always get what you do. And seminars are worthless if you just put another notebook on your shelf. The Mastermind group I joined in 2009 was the next big step for me. At the time, I didn’t know how I was going to pay for it; I just knew I had to do it for myself. Have that faith in yourself and let it take you to the next level. I had my best year ever the year after I made that investment. And it’s no accident that now I have my own Divine Juice Inner Circle Mentorship program!

4. Last but not least, take time for yourself as well. Acknowledge what you need to do to maintain the mindset, energy level and positive space to live a life you love. As an entrepreneur, you get to do that! And it looks different for everyone. It’s all about what’s important to you. Create time for yourself to not work. To rejuvenate. What can you do today because of the freedom that you have, no matter how small? Like taking a walk or going to work-out, or to a movie. What little thing can you do to create that space now? Start a practice that keeps you grounded and centered at the beginning of each day. Maybe get up earlier to lengthen the time you have to prepare mentally and spiritually for what lies ahead.

Create an opportunity for yourself to get support for your business.  One of the tools my team and I offer is a Juicy Business Assessment.  Someone on the outside can see your position more clearly than you, and help you get clarity on the changes you need to make.  There are people out there who need your services, and you need to get the fulfillment from your business that you deserve.  Don’t give up before the miracle happens!

About the Author:

Lisa Cherney, a.k.a. the Juicy Marketing Expert, founded Conscious Marketing 12 years ago to help small business owners find their authentic marketing voice, attract their ideal clients and increase their sales. Following her own Stand Out & Be Juicy program, which centers on owning your unique self and laser-focus marketing, Lisa has tripled her income while working
part-time.

Prior to Conscious Marketing, Lisa worked with many Fortune 500 companies, including AT&T, Lipton, Nissan, Blue Cross and Equal. She is a highly sought after speaker and often shares the stage with experts such as Jack Assaraf (The Secret), Jack Canfield and Jill Lublin. Learn more about Lisa at www.consciousmarketing.com or call 887-771-0156.

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Sales & Marketing

Spiders or Peeps? Why Writing for SEO Can Hurt Your Website Rankings

In my copywriting trainings, this topic invariably comes up. And usually it’s because I’m questioning my students’ choice of words on their websites or other online promotional copy.

“I chose that word because it’s a good SEO keyword,” they say.

Ah. It may be a good SEO keyword but it’s certainly not a good people word.

But before I get too far down this path, let me give you all a little background info. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. What that means is you make your website and other online copy “search-engine friendly” so the search engines will rank you high for your chosen keywords. (Like on the first page when someone does a search for that keyword.)

One of the main tactics used to optimize your site is to scatter your chosen keywords throughout your copy (the frequency and positioning seem to change depending on how close the Moon is to Jupiter so I’m not going to even go down this path today.)

Why do you want that? Presumably so you get more online visitors to your site.

On the surface, it makes sense. Your website ranks high on the first page when people do a search for your keywords, they see your website and click on the link.

Easy, right?

Well…

First off, SEO (like everything Internet-related) has changed. A few years ago, SEO made perfect sense. That WAS the main way people found things on the Internet.

However, with social networking taking the world by storm, and more people on Facebook and YouTube then Google, people using the search engines have dropped significantly.

Now, that’s not to say you don’t need to take the search engines into consideration. There’s no question people are still using the search engines. But their searching habits have changed. Now they’re more likely to search for you after hearing about you via offline methods (like newspapers, magazines, television, direct mail, speaking, meeting you at an event, etc.)

Of course, people will still do generic searches for keywords that relate to what you sell. But trying to get yourself on page 1 of those rankings can be really difficult. And with Google changing their algorithms every time the wind changes directions, you can be on Page 1 one day and knocked down to Page 20 the next. (Also known as the dreaded “Google Dance.”)

So what do you do?

Well, my thought is while optimizing is not a bad idea, I wouldn’t put too much energy into it. And I certainly wouldn’t put words that sounded weird or off to my ideal clients on my online materials even if they were strong keywords. (Look, if you’re going to do all this work to get your ideal clients to visit your site, do you really want to turn them off with bad writing and poor language choices?)

Google and all the other search engines are going to reward you if your website isn’t deceptive, offers great content, and the content changes regularly. If you do that, the search engines WILL like your site regardless of your SEO. (You might not end up on Page 1 but the search engines will regard you fondly and will probably not move you around too much during any dances.)

And the reality is, it makes far more sense to focus on other avenues for people to find you. Be active on social networking sites, post articles, upload video, blog more. All of these things will increase your visibility out in that wild world we call the Internet FAR more than simply focusing only on SEO.

And if you focus on those activities, then you can put your very best writing on your website — the kind of writing that will make your visitors eager to learn more about you and do business with you — instead of suffocating your copy with keywords that may make those very same visitors click away.

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Sales & Marketing

Make Your Advertising Budget Excel in a Bad Economy

Article Contributed by Dave Thomas

As a small business owner, you know the economy is reeling.

So, how can you still get your message out to current and potential customers without breaking the bank when it comes to your advertising budget?

For too many small business owners, a bad economy leads them to reel in the ad budget, therefore leaving them to miss out on a number of sales opportunities.

Given that your goal is a strong return on investment, you need to consider increasing your advertising efforts and not decreasing them when times are tough. Think about it – your competition is probably also considering cutting back on its advertising efforts – so now is the time to strike.

Approach to Success

For the small business owner, the best approach to success is working with your advertising/marketing team to zero in on the best messages to reach your target audience.

If you already have a strong audience in certain sectors of the market, take the opportunity when the economy is bad to go after new segments. Remember, consumers are looking to save money when times are tough, so you have the potential to open new doors where your products and/or services can save some people money. In turn, you have potentially lined up a new customer/s that will bring you a good ROI over time.

Another aspect to where increasing your advertising efforts in a bad economy can help your small business is focusing in on the different demographics that you serve.

Take for instance senior citizens. In many cases, seniors will cut back on buying during tough financial times, yet they still are in need of products and services. While your competition may have cut back on advertising to seniors, here is your chance to reach out to them and demonstrate how you can assist them with deals and coupons, saving them money in the process, along with building up a relationship with them.

Another factor to consider in ramping up your advertising efforts is when you unveil a money-saving product.
While the first inclination is cut back the spending on advertising when times are tough, how then will anyone know about your value laden offerings? By increasing the amount of money spent on advertising, you bring attention to the money-saving product and how it can save customers money. Again, this can prove a winning situation for your small business.

Lastly, while your small business is looking to save money through its advertising efforts, keep in mind that those charging for ads could have some deals available.

Whether you are doing traditional print newspaper or magazine ads, online banner ads, billboard advertising etc. companies specializing in advertising are also likely looking to cut deals in order to keep or get your business. The bottom line – negotiate as much as possible.

Remember, when times are tough, there are various chances to expose your small business to new customers that are not always there when the economy is rolling along.

Make it so your small business can excel and reap the benefits.

Gainesville Title Loans specializes in providing auto title loans for Gainesville, Florida and the surrounding areas. If you need quick cash then Gainesville Title Loan can help!

About the Author
Dave Thomas writes extensively for www.business.com an online resource destination for businesses of all sizes to research, find, and compare the products and services they need to run their businesses.

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Sales & Marketing

Small Business Owners Must Also Be Telemarketers

Article Contributed by Adam Shore

Simply mentioning the words “telemarketing”, or “telemarketer” will evoke a negative reaction among most people. Nobody starts their day thinking, “I hope I hear from some telemarketers today”. But the truth is, outbound telemarketing continues to be a great way for companies to generate leads and increase sales. There are a number of myths that accompany the bad taste telemarketing leaves in consumers mouths. Hopefully, we can debunk them, and show how cold calling can help businesses of any size.

Typical goals of an outbound telemarketing campaign can be:

  • Close sales
  • Generate leads
  • Set Appointments
  • Establish strategic partnerships

B2B telemarketing is both fundamental and commonplace in the Corporate America. You shouldn’t think of the telemarketing process as simply placing calls to unexpecting prospects, but rather as a critical component of your company’s revenue growth aspirations. After all, the primary goal of most companies is to attract new customers and increase sales. Cold calling can help see this to fruition. Seek out decision makers and help their business.

Telemarketing Fact and Fiction

1. Not My Job

Sure it is. You may have started a business around personal skills totally unrelated to sales. Maybe it’s web design, baking cookies, or accounting. However, as sales are the most critical component of a business, you must now wear the cold calling hat as well. To sell more cookies, build more websites, or build a client base for your financial practice, you are going to have to generate leads, set appointments, and close new business. You must brush aside your preconceived notions and fear of failure, and perfect the ability to hammer out cold calls.

2. Telemarketing is Another Word for Interrupting Dinner

This couldn’t be further from the truth. Whether your customer base is businesses or consumers, cold calling can help your company seek and obtain strategic partnerships, and expand your company’s horizons at a minimal cost. Most entrepreneurs become successful because they perfect the ability to make the most with what they have and frugally use resources.

Implementation

Once you have begrudgingly decided to take the plunge, here are some tips to help you become successful.

1. Mindset

Think of telemarketing as a powerful way to attract clients. Enthusiasm, or lack thereof, immediately translates over the phone. Think of this as an opportunity to create a great first impression of your business.

2. Be prepared
Understand your target market, the pains they face, and exactly how your product or service can help them. Remember that elevator pitch you practiced in business school? This is the time to use it.

3. Questioning
Your preparation should help you craft questions that can draw prospects out of their shells. By coming across as an authority in your given field, customers will want to hear more from you. Avoid simple yes/no questions that will allow them to escape the call without divulging too much info. Instead, ask open-ended questions that force them to think.

4. Be Honest
Remember that your prospects are people too. Don’t try to put on a disingenuous phone voice, or try to come across as something other than what you are – a small business owner with a solution to your customers’ problems.

5. Have Thick Skin
Not every person you call will be happy to hear from you. Nor will they all see value in the product or service you provide. Understand that everyone is different, and that cold calling truly is a numbers game.

About the Author
Adam Shore works with companies around the world to implement successful outbound telemarketing services. His specialties are lead generation, appointment setting, and inbound order taking.