Tag Archives: Consulting

You Might Be a Marketing Consultant If the 1st Thing a Prospect Says is “I Really Have No Idea What You Do”

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Apparently a lot of people don’t understand consulting services. When many prospects shop for a marketing consultant (like me), they often expect some sort of price and package menu like the image below.

Superhero price packaging

Hmmmm, after looking at the fees for the services in this image… I may have to rethink my fees ;)

So why hire a consultant?

Seriously, the reason you hire a consultant is because they should “consult” with you on what you need and customize their services specific to those needs. And they should have specialized experience and know-how of what you require to succeed. And you don’t have to hire a consultant as an employee – no overhead, no insurance, no commitment to keep them, easy to hire and fire, and many more benefits of a non-employee status. You have total control.

However, you as a business owner typically don’t know what you don’t know outside of your areas of expertise, so package pricing is really of little to no use to you.

Every small business is different in their marketing needs, and every small business is at a different stage and level of marketing. There are thousands of self-help websites, books, tools, and more out there – and many of them free. But, it’s not just knowledge of using the tools you need, but the strategies and applications that would fit your particular business that are far more important for implementation.

Most small business owners do NOT have the time to learn marketing, nor how to properly apply best practices.

And if you start talking to a consultant who doesn’t ask you a lot of questions about you and your business, end that call!

Do you really want to hire someone for a generic marketing package that may or may not bring results to your business? That is why I don’t offer package prices. I do, however, work on a sliding scale based on the size of the job, length of time, customized preparation involved, and so on.

Food for thought:

The overall impact of a consultant is that clients have access to deeper levels of expertise than would be feasible for them to retain in-house, and may purchase only as much service from the outside consultant as desired.

You have total control. That’s the beauty of a consultant. You don’t have to employ another person to get a specific job done. You can retain a consultant for as long as you like as an as-needed go-to resource for your business.

It’s really quite a high ROI.

And why do I work exclusively with SMBs and NPOs? The passion of a SMB owner or NPO leader is contagious and energizing!

 

Keep it Slow and Simple with LOTS of Visuals! – Seminars and Webinars, that is… :)

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Seminars have your head spinning?

I’ve been asked to provide a presentation/demo on online tools that a) are free and b) easy for even the tech-challenged (these aren’t just boomers either… I’m surprised how many in their 30s have no clue).

It started with an email newsletter that I sent with a few tips on free tools. The host of the event is a subscriber and loved it, so she asked me to present on it at one of her events. (Which shows you never know where opportunity will knock).

To tell the truth, I had felt guilty about that newsletter. I had been so busy that I didn’t have time to do the newsletter I wanted, so I featured the tools. Hmm. But, turns out it was fortuitous in giving me the opportunity to speak (I loooove to speak!).

Now, how do you fill 45 minutes on tools without overwhelming the audience?

I’ve decided to keep it slow and simple. With LOTS of visuals!

I mean, don’t you attend a seminar or webinar to feel like you actually LEARNED something?! I haven’t been attending as many as I used to because I get disgusted with people who hold you captive for an hour only to gloss over the topic and then slam you with a sell at the end. And the worst are those webinars with a stagnant visual just in your face the whole time.

Give me some meat and potatoes. Give me something to chew on for a while. Give me a reason to go back to my desk and try something new.

How about you?

I hope my audience walks away with something of real value…

 

Still hungry for the WHY of social media? What good is it? Why should you bother in 2013?

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George Takei https://www.facebook.com/georgehtakei

George Takei – or as some of us know him from the original Star Trek Cast – “Sulu” Now the most influential person on Social Media in 2012. https://www.facebook.com/georgehtakei

Many social media newsletters and blogs are chock full of the wrongs and rights of 2012 and what’s coming in 2013. But, while that is all truly good information, most of my clients and presentation attendees are still very hungry for the WHY of social media.

  • What good is it?
  • Why should they bother?
  • And lastly – Why should they want to connect with hundreds or thousands of strangers?

So I decided not to discuss the stats on where Social Media has gone in 2012, the demographics and analysis, the projections for where it is going, etc… (my favorite reliable source for that  – http://mashable.com/social-media/)

INSTEAD, let’s walk through the “why” in hopes it will change how you think about Social Media and get you participating on a REAL basis.
I remembered a blog (no link, I’m protecting the innocent), that suggested in your efforts to organize in preparation for the opportunities of 2013, that you should also UN-Follow anyone in social media if you couldn’t identify them on sight of their gravatar.

H U H ?

My Perfect segue into the why…

If you follow the advice of that blogger and UN-follow anyone whom you really don’t know, don’t connect on LinkedIn with someone you don’t know, and don’t accept invitations to friend those you don’t know, then you are missing the point of social media. (yes, you should check out their profile first!)

TO PUT THIS IN THE SIMPLEST TERMS… Here is the why…

Part 1 – Who ARE these people?

  • When you go to a party or gathering, do you ignore everyone you don’t know?
  • When you attend a business networking event, do you refrain from accepting a business card or offering your own?
  • When you are standing in line at the grocery store and the person behind you comments on the long wait, do you turn away and ignore them?
  • At any public sports event or concert or play, if the person in the seat next to you shares positively in your emotional response to the event, do you reject them?
  • When you are at a store that sells products for your hobby or niche, does the advice of a bystander bother you when you make a decision on the products you are perusing…?

Are you starting to get that aspect of it…?

Ok – now part 2 – What am I doing here?

  • Have you  never made any comments to a stranger on the surrounding events?
  • Have you never hi-fived someone next to you at the Sports Bar when the team you both support makes a goal?
  • Have you never offered words of comfort to a stranger in need?
  • Have you never shared business ideas and observations with the vendor in the next rented booth at an expo?
  • At home, don’t you have pictures of family, vacations, certificates of achievement… on your walls for all who visit to see?
  • Don’t you talk to strangers (prospective customers) every day in your business?
  • Have you never been excited to share good news or concerned enough to share bad news?

Enough? Now is it sinking in?

Last Considerations:

  • Do you know the number of friends, acquaintances and colleagues you have in the physical world?
  • Aren’t those relationships of varying degrees?

There are services out there that people get sucked into that will “buy” likes for your social media account…

  • Do you want friends that have nothing to do with your world – in other words, do you “buy” friends who serve no purpose but to add quantity to your circle?

So now… what do you do to get started on a realistic level that works? You begin to think of Social Media as a public venue for all the interaction you do on a normal basis…

  • You stop thinking of Social Media as a badge of distinction based on the numbers of fans or followers.
  • You become open to the possibilities of these tools of social media. Yes, that is all they are… tools. YOU make them what they are and YOU determine the results you get. Just like in the physical world.

I hope this blog has helped explain and inform you enough to get more involved in the use of social media for your business – and get social!  And don’t forget that Google loves fresh content…

Post Script:
And one last distinction that is often overlooked… Social Media is also a manifestation of our 1st amendment rights in the United States of America
Consider that in some countries, there are use restrictions and even total bans…

Example: Section 66A of India’s Information Technology Act, makes it a crime punishable by jail time to use social media platforms to make offensive statements.

Food for thought.

Please visit my archives for more food for thought on Social Media and more…

3 Small Business Technology Resolutions for 2013 or How to Do Better Next Year! (pt.2)

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In my previous post, I tried to drive home the notion that if you didn’t collaborate in your business in 2012, then you didn’t see growth. And 2013 isn’t going to be any better if you don’t change something.

Labor of Sisyphus

Labor of Sisyphus

I also promised a list of tools to help you make real world productive changes that are also HUGE time savers…

So without further ado…

1.USE a Shared Calendar:

Having an item posted on a calendar makes it REAL for all involved. It also eliminates the need to send out notices, reminders, make calls, etc.

Google calendar, Microsoft Outlook, and others can create a separate or existing calendar for shared use. You can also configure them to send a notice and reminders to all invitees.

It’s a one time task of entering meetings/events with all accessory tasks automated – notes, additional information, agenda, etc. can be included in details and everyone has all the information instantly accessible in one location without having to print or search the inbox. Even telecommuters, out-of-state hires, … anyone can have access without a separate function to be performed.

2. Save Everyone’s Time via Teleconferencing:

You don’t have to have an on-site meeting every time to be productive (although I would suggest an occasional face to face helps with bonding). Giving your people the freedom to call in to the meeting from the comfort of their home or office is a huge win-win. And this may sound crazy but, record, but do not share the option for your attendees to listen later. If people know they can listen to a recorded version, they will have an excuse not to attend and therefore won’t be participating or providing valuable input. Furthermore, they may never get the time to listen to it later or they will get time sensitive material too late. Have well-planned mandatory monthly meetings with an agenda that include anyone who “touches” a customer.

Options: These are just a few that have both free and priced options:

freeconferencecall.com/

join.me

skype.com

webex.com

3. VIDEO onsite meetings:

Yes, make a video of your meetings. Give a friend or family member a perk to do the job – or hire a college intern or fix a mount or tripod.  If attendees desire, you can conveniently post the video to a DropBox or SugarSync shared account for all who attend these meetings (too large a file to email). All can use it to self-critique performance, review feedback, and monitor success.

Keep your meetings short – 30-45 minutes max – and stick to that time frame for every meeting. You’ll have better attendance and better attention. (Videos will help you see why meetings run amuck!)

Options:

For file sharing – yes, Virginia, this is the cloud…:

dropbox.com

sugarsync.com

For Video:

Your SmartPhone

Countless new inexpensive palm-size video devices (that can be placed on a tripod).

YouTube Capture

Vimeo

YouTube Channel

OBVIOUSLY, there are many other options out there and many more to come. But those above and many like them have the benefit of being accessible with most any device you (and anyone else) may already own – and often free!

Now go hit some of these links and make 2013 better!

 

What IS Marketing? It’s Understanding Why Consumers DO Buy Rather Than Why They SHOULD Buy.

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I woke up this morning thinking about how difficult it is to help entrepreneurs to understand the heart concept of marketing… I started thinking about how I learned the heart of marketing.

I had the good fortune of having entered corporate marketing late in my career. I didn’t realize that I had been instinctually doing it all along in sales and management. But I say I am fortunate to have moved to marketing AFTER I had acquired decades of experience in sales, management, and operations because it gave me fresh eyes among the seasoned marketing executives.

I was wide eyed and in wonderment at the “thing” called Marketing. I had previously thought it was a whole new science that would take me years to understand, but I was wrong.

Fortunately for me, my BA was in Psychology, minoring in Political Science, so I had learned a great deal about people and how they manipulate and convince – themselves and others! This is not a bad thing – basically it is survival on many levels.

So when I entered the Marketing Department and was then later promoted to Director of Franchise Communications and Affinity Marketing for the company, I learned a lot about both sides of the marketing coin since the role of the Communications Department is hearing from both Corporate and Franchisees daily.

What I learned in a hurry is that one side of the coin is about convincing the buyer they want or need your product or service, the other side of the coin is about convincing the seller they need to market their product or service.

The worst marketers are entrepreneurs. I am convinced that is why the success rate is so low among small businesses. I am sorry to hurt the egos of many of you entrepreneurs, but following your passion is one thing, but remembering that YOUR passion is not everyone else’s passion is another. There seems to be the “if I build it they will come” mentality that hurts most entrepreneurs. Yes, they WILL come, but they have to hear about you first! They have to actually know you exist. That brings the need to market.

If you’ll notice, most advertising is not about the product, it’s about getting to know the company that makes the product (and services are products as well) and attracting buyers to buy. Yes, it’s your passion that makes your product stand out among the others, but if you are standing among the others, you are not standing out.

If you don’t market, it’s like having the table set for the dinner party, but forgetting to send out the invitations. Even your close friends, family, neighbors, associates and colleagues don’t know about your product – because you haven’t told them about it.

You can set the table every day, but no one is coming… day after day… And you keep wondering why? “i have this awesome dinner waiting for everyone and yet, no one is here to partake? Why?” Have we hit the “DUH” moment yet? Are you beginning to see that marketing is not just some thing that takes care of itself?

Back to why I feel fortunate to have been on the sales side before going into the marketing side:

Because most people in marketing don’t understand what occurs on the sales floor. I went into those meetings wondering how they could market to consumers when they had never worked on the floor with them. And how can the marketing department succeed without working in tandem with the sales department?

It may seem like I am talking about 2 different topics, here, but I ‘m not. You who are on your business floor and who are not marketing are working from your ego. You are under the mistaken notion that the news of your product will spread like wildfire because it is so excellent! Of course, everyone will want one! Friends will tell friends, mothers will tell daughters, etc… But don’t you have to get those initial advocates in the door? And you have to not only sell them on your product – that is secondary. You  have to sell them on YOU!

You attend all these seminars, you read all these marketing books, you attend networking events, but you aren’t addressing your consumers.

I have slowly started to leave some of the groups I joined on LinkedIn because I started noticing that many of them are simply a mutual appreciation society. I wasn’t learning anything from them. I am seeking out the consumers groups – they actually need the advice. I don’t need others to tell me “their approach.” I need consumers to tell me how to fill their needs and desires.

If you aren’t spending the time on the floor learning about your customers, they won’t be interested in you or your product, because you aren’t caring about them, their wants, their needs.

That is why marketing is so hard to explain to most entrepreneurs. They are often too consumed with what THEY do, what THEY produce, what their consumer SHOULD want…

Time to grow up a little. This isn’t a popularity contest, high school is over – the cliques don’t care if you win or lose anymore. If you aren’t understanding your consumers’ response to your product, then you will never know how to market successfully.

You could hire someone like David Ogilvy to do your marketing, but if you couldn’t explain to him who your consumer IS and why they actually DO buy your product – not why they SHOULD buy your product – then they can’t help you. I see it on Facebook and especially Twitter all the time. Business talking AT their followers rather than WITH or TO them.

Spend more time with your consumers – LISTEN and RESPOND to what they are saying and you will learn volumes of information about how to succeed in your own business. Go for it!