OCT OBE R 2012
W elcom e Welcome to the October Edition of the Smart BOMB About The Smart BOMB: Publisher Maxiom Group Pty Ltd 2/710 Collins Street Docklands Vic 3008 www.maxiom.com.au Editor Jo Poland Digital Magazine Created By Maxiom Digital www.maxiomdigital.com Advertising Enquiries 1300 855 696 (within Australia) + 613 8199 3486 (International) advertising@maxiom.com.au Editorial, Media Releases & Article Submission magazine@maxiom.com.au
Written by some of the world’s most exciting marketing minds, the Smart BOMB focusses on cutting edge marketing strategies that business owners can implement in their business today! The Smart BOMB is a great resource as it provides guidance for business owners to develop ideas and concepts from their peers and leading edge entrepreneurs and organisations. Boasting exceptionally high quality information, tips and advice, every issue is packed with unparalleled levels of value added content including videos and webinars. Best of all, it’s completely free and open to everyone!
Contributors For This Issue:
A Message From Smart Bomb Editor Jo Poland
Tony Falkenstein James Hourigan Scot McKee
Welcome to the October Smart BOMB.
Ron Carroll Ivan Misner
We at the BOMB feel incredibly lucky to be working with the writers you will find represented in the following pages. As I work with these writers I am struck repeatedly by the enthusiasm, knowledge, wisdom, authenticity and integrity that speaks from the pages they have written.
Naomi Simson Eric Barton Timothy R. Pearson Ian Altman Christine Clifford
What great food for the mind these articles are. They offer both ‘how to’ advice and encouragement. Instead of feeling like you are dealing with marketing issues alone and isolated, you have experienced marketers alongside you, helping you and your business.
Mark Rocket Rachel Henke Thomas H Kessler Terry Dean Antony Welfare
Please enjoy this month’s offering. I am sure you will find ideas to implement in your own marketing, and maybe ideas to support you in making changes or presenting ideas to your colleagues. Have a blast of a month!
Jessica Swanson Trevor Cooke Mike O’Hagan Mark Fernandez Gene Stark
Jo
Richard Petrie Corrinne Armour
PS. Click here to subscribe to the Daily BOMB drops!
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Geoff Vautier
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What’s in this month’s Magazine? Regular Features Page 14:
A Quick Word With Tom Poland
Page 42:
Getting To Know You
Page 72:
Ask an Expert
Page 60:
Bargains4Business Deals of the Month
Profiles Page 42:
Richard Petrie - Speed Marketing
Page 70:
Mark Fernandez - BDA
Page 74:
Gene Stark - The Marketing Network
Special Features Page 6:
What is Your Sweet Spot?
Page 10:
Create Knock Your Socks Off Marketing Kits
Page 14:
Three Reasons Why the Inappropriate use of ‘I” Damages Your Credibility
Page 16:
Six Ways to Make Your Brand Stand Out
Page 20:
What are the 8 Key Objectives That Executive Teams Think About When Conducting an “Integration Due Diligence” for Sales & Marketing
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SEPTEMBER 2012
Why Outsourcing has Become the key to Business Success
Special Features Page 26:
Why Deception is the key to Failure in Sales
Page 28:
How to Write Content is 30 Minutes or Less
Page 30:
Inbound & Outbound - There’s a Difference
Page 32:
Five Ways to add “Killer Customer Care”to Your Systems
Page 36:
Business Networking & Sex - Not what You Think
Page 40:
What to look for When Hiring a Professional Graphic Design Agency
Page 44:
Did My Dog Figure Out My Target Marketing?
Page 46:
10 ways to Drive More Traffic to Your Blog
Page 48:
The Irresistible Force
Page 52:
SEO - Content is King But Keywords Still Rule
Page 56:
How to Keep Your Customers happy Even When You Put Your Prices Up
Page 58:
Eight Tips on Productivity
Page 60:
Turning Your Marketing into Money
Page 62:
Catching the Smartphone Wave With Responsive Design
Page 66:
Stop Trying to Use Corporate Principles on Small Business
Page 68:
D is For Dream Team
Page 70:
E is for Energy Zappers
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WHAT IS YOUR “SWEET SPOT”? Why a Marketing Kit?How ecommerce retailers (and all retailers, really) can focus on branding, establish their niche, and improve performance in their markets. How can you get the most out of retail marketing and advertising by establishing your brand and your niche? Definitions:
By Antony Welfare
In other words, find out what you stand for and why you exist. Once you know this, you can then market and advertise to help your customer understand who you are and what you offer, and more importantly to help your business grow, making more sales and more profits.
Find Your Niche or “Sweet Spot” in the Market
customers will help you define this niche
Your niche or “Sweet Spot” is the area of the market in which you Why is your niche or “Sweet operate. Spot” important to find? It can be as narrow as ‘Retailing of the best flowers to people who are about to get married’ or ‘Retailing shoes to the city worker’ or as wide as ‘Selling good fruit and vegetables to my local market’. Your brand is your image and values – it is the way you act, the way you communicate, and the way your business is perceived. It is what your business ‘stands for’ and is reflected in every part of the business – from the name of the company, the colour of the logo, the type of bags, to the way your team interacts with your customers and suppliers.
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This part of niche development is focused on the customer side of the equation – you need to look A niche allows you to develop a at your chosen product and very strong marketing campaign, product range through the eyes of your customers, and establish and enables you to really both what they like about your understand your customer segments – the more defined the product and how they would see niche, the easier it will be to retail that as unique in the market. to your customers, and the easier To find your niche in the it will be to make money. market I suggest the following Finding a niche in the market steps: involves researching the part of the market that interests you and ● Go out and research the your customers, and breaking market – Walk around that down to a defined section. your local high street or shopping centre. Find out Understanding what is the USP what gaps there are in the (Unique selling point/proposition) market for your product. of your product in the market, and How do customers how that translates into a currently see your product recognisable niche for your
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and where do they purchase these products from now? ● Use the internet to find where your niche would work. Have a look at where the product is currently sold and what the market looks like. Is there a clear niche that you can see for your product?
This helps you target very specific people with a high-quality tailored service just for them, at the time they need to use your products. ● Talk to your customers. Ask them what products they would like to see in this market.
Your niche or “Sweet Spot” will evolve over time. The more time you spend with your customers and your products, the clearer this will become. Get out in your market and find out what people think – you will then start to close For example, if you were a in on your niche. florist and said your niche was ‘Selling flowers’ you Develop Your Brand would find hundreds of companies doing this on Your brand and the values your every street corner and all brand stands for span every part over the Internet space. of your company. As such, the brand must be thought through If, however, you find your and developed to a very detailed customers are normally level. people who are attending weddings or parties, you This is something that happens could set your niche as over time as you grow and ‘Retail of the best flowers develop your business, but you to people who are getting must start with an understanding married’. of what your values are.
● As a customer, think of what your niche would be defined as and what you would need to offer the customers.
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Your brand is in every part of your business, from the culture and ways of working, to your logo and your packaging. It can be seen in all the people in your business and in all the products you sell Take time to understand your customer first, and then develop the products for these customers. Once these processes are in progress you can then start to develop the brand around these. Your brand is ’living and breathing’ and, as such, needs to be treated with care, and allowed to grow and develop as your customers and your team grow and develop. To Develop Your Brand: Gather together your team and spend some time brainstorming the following areas: WHAT the brand means to them; talk about your and your team’s: ● Feelings, images, looks, customers, products, people, colours, emotions, smells, sounds etc.
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Then use these words and images to form a visual representation of the brand that shows what it could “look” like in words and images.
one or two will immediately ‘work’ for you and your team; explore these further and understand what you like about them, and why.
This could be pages of pictures and words on a vision board on the wall, and a number of statements that come out from the team brain-storming
Once you have agreed on the brand and imagery (this will no doubt take three or four updates), you can then develop the brand values. Antony Welfare
With the team, talk through your team’s ‘vision’ for the brand and allow them to ask you questions regarding the make-up of the brand in your mind.
The brand values are sets of statements that will help you, your Antony Welfare has been a retail expert for over 20 years. team and your customers ‘feel’ the brand you have created. Starting in a newsagent at the age
Again, always remember the customers you are targeting
Once you have established your brand values you should find they will drive your identity and help establish your USP in your niche.
You can now develop a couple of logos for yourself and your team which will help to crystallise the vision of the brand – this can be done yourself or there are online companies that will “brand your business” for very reasonable rates. Review these options and allow the team to ‘feel’ which brand and imagery is the best fit for your business – when you see the possible imagery for your brand (logo, colours and name),
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of 15, Antony has built a successful international retail career with experience from Marks & Spencer, Sainsburys, Dixons Retail and Homebase. ● Author – The Retail Handbook: Helping You Achieve Your Potential in Retail ● Retail Management BSc Hons ● 20 Years in Retail ● Large Retailer experience ● Online Retail & Social Media expert ● International experience For more information, visit: www.retailpotential.com
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SIX WAYS TO GENERATE A SEVEN FIGURE INCOME: CREATE KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF MARKETING KITS By Christine K Clifford
Why a Marketing Kit? How to Tell Your Story It Takes Money to Make Money We’re more than half way toward discovering six ways to generate a seven figure income. So what’s #4? Market yourself like crazy! Only you can create awareness of your company, products and services with clever marketing materials, unique ways to distribute them and techniques to open doors to customers that will have them saying, “We just have to have them!” Why a Marketing Kit? Webster defines marketing as “the ability to attract a buyer if offered for sale.” The word “attract” is important here, because most people are visual. Time and time again in sales and marketing, we realize a powerful influence: The visual overwhelms the verbal.
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What Should be Included in a Marketing Kit? Create “Knock Your Socks Off” Materials
That’s why, when expressing this Marketing Kits have legs. to clients and prospects, we often use phrases such as, What’s in a Marketing Kit? “People think with their eyes” and “People hear what they see.” Most sales people are selling the wrong thing. They are selling We choose visual clues features, benefits and God presented to us by customers forbid, price. What should they and clients that make us appear be selling? Their story, and their competent. Visual clues work. company’s story. Stories are the way the human animal learns. We can listen to stories of your We’ve heard stories all the way company’s success or remarks back to biblical times, to Jesus, from a happy client, but if we can Moses and Muhammad. One of see what you have to offer, we’re our Presidents, Ronald Reagan more likely to make a purchase. was called “The Great Communicator” because of the The first step towards creating stories he told. We grew up the visual is to put together a listening to fairy tales and “knock your socks off” Marketing Aesop’s Fables. Kit. Why? Because long after you’ve left the building, your Why are stories valuable? prospect or client can feel, touch, smell, shake and share a well Because they touch our put-together Marketing Kit. emotions, capture our hearts and spur us to take action.
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So the first thing in your Marketing Kit should be your company’s story: why did the company get started; what amazing things have happened to past clients and customers as a result of your product or service; who will I meet or be allowed to interact with if I join your Club or start doing business with your company? Learn to tell your story, and tell it well.
describe your features and benefits, but another that tells the story of yourself or your company through the eyes of the employees.
What Else?
The actual folder in which you will include your marketing pieces (brochure, biographies, testimonials, business card, etc.) You can continue to tell your story should be custom designed to let by including the Biography of your customers and prospects yourself, your executives and your know: we spend money to make Founder. Biographies should be money. more than just the facts: they should be an opportunity to spin Investing in a unique pocket a tale about how you or your folder, with a matching envelope How Can I Tell My Story? employees have come to where should be your top priority. You you are. are competing with hundreds, Create a brochure that covers a maybe thousands, of other broad range of your company’s The final piece in crafting your companies and individuals who story is from the eyes of happy products and services. Who are do exactly what you do or customers. Choose your you? Why did you go into something similar. testimonials wisely, and if you business? How long have you been in business? What makes don’t have any, go after them. When your Marketing Kit lands you unique? What are existing on the desk of a prospective Contact past clients and if clients and customers saying CEO, you want him or her to stop necessary, volunteer to craft the what they’re doing, open the about you? Who should we testimonial yourself and submit it package and say, “Wow. This is contact? to them for approval, editing and amazing.” correction. You’ll be surprised Your brochure or brochures how many customers will take should be brilliant in color and Finally, in addition to having a what you’ve drafted and change it photography. They should coordinated Marketing Kit with a completely, providing you with an “knock your socks off” folder and capture action, results, and strong testimonials. They can be even better and stronger attention-grabbing envelope in as simple as a “One Sheet”—a endorsement than you came up which to deliver it, should be any glossy 8 ½ by 11 front and back with yourself. media pieces you or your marketing piece - or as fancy as company have generated about a tri-fold. Ideally, you have two your business. brochures: one that does
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If you get an article in a magazine or newspaper, have it reprinted on the highest possible quality paper, with the name of the magazine/newspaper and date visible as to its currency.
you or one of your employees, or the complete history of your company as a gift to your prospect.
So the next time you and your staff are hosting a marketing meeting or sales conference, take a good hard look at what you’ve been sending your customers.
Again, you want your image to say, “I’ve invested in you. Now Make it a goal to obtain at least you come invest with me.” If you If it doesn’t “knock their socks one interview or if necessary, don’t have a book, create a off,” it’s time to dial it up and write your own article and submit unique marketing piece that can change your image. it to industry-related publications grab someone’s attention. and newsletters. I’ll see you at the bank Even your business cards can be used as a promotional piece for Am I Done Yet? your company. Marketing Kits are a great way to include either a book written by
Christine K. Clifford
Don’t forget to ask! ™
Christine K. Clifford, CSP is the author of eight books including YOU, Inc. The Art of Selling Yourself, and the CEO/President of Christine Clifford Enterprises.
Here’s an example of a “knock your socks off” marketing piece Christine has created for someone: the “One Sheet” for Steven Schussler, Founder of the Rainforest Cafe´ restaurants.
She helps companies and individuals craft their story and designs “knock your socks off” Media Kits for companies, individuals and entertainers. Visit www.christineclifford.com Or email her at Christine@ChristineClifford.com.
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THREE REASONS WHY INAPPROPRIATE USE OF ‘I’ DAMAGES YOUR CREDIBILITY By Corrinne Armour
PLUS ONE LITTLE KNOWN SECRET TO COMMUNICATING WITH CONFIDENCE, POWER AND INFLUENCE How you communicate has a significant impact on your effectiveness as a leader and your self-confidence. Using ‘I’ inappropriately damages your credibility and weakens your communication. Understanding the key reasons why, and banishing the ‘indecisive I,’ will empower you to communicate powerfully and confidently. As the CEO of a thriving arts organisation, ‘Teresa’ was confident in her skills and yet often sounded uncertain, even to herself. When we explored the language patterns she used, Teresa’s inappropriate use of ‘I’ was evident. Dr Phyllis Mendel, an expert in professional communications, refers to this as ‘the indecisive I’. It is especially common with women and a communication challenge for many female leaders I work with. How you communicate has a significant impact on your effectiveness as a leader and given you are the primary audience of your own communication - your selfconfidence.
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‘I am unable to balance all the competing priorities with the current staffing levels’, Teresa reported to her Board, and the meeting went downhill from there.
typical examples of this. Teresa advised her Board ‘I have noticed the compliance requirements increasing’ and the Board heard a sense of uncertainty.
There are three key reasons why inappropriate use of ‘I’ weakens your communication.
3. I statements can make women, especially, appear immature.
1. People may blame you for issues that are not yours. In Teresa’s statement above, is Teresa the problem? Is she incompetent?
Children see themselves as the centre of the universe. Mature professional adults can speak about the world without constant reference to themselves.
2. I statements can imply that Teresa often declared ‘I love this you are not sure of the facts, organisation’. and allow your statements to be dismissed as your opinion only. ‘I think …’ ‘I understand …’ are
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So how do you banish the indecisive I?
Embracing this simple rule helped Teresa sound confident and clear. The Board’s Start the sentence with the confidence in her grew, as did subject. Start a sentence with Teresa’s own self-confidence. ‘I’ only when you are talking She was delighted to find about yourself. performance discussions with staff were easier and more # Grammar 101: For those of you effective. who need reminding, the ‘subject’ is the main topic of the sentence. Note – while this rule is simple, applying it takes sustained focus When you start a sentence with I, and practice. If you would like to often the subject is unclear. In the read more on this topic, I recommend How to Say It For first example, is the key item Women and How to Say It For Teresa wants Board focus on herself, competing priorities, or Executives by Phillis Mindell. staffing levels? See http://www.well● Here are examples of read.com/books_new.html powerful and confident rewording of the Cut ‘I’ unless talking about statements above: yourself. Start your sentences
Corrinne Armour Empowering leaders to exceed objectives www.extraordinaryfuture.com.au
● Current staffing levels do with the subject to Twitter @corrinnearmour communicate with confidence, Email: not permit balancing all corrinne@extraordinaryfuture.co the competing priorities. power and influence. ● Compliance requirements have increased (15%) in the past two years. ● This is a vibrant and dynamic organisation. Notice how these statements are clear and confident.
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Tell me about your experiences cutting ‘I’
m.au LinkedIn: http://au.linkedin.com/in/CorrinneA rmour Corrinne empowers leaders to exceed their objectives. Through leadership coaching, facilitation and training, her clients crack the code for performance and get results.
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SIX WAYS TO MAKE YOUR BRAND STAND OUT By Timothy R. Pearson
Recognize that the fundamentals have changed. Focus on the opportunities an economy in transition brings. Reinvent, build, serve, create, endure, and lead. The New Age of Marketing
significant insights, and to exploit principles) that encompass a singular points of difference. new way of examining, undertaking and optimizing Marketing in this new post Great The Memo Marketers Missed brand growth initiatives Recession, data-abundant and Internet-oriented world order The rules are as follows: requires more than a shallow or In this new world order, superficial understanding of the marketers have no choice but to Rule One: Reinvent Before customer or consumer - and reinvent their brands to keep You Innovate more than simply “getting on” the pace with the changing market new technology. It requires place. understanding that the old ways Why should a brand innovate only of making brands stand out are Now, more than ever, they need as a last resort? Simply because dead. to know what their brands are at innovation is a high-risk strategy the core because if they don’t, in that, more often than not, fails. There is a new way of doing all likelihood target audiences things. One that, when executed won’t know either. Oftentimes, “outside the box” properly and successfully, can thinking isn’t linked to consumer help businesses reinvent their The result of failure at any level is preferences or even to the core brands to win in this new global that these highly segmented and essence of a brand. It’s based on digital marketplace. increasingly globally scattered the mistaken notion that the audiences simply won’t buy the company knows what consumers Significantly, it requires that products or services—initially or want from the brand better than marketers recognize that the with the frequency that the its customers do. fundamentals have changed—as company or enterprise desires. have the means and methods to Unfortunately, marketers define targets, to create more That memo marketers missed? mistakenly believe innovation is productive encounters that a response to consumer or provide more opportunities to It’s rooted in six essential and customer needs. Not so. A sell, to develop deeper and more critical rules (and twenty-three . brand’s core essence is the
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underpinning for reinvention— not innovation—and is based on consumer and customer insights and results that produce sustainable competitive advantages. Importantly, reinvention creates profits - at considerably lower risk and less expense than a strategy that is solely innovation driven. Rule Two: Build Before You Buy Today, leaders and marketers need to fully and completely understand the emotional benefits, functional benefits, product attributes, occasion appropriateness, and user imagery of the product or service to create the optimal architecture for a brand.
characteristic, which is defined as an objective, tangible feature of the brand. Simply, this means defining why a brand is important to the consumer or customer being targeted.
Rule Three: Serve Before You Service
Once the functional and emotional benefits of the product or service are understood, the key drivers can then be determined - the attributes or benefits that influence the overall decision to purchase or use a product or service.
Notably, in today’s data-driven, technology-oriented world there is simply no excuse for not monitoring and rigorously evaluating return on investment (ROI), nor is there one for treating (and serving) the customer as anything but an individual who may become a brand loyalist.
In the new age of marketing, marketers must understand, now more than ever, how their messages, executions, offers, Inevitably, this leads to the and incentives are best and most benefits that result from using the effectively received (via brand. Benefits are both traditional advertising and direct functional—tangible, noticeable marketing, or through newer results or outcomes, digital distribution channels such like time savings or ease - of as e-mail, social networks, use - and emotional - a mobile or other web-oriented psychological impact, like how it means) and ultimately responded makes someone feel good or to, and acted upon, by the virtuous for using it (for example, consumer or prospect - and using a “green” cleaning reinforced by the customer product). service brand experience.
It is imperative that marketing and the company, or enterprise as a whole, share an understanding of the architecture, To do this, look at the as well as how it is created and competition and define what the drivers are within the competitive built for the long term. frame of reference, including the functional and emotional benefits The multi-step process of that are revealed by stated determining brand architecture begins with the brand attribute or versus derived research.
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Enhanced ROI is dependent on having a clear strategy built on a brand’s essence, positioning, and a comprehensive understanding of the customer as a person and not a number -
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resulting in an all-encompassing brand experience that drives customer loyalty and, more importantly, repeat sales. That is why both an understanding of the relevance of a brand’s positioning, and an understanding of the brand perceptions - that create repeatable events and repeat purchases - are so important in The brand goes from a “have to have” to a “don’t need,” this new landscape. especially in the post Great Recession market place where Rule Four: Create Value customers’ and consumers’ Before You Commoditize shopping habits are focused on Sales, not simply buying. Often, as products or services extend their reach, the core Rule Five: Endure Before You essence of the brand gets Perish diffused and muddied or, even worse, lost. Profitable sales are the true and ultimate determinant of However, the core essence is what makes the brand unique, so marketing effectiveness. as it gets further away from its core, the brand is at risk of losing However, marketers should also be interested in creating, its differentiation and its maintaining, and enhancing a distinctiveness. brand’s performance over time. Brands, particularly those with a That loss makes a brand a loyal fan base, drive dollars to the commodity - something consumers or customers buy on bottom line for years. price point, not desire.
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Having Sales may not be advantageous, as the products may become commoditized and seen as no different from a competitor’s version. If this happens, consumers or customers are being driven to shop on price. Remember, consumers and customers are looking for value. Marketers want customers to value the brand so they will buy it at a premium, not only when it’s on sale. Has the recent recession killed brand loyalty? No, brand loyalty isn’t dead. It’s alive in enduring brands that can keep a company afloat during tough economic times or throughout transition periods and business cycles.
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COMING SOON THE
MUST READ MAGAZINE FOR ALL ENTREPRENEURS AND BUSINESS MANAGERS
Rule Six: Lead Before You Fail Leaders lead. It seems simple, doesn’t it? But over the past few years, the term “failure of leadership” has become much more frequently used particularly in reference to former Chief Marketing Officers. What does it take for marketers to avoid a failure of leadership? To my mind, it’s simple - it takes both fortitude and boldness. Today, great and authentic leaders and marketers must focus on the opportunities an economy in transition brings - its potential for change - rather than on the economic disaster that the Great Recession has caused. The Great Recession has left consumers and customers feeling battered and adrift. Their choices of brands, therefore, are driven by necessity and by value. Become their choice by ensuring your key brand differentiators are nourished, refreshed, relevant, and reinvented.
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Timothy R. Pearson Timothy R. Pearson is founder and president of Pearson Advisors || Partners, a marketing management consulting firm serving Fortune 1000 and brand-driven clients; a highly sought advisor to senior management and a frequent keynote speaker at industry conferences, at leadership meetings, and on the lecture circuit; and author of the New York Times and USA Today #1 best seller The Old Rules of Marketing are Dead: 6 New Rules to Reinvent Your Brand & Reignite Your Business. (McGraw-Hill) Visit www.pearsonadvisorsandpartner s.com
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WHAT ARE THE 8 KEY OBJECTIVES EXECUTIVE TEAMS THINK ABOUT WHEN CONDUCTING AN ‘INTEGRATION DUE DILIGENCE’ FOR SALES AND MARKETING? By Thomas H Kessler
An overview of key points to accomplish during an ‘integration due diligence’ for the sales and marketing department. See what goes through the mind of an executive who needs to focus on a few key drivers. Insights into using due diligence to help with deal negotiation and structuring Fred had finished his first and to develop with them a game workshop for senior plan to management last Friday, and it ● create stability and had gone rather well. Today he security for their needed to start working on customers, distributors structuring his second workshop. and sales people The objective of the second workshop was to: 1) inform senior management about the important steps to take care of during due diligence and
● At the same time drive revenue momentum to leverage the benefits expected from the merger.
Given that he only had about an 2) to create awareness within hour left in his day he first wanted senior leadership about the to focus on step 1 – preparing a fact that, post acquisition, the good overview of the integration market situation typically due diligence for the sales and changes for the joined group, marketing function.
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Integration Due Diligence Continuing from the last workshop where Fred had discussed the strategic selection process, he now needed to explain the major steps of the integration due diligence with respect to sales and marketing. This was particularly important as the date for the first due diligence meeting with the target came closer. Expanding on the discussion around strategic fit, Fred would highlight the following key steps to be included during the integration risk assessment:
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1. Synergy Review 2. Organization, management and employees review 3. Business processes review 4. IT/IC integration review 5. Corporate Governance review
● Which customer and distributor contracts would need to be addressed due to a change in control clauses? ● Which pricing changes could be pushed through?
7. What probability of success would be associated with these synergies if fully implemented? Organization, management and employees review
● What would be the nature of 1. What is the current organizational structure of the the respective synergies 6. Corporate Culture and sales force – geographies, (revenue, cost, capex)? decision-making review industries, product / product groups, services, span of 7. Prepare findings for deal 2. How much of the control, skill categories (pitch price negotiations implementation cost would be support, sales engineer, generated through the 8. Integration Preparation sales manager, after sales proposed synergies (would service) – and how would this this cost be recurring, one Synergy review structure of Southwest Tubing time, capitalizable or straight be best integrated with the deductible)? 1. Where would senior existing business (extent, management expect timing, etc.)? synergies to be derived from? 3. What timing would be required to implement these 2. What is the headcount per ● Which products could be synergies? organizational unit and how cross sold to the respective does it compare to the customer bases? 4. What pre-requisites need to existing business – what be addressed before ● Which new product integration implications can implementing these releases could be be drawn from the synergies? developed due to both comparison? companies joining their 5. What hurdles and risks could product development 3. What compensation models be involved? initiatives over the next 6 to are applied and how do they 12 months? differ? 6. Who would be responsible and drive the implementation of these synergies?
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a. How is the compensation divided into fixed vs. variable components
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(focus products, team, region etc.)?
Business processes review
IT/IC integration review
1. What are the core business 1. What IT-systems are used to processes established to sell support sales (autoresponder, to clients (training, lead generation, closing b. how can both systems be preparation, pricing, pre-sales, support, CRM, analytics, aligned? telesales, onsite visits, tradebusiness intelligence, fair, conference-sales, post marketing effectiveness, etc.) sale support)? and what integration 4. Performance Measurement implications can be drawn 2. What are the key process links from that information? a. Which reporting is to the finance department provided by which (credit approval, terms, 2. What IC tools, systems and systems to steer and accounts receivable mgt.) and applications are used to govern the sales force how are they supported support sales (SMS, audio / and campaigns? through systems? video-email, voice-mail, preb. How is the performance of recorded voice-mails, Skype, the sales force measured 3. What are the key process links mobile-phones, webinars, etc.) (balanced scorecard, ‌)? to the production department and what integration (capacity, logistics, deliveryimplications can be drawn c. How effective are the time and inventory planning, from that information? respective sales forces etc.) and how are they (revenue per head, etc.)? supported through systems? Corporate Governance review 5. What can be achieved with the 4. What is the marketing mix 1. What corporate governance larger sales force? applied by Southwest Tubing? codex is established? Which tools and venues are a. What additional focus they using, at what cost, 2. How was it established? products can be pushed? supported by which agency b. Which additional markets, and how were they monitoring 3. What are the repercussions in geographies, industry the effectiveness of their case of a breach of the segments, customer marketing? codex? groups can be addressed? 4. Are there any pending cases? a. What is the bonus pay-out time-schedule?
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5. How is the adherence to the codex monitored? How frequently? Corporate Culture and decision-making review 1. What behavior is incentivized at both firms – how does it differ? 2. What behavior is practiced at both firms - how does it differ? 3. What span of control is used in both entities - how does this impact the decision making capability? 4. What integration conclusions can be drawn from such data? Prepare findings for price negotiations 1. Based on the findings during the integration due diligence the team could add significant value to the negotiations by synthesizing (by function) the relevant information and data from both companies that could have a material impact on the negotiation a. This may include preliminary business
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cases about synergies, implementation cost and capex needed for the integration. a. It also could impact the deal structure (purchase price payment terms, legal structure, etc.) Integration preparation 1. Collecting and preparing the
Fred was designing the framework to highlight the various tasks to be done and to reach consensus on the overarching strategy, but not to provide an all-encompassing checklist. Fred knew that instead of detailing out a lot of the steps it was his task to prepare and condense the critical parts and to link back to those in the discussions about the functional Thomas H Kessler integration in the workshops to come. Thomas H Kessler is founder and
due diligence data was one task of the integration team. The other was to kick start the For a full detailed chart with integration planning. explanations of what needs to be done from an integration point of a. This included collecting view during each step of the data to prepare and or M&A lifecycle please click here. conduct a stakeholder analysis, including designing the To be continued ‌ communication strategy. b. Identifying the needs for establishing a proper program management office and Synthesizing the findings from the due diligence by function to jumpstart the integration planning and develop a perspective to conduct a proper DayOne planning once the deal is signed.
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head of M&A integration at Kessler Praxis Consult, a consulting firm that specializes in M&A integration and member of Global PMI Partners. He previously worked with clients in the US, Europe and Asia. His industry experience covers telecom services and equipment, basic chemicals, capital goods, automotive suppliers, financial services and a broad variety of technology subsectors. Tom frequently speaks on the topic internationally. www.integrationsuccess.com www.gpmip.com
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Over these 3 days I guarantee I will change your life forever… How? I will reveal to you every strategy, idea and ‘insider secret’ I have learned and successfully used over 25 years to help you go out and Build an Enormously Profitable Business Fast. - Siimon Reynolds (Created a $500 Million Company right here in Australia)
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WHY DECEPTION IS THE KEY TO FAILURE IN SALES By Ian Altman
Any lie can undermine your entire customer interaction. A lie is any act with the intent to deceive. Pretending to conduct a survey, falls into the category of lying (in case you were wondering) My wife and I are celebrating our fifteen year wedding anniversary this month. With our wonderful children off to camp for a few weeks, we decided to cast away to the Virgin Islands to enjoy a solid week of sailing, snorkeling, and relaxing. We made reservations at one of the toprated properties in St. Thomas.
met Sule as planned. As we sat at a table by the pool, my wife and I provided him with a list of the activities we hoped to experience, and sought guidance for the best companies to use and excursions to plan.
Sule asking if I had attended the program.
Realizing that we were wasting our time, I told Sule that I was disappointed and we had no interest in attending the sales pitch (though I’ve been known to Sule said “We’ll get to your list in attend them just for fun in the a few minutes, but first let me past). share something with you.” After Appreciating the value of a few minutes, it became clear I explained to Sule that since our experts, we contacted the that Sule was trying to sell us on relationship started with him lying property to arrange to meet with attending a timeshare to me about his role, I did not the concierge upon our arrival. presentation at the property. He trust him and we would never do explained that we could attend a business together. Sule, the concierge, left us a 90 minute presentation, and they message inviting us to meet with would give us a sunset cruise as There was a long and him poolside when we arrived to a gift. uncomfortable silence. review our plans for the week. I explained that we were not After about 20 seconds Sule We woke the next morning and interested, but wanted said “So, can we sign you up for though the resort was setup to information about planning our the 2:30 slot on Thursday?” charge everything to our room, I week. At one point, Sule said brought some cash with me so I “Mr. Marriott wants you to know I didn’t know whether to laugh or could take care of Sule based on about this new program.” I am scream. the value I was sure he would relatively confident that Mr. deliver. We went to the pool, and Marriott had not placed a call to
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So, what did they do wrong, and what could they do to reach their audience with integrity? 1. Don’t lie: Salespeople often call under the guise of a survey. In this case, Sule made the appointment based on one understanding, and pulled a bait and switch. Not only did it waste our time, but made us not trust anything he or anyone from the property said for the rest of the trip; 2. If you think you need a gift to get me in the room, let the front desk share it: They could have said “Welcome. I see you want to take part in many activities while you are here. We are very proud of our resort. We invite you to attend a program to learn more about it. As a token of our appreciation, we’d like you to be our guest for a midnight cruise or dinner on us. Would that be of interest to you?”
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3. Add value: If Sule added
any value whatsoever, we would have gladly paid him for his expertise. If he had provided good guidance, then we might have been receptive to other suggestions from him including the sales presentation. However, since his focus was not about adding value, but instead about what he was trying to sell, he had not established goodwill. Any suggestions he made were tainted. Ian Altman
When have you been the victim of deception, and how did it make Ian Altman is the CEO of you feel? GrowMyRevenue.com Do you think there are times when deception is OK?
A speaker and author of Upside Down Selling, Ian helps companies become outrageously successful targeting and winning business. His Book “Upside Down Selling: An integrity-based sales approach to avoid being predictable” launched in mid 2012 as a straight-forward guide to comfortably engage your entire company to grow revenue.
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HOW TO WRITE CONTENT IN 30 MINUTES OR LESS
By Terry Dean
10 Quick and Easy Ideas to Create Content in 30 Minutes Or Less How to Build a Stronger Relationship With Your Readers One Drop Dead Simple Way to Produce a New Article in 15 Minutes Content is currency online‌.especially when it's attention grabbing and entertaining. How can you be prolific, especially when you're not a full-time writer. The more great content you publish, the more likely it can be shared, attract your target eyeballs, and build a relationship with your audience. Here are 10 quick ideas to help you produce content quickly and achieve better results consistently. 1. Fill a notebook with ideas. A blank page is a painful experience. So never start with one. Look for ideas constantly. Keep a notebook with you to jot down ideas for your articles, videos, podcasts, and any other form of content.
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I'm a little old fashioned and keep a small notebook and pen handy for whenever the ideas come. You can also use the digital recorder on your phone. The point is to capture the concept when it's fresh. When you sit down to write, you have a collection of ideas ready to go.
3. Write first. Edit later.
Don't confuse the two. Write first. Come back and edit it later or the next day. If you're trying to do both at once, it's like writing with the brakes on. You're not going anywhere. If you find yourself constantly editing while you write, you can even turn your monitor off 2. Keep an eye out for stories to keep from distraction. and metaphors. And don't even think about trying Everything that happens in your to write with your browser open life is potential fodder for a story. to other sites and distractions. For example, you've probably 4. Use a series of tips. seen me share marketing concepts from my dogs. A tips article like this one is much They're a part of my life. We live quicker to produce. It only takes in the age of the celebrity. You a couple of paragraphs about become a "mini-celebrity" in front each tip. Plus, these types of of your audience as you let them articles are easy to read as well. peek inside your life. The key I've done anywhere from 3 tips up here is to always relate the to 21. A bonus to the 21+ tip stories and principles back to articles is they can often become your message. series as well.
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5. Create an ongoing series.
keep it short. You'll not going to produce a monster sized 2,000 Break up your content to post on word foundational post for a blog multiple days. It becomes part 1, in that timeframe. But the majority part 2, and part 3. That one idea of your content doesn't need to be that anyway. Most of my quickly morphs into a week of articles hover at 500 words or content or more. less. The best use of this is when you have a large topic that needs to There's nothing wrong with 150 words if you can get your be broken into easy to follow message across in that number bite-sized chunks. of words. 6. Batch content. People have a short attention span today. You already have ideas in your notebook. When you have a quiet 8. Paste extra ideas in another writing session, such as in the early morning, churn out multiple document. pieces at once. Once you're flowing, don't stop. Keep going. As you're writing, other ideas will bounce through your head. Don't As soon as the first article is veer off in the wrong direction in done, start the next one. And your current piece, but you don't keep it up until the inspiration is want to lose the idea. gone. Anytime other ideas pass Getting the momentum going is through your mind, toss them the hard part. You'll get much over in another document or idea more accomplished if you just file. You can work on that idea for hold on when it's already moving the next article. for you. 9. Look for Q&A opportunities. 7. Concise is better. Here's another of my favorites. When you shooting for 30 People likely ask you questions minutes or less, you've got to by email or social media. Use
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those questions as launching points for future content. If one person has the question, others will also. Publish the question (or the relevant portion) and answer in your article. This kind of article can often be done in 15 minutes or less. 10. Become a reader. The more you read, the easier it is to write. You should also expand your reading outside of just "business materials." What other interests do you have? Read on those subjects as well. You'll expand your knowledge base and your idea file.
Terry and Julie Dean "The Internet Lifestyle Mentor" Earn More. Work Less. Enjoy Life! www.MyMarketingCoach.com
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INBOUND & OUTBOUND THERE’S A DIFFERENCE By Scot McKee
Independent advocacy of your brand is more valuable than your opinion Earned media is more valuable than bought or owned media Listening and responding is more valuable than shouting A new content strategy is more valuable than an old sales plan It is seemingly insufficient to have the clue entirely in the name. In B2B marketing we apparently like our marketing to be more complicated. Inbound marketing and outbound marketing for example. One involves… well, inbound marketing, while the other is, err, outbound. I didn’t think that was too hard to grasp.
every conceivable owned or paid-for media in the hope that some of it will stick. There’s always been a certain arrogance to outbound activity – ‘This is the way it is, this is what we want you to be told and we’re going to make you have it’. It was quite an effective strategy in the days when real men wore pleats in their trousers.
Let’s start with the easier one – Outbound Marketing. That’s the Then there’s the slightly tricky one the old farts are familiar with. one – Inbound Marketing. That’s where a brand creates and nurtures an environment of The corporate machine churns shared opinion and out its repetitive and entirely collaboration. Rather than boring bollocks. Everyone’s ‘dominating a market’, the heard it before, it offers no significant point of differentiation purpose is to influence communities. Instead of shouting in content, style or tone and the at customers, the brand listens message is pushed through
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and responds. Instead of ‘buying media’, we create content and make it available across shared online communities. If it’s good enough, and relevant, the audience will find the brand – it will be drawn inwards towards the soft, intimate glow of the community. These worlds are not mutually exclusive of course, but they are different. You can’t, for example, set up your corporate Twitter account, tweet your outbound sales messages and expect people to give a damn. You can’t catalogue your list of products and services on Facebook and expect anyone to be your ‘friend’.
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You have no friends, because you smell. And you absolutely, positively, definitively can’t churn out your repetitive and entirely boring bollocks and call it ‘content’. It’s not. It’s repetitive and entirely boring bollocks. That’s all it is, that’s all it ever was, that’s all it ever will be. ‘Content’ is different. It’s inbound. Producing content for an inbound marketing strategy means organisations have to recalibrate. Outbound marketing materials may contain reusable information, but they can never be simply ‘re-skinned’ and called inbound. An effective inbound marketing strategy requires a specific and significant investment in the community you’re expecting to influence. How you influence them, what attracts them and what encourages them to share information with their networks is very different from, ‘Here is our whitepaper on… bleugh.’ Conceiving, producing and distributing content for a successful inbound strategy requires specific and dedicated planning and resourcing.
If you really want to play Inbound Marketing, the stakes are high. You need to redirect budgets from the old materials and invest in creating original, new, creative content that will inspire online audiences. Commissioning video, writing blogs, interviewing guests, designing infographics, even building a separate social environment away from the old corporate website is a long way away from attempting to reproduce the entire contents of your website on Twitter.
Scot McKee:
Scot McKee, Brand Strategy Legend, Managing Director So the next time I ask for content Brand/Digital Agency Birddog, and you think about sending me Author ‘Creative B2B Branding (no, really)’, B2B Marketing Columnist, a link to your corporate website Social/Mobile Advocate & Rock or handing me your corporate sales brochure saying, “Here you God. go, just, you know – tweet that.” Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/scotmckee
Don’t be surprised if I roll the brochure, carefully and methodically, into a tightly formed tube and shove it up your ass. Which would certainly be inbound. I’m going to call that a ‘you-tube’.
LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/scotmckee Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/birddogb 2b YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/Birddo gB2B Amazon: http://is.gd/mckeebooks Web: http://www.birddog.co.uk
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FIVE WAYS TO ADD “KILLER CUSTOMER CARE” TO YOUR BUSINESS SYSTEMS! By Ron Carroll
Put on Your Best Face Use Systems to Meet and Exceed Customer Expectations Surprise and Delight Monitor and Measure Practice the “Golden Rule What is it like to do business with Your Company? Do you know what your customers really think about you? Do you have “killer customer care” that draws customers back again and again?
So how do you achieve this killer people who are positive, polite, customer care? understanding, caring, and helpful. In other words, BE NICE! You begin by building your business from the ground up Give us clear communication around the specific needs of your without jargon or legalese. We customers. You create a like people who call us by name customer care system that is so and personalize our service. “Killer customer care refers to the remarkable they wouldn’t combination of principles, ideas consider buying from anyone We appreciate those who listen, and techniques that are else. take ownership of our problem, designed to consistently and and are immediately responsive systematically enhance the depth For a moment, let me speak as to our needs. and breadth of your customer one of your valuable customers. relationships. I want to offer five suggestions to We expect your employees to help you earn our loyalty and turn have some expertise and a “canKiller customer care is the do” attitude. us into raving fans. ultimate competitive differentiation for businesses in 1. Put On Your Best Face We don’t like to be taken for the twenty-first century” (George granted. In fact, we want to feel important throughout the lifetime Colombo, Killer Customer As customers, we like to be of our relationship. Care). served and not sold. We like
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2. Use Systems to Meet and Exceed Expectations
3. Surprise and Delight We like to be pleasantly surprised. We like to be entertained and to have fun. We like to be “WOWED!”
We like to do business with companies that deliver explicitly on their promise. We like errorproof “business systems” for handling all contacts, accounting While we are grateful for services, and problem resolution. consistency and reliability, we also want an element of freshness and unpredictability With systems, the job is done right the first time and every time. that will keep us excited.
● What we wish your company would provide that you currently don’t. ● Why we were surprised, annoyed, frustrated, or disappointed. Shape your business from our point of view. If you want to better understand our expectations, ASK! We feel valued when invited to give feedback.
If you continually exceed our expectations, you’ll not only get our repeat business, but we’ll tell our friends. Listen between the lines and don’t be afraid to get the brutal 4. Monitor and Measure truth. We want YOU to be the Your customer service systems best, just as much as you do! should empower your employees ● We want you to listen to to solve our problems quickly and (Some customer feedback is what we have to say. turn any frustrations we may have quantitative in nature, such as a You’ll want to know: into gratitude and appreciation. percent of returned merchandise. ● What we like and what we Your commitments to us must Other information is qualitative don’t like. always be kept. such as suggestions or complaints. ● What would make the Your consistency and reliability buying experience more over time are more important Make sure you have a system to satisfying. than occasional sales capture this information, transfer promotions or grand events. ● What we like better about it to management, analyze it, and act upon it.) your competition. Nothing is left to chance, and nothing falls through the cracks. (Customer dissatisfaction is usually the result of a breakdown in established systems.)
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5. Practice the “Golden Rule” Killer customer care is everyone’s job. Never stop talking about how to improve the We like to do business with customer experience. Your companies that adopt the “Golden Rule”— treat us the way business success depends on it! you would like to be treated. So, let me know some of the things you do to create “Killer Don’t just subscribe to the Customer Care.” Golden Rule as a philosophy; build it into your business systems. When your company Better Systems culture applies this philosophy, it Better Business will become remarkable! Protect Your Investment in Customers Start today by defining exactly what experience you want your customers to have. Then identify the most common interactions you have with them - telephone, walk in, sales presentations, inquiries, problem resolution, and so forth. Finally, turn those interactions into systems that incorporate the five suggestions above. You’ll be amazed by the results! Remember: Each customer contact is a moment of truth, a time when you can make or break a relationship.
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Ron Carroll Helping business owners dramatically increase customer loyalty, profitability, and growth by elevating the performance of their vital business systems and processes. rcarroll@BoxTheoryGold.com www.BoxTheoryGold.com What is it like to do business with Your Company? Do you know what your customers really think about you? Do you have “killer customer care” that draws customers back again and again?
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BUSINESS NETWORKING AND SEX (NOT WHAT YOU THINK)
By Ivan Misner
Understand the communication roadblocks that occur between women and men in the networking process Tips to help start you on your way to career-long success in networking with the opposite sex Results from a 4 year survey of 12,000 businesspeople. There a lot of books My wifehave andbeen I are celebrating our writtenyear about business fifteen wedding anniversary networking and referral this month. With our wonderful marketing. written children off I’ve to camp forquite a fewa few of these myself. There have also weeks, we decided to cast away been lot ofIslands books written to the aVirgin to enjoyabout a the difference between men and solid week of sailing, snorkeling, women. However, it dawned on and relaxing. We made me that no one had of ever reservations at one themade topthe effort to combine the two rated properties in St. Thomas. subjects. With that realization, a new book project was born. Appreciating the value of experts, we contacted the Over a four-year period, more property to arrange to meet with thanconcierge 12,000 businesspeople the upon our arrival. participated in a study focused around simple questions. Sule, the25concierge, left us a message inviting us to meet with Afterpoolside analyzing the results of the him when we arrived to survey,our I was ready review plans for to thespeak week. about the results from an expert perspective the morning book. and We woke theinnext though the resort was setup to I gathered togethertotwo my I charge everything ourofroom, fellow networking experts: brought some cash with meFrank so I DeRaffele, to write from the male could take care of Sule based on perspective; and Hazel Walker to the value I was sure he would write from female deliver. Wethe went to the pool, and perspective.
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Our Sule combined knowledge and met as planned. As we sat experience together to at a table bycame the pool, my wife bringI provided a unique him perspective and with a listtoofthis innovative book. the activities we hoped to experience, and sought guidance In athe desire understand for bestto companies tothe use communication roadblocks that and excursions to plan. occur between women and men in thesaid networking process, Sule “We’ll get to your the list in three of us focused on combining a few minutes, but first let me our personal networking share something with you.” After experiences with the dataclear and a few minutes, it became interpreting itstrying greater meaning that Sule was to sell us on for readers. attending a timeshare presentation at the property. He One thing that we explored deptha explained we couldinattend was the following basic question: 90 minute presentation, and they Are men women would giveand us a sunsetreally cruisesoas do we have a adifferent…or gift. tendency to just focus on what us different instead Imakes explained that we were not of how we arebut similar? interested, wanted information about planning our Coming anpoint, answer thatsaid we week. Atto one Sule couldMarriott all agree withyou turned out to “Mr. wants to know be the single most important about this new program.” I am concept in the book! relatively confident that Mr. Marriott had not placed a call to
As it asking turns out, and women Sule if I men had attended the are alike in many ways – they just program. seem to get to the same place using different roads. men and Realizing that we wereIf wasting woman could just understand our time, I told Sule that I was some basic fundamental disappointed and we hadpoints, no then they can most certainly interest in attending the salesbe more(though successful pitch I’ve when been known to networking and referring attend them just for fun in the the opposite sex. past). interesting that our IIt’s explained to Sule thatstudy since our revealed twostarted very distinct facts, relationship with him lying seemingly at odds with one to me about his role, I did not another. is thatnever both men trust him The and first we would do and women want to get business business together. from networking and are willing to workwas hard to getand it. There a long uncomfortable silence. The second is that they seem to makeabout things20 soseconds difficult for After Sule themselves bywe only networking said “So, can sign you up forin the 2:30 style slot theiron own gender prefers the Thursday?” and understands. I didn’t know whether to laugh or This is as counterproductive as a scream. relationship between a man and a woman based either on only what the man wants, or only what
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the woman wants. If they both want to stay married, they quickly figure out what it takes to make the other person happy and do it. A lot of men need to get the point where they: 1. No longer offend women, or 2. Are no longer misunderstood by them. Until this happens, they will continue to miss out on their potential to do business with women. (The fact that almost half of the world's population is female should provide great motivation for men to solve this problem!). On the other hand, though guys may act boorish and offensive at times, most women need realize that, in fact, they play a bit part that enables men to continue that behaviour, without even realizing it.
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They play the part every time they is an opportunity for each gender have been offended by an offto learn how to please the other. color comment, yet said nothing and just sulked away. To grow as a business culture, they must keep up with genderThey do it when they have been specific communication styles ignored, discounted, or rudely and preferences. referred to‌but instead of speaking their mind, just pouted This means adapting to expected and vowed never to give the guy behavior – much like when any business. traveling in a foreign land and observing its customs to make They also do it every time they for a smooth vacation (not to have ever worn a sexy outfit to a mention to avoid landing in jail). business function and then felt offended that no one was taking Not only does networking play a them seriously, or worse yet, major role in growing a powerful asking them out on dates rather business, but it also paves the than listening to their business way for a happy and secure life. ideas! Surely, anyone can see the Because both men and women benefits of having a pool of make important, money-related amiable friends and associates decisions based on their ready to look out for them and assessments of facial send good things their way. expressions, gestures, tone, manners, and even smell, the Because of this, it is important for face-to-face networking process anyone working in the business
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world to and understand both the our My wife I are celebrating similarities and differences fifteen year wedding anniversary between the networking styles of this month. With our wonderful men andoff women. children to camp for a few weeks, we decided to cast away Atthe the Virgin end ofIslands the day,towe all want to enjoy a the same outcome; we just have solid week of sailing, snorkeling, different waysWe of getting and relaxing. made there. reservations at one of the topHere are some tips to Thomas. start you rated properties in St. on your way to career-long success in networking Appreciating the value with of the oppositewe sex: experts, contacted the property to arrange to meet with Forconcierge women: upon our arrival. the ● When asking for help, Sule, the concierge, left us a communicate clearly message inviting us to meet with exactly what it is that you him poolside want. when we arrived to review our plans for the week. ● When speaking to men, try the to impress them and We woke next morning and share your though the resort was setup to charge accomplishments. everything to our room, I brought somespoken cash with ● When to me so I could take care of Sule speak based up on inappropriately, the value I was sure he would about it immediately. deliver. We went to the pool, and
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● Convey an image to sat met Sule as planned. As we others that you my arewife a at a table by the pool, serious businessperson, and I provided him with a list of in all that do.to the activities we you hoped experience, and sought guidance Forthe men: for best companies to use and excursions to plan. ● Slow down and build the relationship. Sule said “We’ll get to your list in Don’t assume a few●minutes, but firstwomen let me don’t take with theiryou.” After share something businesses seriously. a few minutes, it became clear that Sule was trying to sell us onto ● Edit what you are about attending a timeshare say, using filters to sift out presentation thebusiness property. He what isatnot explained that we could attend a appropriate. 90 minute presentation, and they Remember that womencruise are atas would give us a sunset networking events for business a gift. gain, just as you are. I explained that we were not interested, but wanted information about planning our week. At one point, Sule said “Mr. Marriott wants you to know about this new program.” I am relatively confident that Mr. Marriott had not placed a call to
Sule asking if I had attended the program. Realizing that we were wasting our time, I told Sule that I was disappointed and we had no interest in attending the sales pitch (though I’ve been known to attend them just for fun in the past). I explained to Sule that since our relationship started with him lying toCalled me about his role, I did not the “father of modern networking” Dr.never Ivan do trust him andby weCNN, would Misner is a New York Times best business together. selling author.
There was a long and He is the Founder and Chairman uncomfortable silence.
of BNI, the world’s largest business networking organization.
After about 20 seconds Sule said “So, can we can signbe you up forat His newest book viewed the 2:30 slot on Thursday?” www.BusinessNetworkingandSex. com.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or Dr. Misner is also the Sr. Partner scream. for the Referral Institute, an international referral training company.
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Smart B.O.M.B. Magazine | 39
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN HIRING A PROFESSIONAL GRAPHIC DESIGN AGENCY By Trevor Cooke
The benefits of hiring a good graphic design agency are many There are an oversupply of designers out there, so why are the great ones so hard to find? Choosing the right design agency - one who will clearly understand your vision - can be a time consuming and tedious exercise. You want a designer who can take the visualisation you have of your company name or trademark, what your business represents and the message you want to send to your audience and replicate it. Here are some things to look for in a graphic design professional.
Skills Required - The design agency you decided to use should be capable of designing with the most up to date software. Creativity is part of the Personable - The graphic job, and that aspect should be designer you work with should be evident as they carry out the approachable. They should project. carefully listen to your instructions so that they do not miss any But it shouldn’t end there. Too detail. In addition, they should many designers and agencies ask questions where necessary, are just proficient at using the so that they access as much software but lack real knowledge information as possible and understanding of modern Open communication business requirements, channels - A professional Pricing - Dealing with design marketing and brand development as well as specific creative design agency should agencies can get a bit tricky industry knowledge relative to have an open communication when it comes down to pricing. channel with you at all times. This So be cautious about the agency your business. will keep you in the loop you pick, and ensure all the costs The best agencies have industry throughout the design process. It are given in writing, prior to specialists, who have worked will also give you a chance to starting the project. Be sure to with many companies like yours gauge how much time and effort read all documents before and understand the audience you they are putting into your project. signing. This eliminates any are trying to reach. future misunderstandings or Prior research - To get a hidden costs. The agency should also have complete understanding of your vision and be proficient in the Passionate Good designers creative design needs, an agency should be willing and are genuinely passionate about technology available to ensure your message is consistent able to conduct thorough their work. across all channels. research.
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This will give them insight into your company, industry and target market as well as your business focus.
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Smart B.O.M.B. Magazine | 41
GETTING TO KNOW YOU: RICHARD PETRIE SPEED MARKETING Traditional marketing teaches you to spend large to ‘get your name out there’ and ‘build a brand’. The promise is that one day when your buyer has a need they will remember you. For most small businesses that is a recipe for suicide. Speed Marketing is the art of making the phone ring… and getting a measurable return on every dollar. This does not happen by accident…as Richard Petrie from Speed Marketing explains. We also speak to Richard about the Speed Marketing concept and what inspired him to start his business. What inspired you to start the Speed Marketing Academy? What are your goals and Values?
2. What was the driving force behind your decision to specialise in the small business sector?
1. I wanted to make money have fun learn some cool marketing work with some good people.
Because they can make decisions and are focused on results. Big corporates are often wasteful employees focused on non-measurable branding BS.
2. I hated working for someone else, felt restrained and not 3. What types of customers allowed to express myself. do you help? What experience do you have 3. I was also inspired by the helping small business direct response marketers customers? that I was reading. Dan Kennedy, Jay Abraham, Over 100 businesses have been Gary Bencivenga through my 6 month coaching programme. Many in the These guys were the best sales recruitment sector. people on the planet.
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4. Do you service other sectors as well? Real estate, recruitment and anyone selling big ticket items 5. What are the main reasons that someone would choose the Speed Marketing Academy to help grow their business? Because they want someone who can make the phone to ring. 6. What process, services and support do your clients Receive? I either provide coaching or develop marketing specific campaigns and copywriting.
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7. What challenges did you face in setting up your Business? Initially fear of leaving a guaranteed income - but then we ran seminars that were sell outs so we just got too busy to think about our reservations. 8. Tell us about some of the expectations that you had. Have they been met?
10. Do you provide services Nationally? Not often because people outside New Zealand won’t know me though nowadays geography is not a factor. 11. Do you have any plans for overseas expansion? No, not at this stage. We are extremely busy helping our New Zealand based clients.
We did not know what to expect. 12. What would you say It has been a wonderful and to someone looking for exciting journey. a business or marketing 9. What types of services do consultant and what advice you offer? would you give them? Sales team performance coaching and marketing services .
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Only engage them on a small basis to start. If they cannot get you quick results then stop. A good marketer can find untapped opportunities everywhere if they are any good
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Smart B.O.M.B. Magazine | 43
DID MY DOG FIGURE OUT TARGET MARKETING?
By Eric Barton
What my dog can teach you about your marketing Time is money and how to get the most out of it Why and how to drill deep into your true market for better results I’m sure you’ve heard about target marketing and finding the right one for your business before, so I thought we could continue a little more on that today and learn a lesson from my dog at the same time.
Everyone is not our target market, so what do we do? Well… We know in business, time is money, so why not use your time as wisely as possible?
offered to them currently, that you could provide? There are plenty more things you can do to uncover your target market, but this will get you off to a great start.
One way to do that is by simply I better go see which target drilling down and really finding market my dogs chasing now. I'll the perfect target market for your see you next time. product or services. My challenge for you today – if you accept - is to simply step back and identify your ideal target Well, Sammy used to go nuts over squirrels, birds, rabbits and market. other critters, but now her focus is only on the rabbits. She could I would love to tell you everyone care less about the squirrels and is your target market, but we already know that's not true. other animals. You may be thinking "That's great Eric, but Who is your perfect market? what does your dog chasing a certain kind of animal have to do Once you have identified them, with me and my business?" then start to drill deep. I mean: Eric Barton is the author of The simple ● What are they reading? “Fast and Easy Steps To answer...Everything! ● Where do they hang out? Marketing Succe$$”, a member of America's PremierExperts, ● What's going on their You may not be chasing squirrels featured radio guest, marketing lives? or rabbits in your business, but strategist, SEO specialist, direct you are chasing some kind of ● What are their deep response copywriter and serial target market, aren’t you? desires and fears? entrepreneur. ● How can you solve those? One issue business owners often You can visit his website at: ● What do they really want face is that they wasted a lot of www.fasteasysuccess.com and is something not time chasing the wrong market. You see, I think my dog is either hanging out with me too much or somehow figured out how to subscribe to my newsletter. Why?
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Smart B.O.M.B. Magazine | 45
10 WAYS TO DRIVE MORE TRAFFIC TO YOUR BLOG By Jessica Swanson
How to bring in a surge of new prospects for each blog post that you create. A cost-effective way to include your blog in hundreds of niche blog directories and catalogs. Three simple solutions to make sure that your readers interact with your blog posts. Imagine that you’ve taken the It’s called “lack of traffic” and if giant leap to start a blog to bring there’s no traffic to your blog, no more brand awareness and one will ever see it. Period. exposure to your small business. So, how can you begin enticing You’ve taken all the necessary readers to visit your blog? Here steps to build your blog platform are ten quick ways to generate a and now comes the day when flow of non-stop blog traffic: you create your very first blog post. You spend hours crafting a 1. Create great content. post that is educational, Obviously, this goes without inspirational and positions you saying. But, your content needs as an expert in your field. You’re to educate, entertain, inspire or as proud of this post as if it truly offer a solution to your reader’s were your own flesh and blood. problems. You want to try to And, most of all you can’t wait to accomplish at least one of these share it with the world. tasks with every blog post. So, you hit “publish” and wait for your readers to react to your nuggets of wisdom. (And, you wait and wait and wait….) Why aren’t you generating any comments? Why aren’t people emailing you thrilled with your expert advice?
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2. Keep your posts short, sweet and to the point. We’re living in an age where short attention spans are the norm. Keep your posts around 500 words so that you don’t lose your ADD readers.
3. Get your blog indexed with the big boys. Take the time to index your blog in the top directories such as Dmoz.org, Yahoo, Google and Technorati. You can easily do this manually in less than 30 minutes. 4. Submit your blog feed to smaller blog catalogs. There are hundreds of niche blog catalogs on the Internet. When readers are searching catalogs for blogs to read, you want to make sure that your blog is there. For about $25, you can use a service such as SEOFlicks to manually post to hundreds of blog catalogs.
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5. Entice your readers to subscribe to your blog. Offer your readers a free goodie (such as a downloadable ebook, whitepaper, audio class, etc.) if they subscribe to your blog. Make sure that your readers can subscribe to your blog through an RSS feed as well as email. You can use Feedburner to manage your subscriptions. 6. Include your blog URL on all of your social networks. Include an obvious link to your blog on all of your social networks including: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, Flickr, Slideshare, etc. You’ll be surprised how many folks find your blog through your social networks.
9. Offer to write a blog post for a high-traffic blog. Research various blogs within your particular industry by heading over to Technorati. Read the blogs, comment on the blogs and interact with the blogger. Once you’ve established a relationship, send them an email politely letting them know that you would be willing to be a guest blogger for them at any time in the future. Include a link to your Jessica is the Founder and own blog so that they can check President of Shoestring Marketing University and Shoestring out the quality of your work. Marketing Solutions.
10. Use your blog posts in your ezine or newsletter. Instead of writing a brand new article for your weekly ezine or newsletter, send out the first few paragraphs of one of your past blog posts. Then include a link for the reader to continue reading the post on your blog.
7. Get involved in the blog community. Blogging is a social activity. Read other blogs, comment on other blogs and link to other Once you implement these ten blogs within your own blog posts. strategies, you’ll certainly notice a spike in traffic and begin 8. Engage with your readers. generating comments and When your readers make interaction from hundreds (even comments on your blog, make thousands) of readers in your sure that you comment back. You particular industry. want to encourage a natural back and forth dialogue between you and your readers.
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Jessica has helped thousands of small business owners, all over the world, implement low-cost, highimpact marketing campaigns. Armed with years of teaching and a M.S. in Written Communications, Jessica takes complicated marketing concepts, turns them upside-down, and makes them incredibly simple and outrageously straightforward. Known for her energy, passion and “get-it-done” attitude, Jessica shares her savvy marketing tips through her information-packed blog at www.ShoestringMarketing University.com To download Jessica’s FREE Shoestring Marketing Kit go to: www.ShoestringMarketingKit.com
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THE IRRESISTIBLE FORCE By Richard Petrie
Why selling is really two sales. How to control your prospect’s mind before you start your pitch. The secret of great influencers throughout history. The Persuasion Secret Of Selling
Before you exercise you prepare your muscles by warming up to increase your flexibility and increase your power.
In every sale, either in person or in an advertisement, there are at The same is true when you are least two sales that have to be looking to sell your idea or made. product. The right preparation of The main sale, of course, is the your target’s mind transforms product or service you ultimately your result exponentially. want to sell. But before you can Let me prove it. even get a chance to sell your main product, you must first sell Scenario #1 It is 6am on the morning of your birthday. Your 5 your prospect on giving you a year-old daughter proudly receptive audience. That is marches into your bedroom, known as the sale before the chest out singing loudly sale. In short, you must sell the presenting the gift she has made chance to sell. Master this sale and your conversion rate soars, for you. you can charge higher prices and You turn on the light to see a your sales cycle is reduced poorly wrapped lump and the joy overnight. on her little face as she hands you the package… eagerly The Sale Before The Sale waiting for your reaction. She has made her own wrapping paper Before you paint a wall you and drawn ‘I love you, I love you, prepare it. The better the prep the better the finish. Before you I Love you, HAPPY BIRTHDAY’ plant a seed you make sure the all over the paper. soil is fertile and moist so the Now consider for a moment your seed can grow. reaction.
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I would imagine that no matter what was inside the wrapping your reaction would be predictable. “Oh my goodness this is fantastic, did you make it yourself?” you will enquire. ‘Do you like it?’ she asks. ‘Like it? Are you kidding,’ you respond. ‘I love it’. You daughter has done something very clever. She has prepared your mind to respond exactly how she wants you to by skilfully selling you on being a receptive audience. The sale before the sale. Let’s take the same gift and see what happens when the sale before the sale has been removed. Scenario #2 Ok, now it is just a regular day. You are busy working on an important project. You see the gift your daughter has made sitting on the kitchen table.
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The gift has no wrapping, just sits there naked of any context. You wife says casually, ‘Oh, Sally made that for you’. No fanfare, no proud faces, no birthday song at 6am, just a poorly made clay cup. You don’t respond because you are worried about getting your work finished. Twenty minutes later your daughter passes you and does not mention the gift. Neither do you.
Kennedy needed Americans to put aside politics to work together to create a brighter future. Kennedy’s sale before the sale was delivered in his inauguration address. The speech was 1364 words and took 13 minutes and 59 seconds to deliver, from the first word to the last word, not including applause at the end, making it the fourth-shortest inaugural address ever delivered.
Real examples Master motivator Tony Robbins will tell you that questions control focus and focus controls emotions. So in selling, a simple question or statement that pre frames a pitch can be our secret weapon.
Let me give you a few examples. Top insurance agent and client of mine, Kevin, wanted to sell more life insurance. The problem is no He famously challenged his one ever wants to buy because the person who pays never gets nation with "Ask not what your A day later the clay cup is country can do for you - ask what the payout. discretely thrown away. you can do for your country". So Kevin asked himself a very The gift was the same but there Just a few words, but it is widely smart question. ‘What emotional was no sale before the sale. considered to be among the best state of mind do I want my client Your mind was not to be in as I present the idea of presidential inauguration preconditioned to move into a speeches in American history, life insurance?’ receptive state first and Sally and sparked a new era of misses out on the love and optimism. His answer was ‘fear’. Then he affection of an adoring parent. asked, ‘What statement or Great influencers throughout When moving minds from closed question can I ask to trigger a history mastered the ‘sale before or neutral the secret of the sale reaction of fear before I start my the sale’. before the sale is the control of life insurance pitch?’ emotions prior to the core Kennedy was nominated as the message. Emotions drive His answer has already been Democratic candidate for the decisions, decisions drive worth millions. Realising that the presidency in the 1960 actions, and actions drive results. wife is the key decision maker, presidential election, Kevin would look at the husband defeating Republican candidate As soon as you can influence the and say ‘You are dead’. Then and Vice President Richard emotions of others you open the turn to the wife and say, ‘How are Nixon in a bitter campaign that door to becoming a master you going to support yourself divided the nation. persuader. and your family for the next 20 years?’
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The husband would usually try to step in, to which Kevin would respond ‘Shut up! You are dead’, then turn back to the wife and tell her to ‘Answer the question’. The sale before the sale is made. He now has a receptive audience. Regardless of the financial situation this was enough to trigger a minor panic in the wife that could only be removed with a life insurance upgrade on her husband life.
than anything else and the keyto success in selling. So I needed a question that would trigger that response.
Then ask ‘What question can I ask to trigger that emotion?’. Don’t stop until you have a long list of questions to test.
My question became ‘Given your sales people have the skills and tools for their role, what portion of their success would you attribute to the mindset?’
Master the sale before the sale and you can become rich in business beyond your wildest dreams.
The answer was always ‘80100%’ So I would ask ‘How much time and effort do you currently spend developing their 80%?’ ‘None’ was always the answer.
Instant Transformation
Then I would follow up with, ‘Do you think if you invested even a When I first started to sell my little time and effort into mental skills training programme developing the 80% you could for sales people it was a tough get a disproportionate return on sell. No one ever considered your investment?’‘Yes I guess buying mental training for sales so,’ they would answer, and now people. the pitch that followed was effortless. They were used to sales training but performance psychology was Having sold the prospect on the only considered normal for sports idea that mindset training is the people and Olympic athletes. key to success and that they had been looking in the wrong place So I asked myself a question. for results (traditional sales ‘What state of mind do I want my training) selling my programme prospect in as we discuss had become easy. mental skills training?’ First ask yourself ‘How do my My answer was I wanted them to prospects need to be feeling for feel that mental skills training them to be super responsive to was a more powerful training my offer?’
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Richard Petrie Richard is author of the book the Persuasion Equation, writes on his web site www.speedmarketing.co.nz and develops research backed sales processes to increase conversion. If you have a question, comment or want to reach Richard he is available at Richard@speedmarketing.co.nz
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SEO - CONTENT IS KING BUT KEYWORDS RULE By James Hourigan
Keywords Still Rule Search
Google Helps You Get Clicks
Keywords - What You Must do on Your Web Pages
Exceptional Content does not Equal Clicks
The good news is that really interesting, useful information (content) on the Internet is like cream in milk – rising to the top of the search engine ranking pile, albeit somewhat slowly.
I am one who is thankful for the Internet as it allows me to filter the messages I listen to and I can actually seek and find what exactly is of interest to me.
community and the original meaning was:Keyword: any significant word or phrase used to describe the contents of a document.
The one caveat is that I must As Google continuously know exactly what I am seeking However, keyword is no longer improves that mystical algorithm, and what I intend to do once I find just a noun. It is so widely used in the sites with the best content will it. Internet marketing that it has also be the ones getting more visits, become an adjective and we and that’s the way the world It seems like that is stating the now have: – should be for all marketers. obvious, but what is it that I am looking for when I type ‘apple’ in Keyword Search: A type of However, getting your content my search bar – the company or search that looks for matching seen by the masses is still the the fruit? We have to decide or documents that contain one or number ONE challenge for all the search engine decides for us. more words specified by the online marketing. user. Google now employs real Exceptional Content does not humans to assess Searchers’ As the starting point of the equal Clicks . Intent for various keywords. Google algorithm is keyword search, it is essential that you Keywords Still Rule Search use the right keywords within If you have been marketing online your webpages to attract visitors. for any length of time, you will be familiar with the terms: Exceptional content using the right keywords will help your site keywords, keyword phrase and rise to the top. But every day we are bombarded long tail keywords. by hundreds of messages, which have little effect in improving our The term, keyword, was not lives. invented by the Internet In a perfect free world, all outstanding information designed to make our lives better would be clearly visible to all.
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However do not select a keyword and base your entire web page around that one keyword. It is best to write your page and then look for the keyword/s that best describe what your page is about. Google Helps You Get Clicks In Le Tour de Search, Google is the boss of the peloton. I’m an avid fan of Le Tour de France and getting to the top of search engine ranking can be as arduous as this famous bicycle race. Go Cadel! When you have your website live online go to the Google Keyword Tool and enter your web address and the tool will tell you what your site is about and show you how many searches there are for different keywords. There are other programs you can use for keyword research but this one has two important attributes: it’s free and it’s published by the search engine used by more than 90% of searchers.
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Once you have decided which keyword/s offer the most benefit to your site, include them on your web pages but do not over use them. What You Must do with Keywords on Your Webpages ● Include them in the Title tag: A title tag is the main text that describes your webpage. It is written in html language and is displayed in search results. To view – When on your page, right click and left click – View Source and the Title appears near the top. E.g. Google Keyword Tool Box ● Include them in the Description tag: The description provides a concise summary of the page’s content and it appears under the Title in the search results. I refer
to it as your free “advertisement” on the results page as it is your opportunity to encourage searchers to click your Link. The Description is also part of the html that does not show on your site unless you right-click and go to View Source. E.g. Newest version Google Keyword Tool and Webmaster Chart of…… ● Include them in the H1 header: Defines the most important content on the page for search engines and just as importantly, makes the page more readable for humans. H1 is the equivalent of Heading 1 in MS Word. Usually it is the first heading you have on the site. E.g. Google Keyword Tool
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● Include them in the body text: but no more than 3 times per 100 words. E.g. Type in any word, phrase or website name. Google gives a list of keyword ideas plus data showing how often words are searched and their ad bid competition. Tool has many uses but is designed … ● Include them in the URL: (Universal Resource Locator) i.e. your webpage address. E.g. www.googlekeyword tool.com However, should it not be possible to include your keyword in the main domain name, add it after a / in your website URL: E.g. www.mydomain.com/keyword
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When you have decided on the best keywords for your site you can use our FREE Google Search Traffic Calculator to estimate the traffic you can expect from Google rank 1 to Google rank 10 for your keywords. Please share your SEO experiences. You can visit the Smart Bomb website www.smartbomb.com look for my name under Ask the Experts and send me a message.
James Hourigan James is passionate about eliminating the mystery surrounding SEO to enable business owners to extract the maximum return on their investment from this modern marketing activity. E. seo@searchmeseo.com W. www.searchmeseo.com Click to access your GST Calculator.
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Smart B.O.M.B. Magazine | 55
HOW TO KEEP YOUR CUSTOMERS HAPPY EVEN WHEN YOU PUT THE PRICE UP By Geoff Vautier
Why you need to keep your customers informed Ways to write to them. 7 Deadly Sins to avoid. Customers are not dumb
People know that 'going green' costs more at present and many They know what's going on in the are prepared to pay the price. world and they are realists. As Prepare your facts in advance so consumers, none of us likes price hikes but they've become a you can justify the price increase to your customer. fact of life. Your customers are probably well This will help you if you are speaking to them or writing to aware of global and national them (see below). price changes due to: Price increases are inevitable and all consumers know that, but they don't want to be treated like idiots. Keep your customers informed and they're more likely to accept without a fight. You must explain to existing customers just why the price is going up.
● Fluctuation in the price of raw materials. ● Increased safety and security measures. ● Rise in postal and delivery charges.
Sure, they won't be exactly happy when they find out you are raising your prices, but if the message is delivered right, then they'll probably understand. Even if they don't buy from you this time, you will have maintained your good relationship with them so they can soon come back!
● Increase in labour costs.
How to write your letter to If these are relevant to your price them increase, then say so. If there are When people have information, other changes, , for example, you Well, the 'letter' might be a letter they can turn the situation over in want to provide a more or it might be an email or their own minds and come to the ecologically responsible product, something else you write to tell same conclusion as you – that then the costs of this are higher. your customers about your you had to raise you prices. upcoming price increase.
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Whatever it is, what goes into the 7 Deadly Price Rise Sins communication is really 1. Don't rush into any increase important. you can't justify. It needs to be: 2. Don't spring a price rise on your customers (or your staff). ● Customer oriented remember to think like the 3. Don't convey a take-it-orcustomer. leave-it attitude to customers. ● Results oriented - paint a picture of how the results will benefit the buyer. ● Value specific – outline the value of your product or service before you talk about price increases.
4. Don't make concessions – if you say "buy before the price goes up at midnight on Friday", stick to it OR make it very clear to the customer that you are making an exception in their case this once
● Enthusiastic – to keep up 5. Don't focus on price your relationship with your discussions at the expense of talking about value. customer. ● At the end give the name and 'phone number of someone they can call (preferably YOU). They probably won't bother but it makes them feel better to know they could ring up and shout at you!
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6. Don't treat your customers like idiots.
Geoff Vautier Geoff Vautier is an 80-20 guru and pricing specialist. He successfully helps businesses of all sizes to find ways to increase their profits and grow.
7. Don't get into arguments about the increase. www.howtoincreaseprices.com You must explain to existing customers just why the price is going up. When people have information, they can turn the situation over in their own minds and come to the same conclusion as you – that you had to raise you prices.
http://www.geoffvautier.com geoff@howtoincreaseprices.com “Boost your profit: Understand, and charge for, the value you provide”
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EIGHT TIPS ON PRODUCTIVITY How productive are we really in our day to day lives? The latest Ernst & Young Productivity Pulse Survey reveals a third of Australian workers waste almost a quarter of their time at work
By Naomi Simpson
Wasted time costs businesses a collective $41 billion in lost wages and productivity costs each year Do people in your organisation know what they are there to do and what success looks like? And are individual and team contributions recognised and celebrated?
I am quietly musing to myself – laughing on the inside really. I sat down to start this blog more than a month ago – and it's all about productivity. There is no doubt that I needed to attend the lunch to launch the Ernst & Young Productivity Pulse Survey.
● Employees reportedly spend most of their 'wasted' time reading and responding to emails, dealing with technology issues and waiting for approval from management.
Of course I listened with big ears. The challenge, though, is what did I take out of the presentation?
● Wasted time costs businesses a collective $41 billion in lost wages and productivity costs each year.
And how will it make a difference to my business? [I write as I check my phone for messages and respond to a colleague on a query]. Focus could be a big key to productivity. The survey discovered that: ● A third of Australian workers waste almost a quarter of their time at work.
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'productivity' is simply to ask them to work harder, apparently However, I would argue that people need to know what they are working on. If employees know what is expected of them, and they are noticed, there can be a massive shift in productivity. 'I know what I'm there to do, somebody notices, and I go home feeling like a winner.'
The eight tips on productivity ● The survey suggested that from Sean Pyper, general manager for business only 58% of work conducted adds real value productivity improvement at the Commonwealth Bank, presented to the business. at the lunch were: ● 54% of workers say 1. Specify the value in the people management eyes of the customer – issues have the biggest focus on what is important impact on lost productive to customers rather than time. what you 'think' is important to customers. The best way to improve people
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1. Create flow in processes – no double handling or backtracking. 2. Eliminate waste. 3. Reduce variations – that is, consistency saves wasted energy.
So the questions I pose are: 1. Do people in your organisation know what they are there to do and what success looks like? 2. And are individual and team contributions recognised and celebrated?
4. Do it correctly the first time – look for the cause rather than the symptoms. Perhaps that is the first place to start on reducing the 25% lost 5. Make performance visible time in one in every three – (e.g. scoreboards in Australian businesses. public places). 6. Actively manage all processes – reviewing and improving. 7. Coach people for excellence in performance As I read through this list, I think to myself all of the above will take commitment from leaders and employees: And to achieve such flow in process takes leadership, commitment and ongoing execution.
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Naomi Simson Naomi Simson is founder of fastgrowth experiential gifting retailer http://www.redballoon.com.au. An employee engagement advocate and sought after employer, RedBalloon is listed as one of only six Hewitt Best Employers in Australia and New Zealand with an engagement score of over 90 percent. Comments and questions can be sent to Naomi via her blog at http://www.naomisimson.com
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TURNING YOUR MARKETING INTO MONEY By Rachael Henke
What you need in place to generate prospects
Package up your expertise for more streams of income
Turning prospects and leads into money!
Make more money by providing what your clients want to buy
Map out the buying process for your customers How to Generate Leads or Prospects
simply by offering a free report which gives some valuable tips and training about your niche Once you’ve got your marketing topic and then gives an funnel in place and have begun to introduction to your coaching or consulting service. drive some targeted traffic to your free giveaway offer the next Or if you’re a small business step is to get your streams of owner and want to market your income in place. product line with the internet you Starting with a free offer such as could also start with the free a special report, audio or video giveaway and educate your prospects on which product or is the best way to build your list and generate leads or prospects products might be the right choice for them. for your business. Turning Prospects and Leads Map out the buying process for your customers or clients into Money! After that you need to convert the leads into money. What you sell at your website & how you do that will depend on what type of business and niche you are in.
To be successful with online marketing it’s essential that you create some clear packages or programmes so people can get all the details easily and decide which option they want to go with.
Map out your process for connecting with your potential clients when they have expressed interest or if you’re selling a product online then map out the exact process your customers will take in order to buy the product. Package up your expertise for more streams of income Once you’ve figured out how to get clients or sales online the next step for you could be to add in an information product which teaches your niche clients how to do whatever your service is. This could be a digital product or a home study programme delivered to your customers’ door.
Let’s say you’re a coach or consultant; you could begin
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This allows you to make money when you are not working one on one with clients and gives you another stream of income and as a result a lot of time freedom. Marketing information products online is my favourite business model because I love creating them and I love the leverage that they provide.
product and benefit from all of your experience and hard work.
You can adapt my basic niche expert business model for any type of small business and gain As you gain more experience you greater leverage and turn your can add in more streams of marketing efforts into more income such as e-books, digital streams of income. audios, CD sets, tele-seminars, physical books, DVDs, membership sites and niche websites.
Once you have nailed your niche You can help a lot more people expert topic the sky is the limit. with a good information product than you can working one to one. Make more money by providing what your clients There are only so many hours in want to buy a day and one on one coaching or service providing might be Weaving affiliate beyond the budget of many recommendations through your people who may want your help. marketing funnel is yet another way to add in a low effort and You could for instance package high return income stream. Think up your coaching system into an about all the services and information product – digital or products you use that are hard copy and you’ll not only relevant to your niche topic. position yourself as an expert in your niche but will also learn a lot Look to see if they offer an by creating your own system. affiliate programme – you can usually find out by Googling the As a coach or consultant you name of the service followed by most likely have a clear system ‘affiliate.’ already but you may never have got it down on paper. Affiliate programmes are often free to join and the best ones Now is the time to package up provide marketing tools to help your expertise into a step by step you promote the product.
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Rachel Henke Rachel is the author of The Niche Expert and founder of Rachel Henke Global, a virtual training and coaching company showing entrepreneurs and small business owners how to stand out online and build a visible brand to attract perfect clients, sales and opportunities. To receive Rachel’s free Niche Expert Training video series visit http://www.Rachelhenke.com To connect with Rachel on Facebook pop over to http://www.Facebook.com/Rachel henkefan
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CATCHING THE SMARTPHONE WAVE WITH RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN By Mark Rocket
In this article we’ll discuss: The growing mobile market
Smartphone consumer needs
What’s Responsive Web Design?
Responsive Web Design’s Key Principles
Smartphones are everywhere, meaning more and more of your valuable web traffic is coming from mobile devices. This growing market has a number of specific needs, and one of them is an accessible website design.
with people browsing mobile sites to get the information or product they need instantly. With the second highest smartphone penetration rate according to an Ourmobileplanet.com survey, Austalia is poised to further adopt this simple, instant, impulsive buying.
Responsive Web Design is an excellent solution and a new way of thinking about building a If you have a product or service website. that would be needed while out and about, targeting a smartphone market is pivotal. The Rise of the Smartphone Market Smartphones are also being used to research and make Smartphones have become ubiquitous around the globe. Not informed buying decisions. With internet access available even as only are they more widely used you stand inside a store deciding than ever, they also sport an which product to choose, 57% of incredibly diverse range of users have researched a product functions. On-the-go internet of service on their mobile, usage is becoming standard, according to the survey.
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This kind of actively engaged mobile use is a hot lead into real sales, and the smartphone market as a whole is filled with individuals who are in the process of making a consumer decision – where to go, what to eat, what to buy, who to trust. It’s important that when they look you up, not only do they find crucial information, they do so in a way that encourages them further. Smartphone Consumer Needs The Smartphone consumer has a particular set of needs that should be catered to in order to capitalise on their increasing attention. Your mobile web design and marketing should:
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● Be easy to use. Mobile design requires a different tack to traditional websites, and should be created with a small screen and thumbs in mind.
extent that they’re impossible to cater to individually. Responsive Web Design (RWD) is a solution that has gained widespread popularity.
This new way of designing websites means one single web layout can fit any screen size. It does this by automatically detecting the device’s resolution, and then changing and adjusting the contents so that they fit comfortably. This requires an extremely fluid, flexible design, which is why this trend is so ● Be light on bandwidth. Most mobile plans still offer interesting. limited data, so people are RWD sites are inherently easy to likely to backtrack if your use as they automatically resize site is too heavy. text, images and buttons to the correct viewing size. What’s Responsive Web Design (RWD)? Their unique design means it’s essential to cutback any Of course, the other distinct unnecessary elements, and aspect to the mobile market is that it’s incredibly diverse. In any refine your website down into its essential mobile functions. This mobile phone shop you’ll find a huge range of screen sizes and is perfect for the Smartphone consumer, who only wants to handset configurations, to the ● Be focused and direct. On-the-go users don’t want to trawl for the info they seek, they want to be led straight to it. Take advantage of this and streamline important user goals.
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meet their goal on your site as quickly as possible. Finally, as specially designed mobile sites they are light and highly browsable. Responsive Web Design’s Key Principles In practical terms, responsive web design revolves around 3 main principles: ● Customisable Structure. The foundation of RWD sites is a layout (usually grid like) that is freeform, and can deal in relative sizes and values rather than absolute ones. For instance, instead of saying, “this banner is 500 pixels wide”, you’d say, “this banner is 80% of the screen wide. ● Resized images. Images are liable to become distorted when rescaled, so it’s best to keep it simple.
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● An easy code will scale navigation and content to direct them towards their – images to the size of the and your – end goal. page, and it’s important to critically examine which are essential and which are not. Responsive Web Design is an exciting new technology set ● Hiding information. to shape the mobile Rather than aiming for a webscape long into the miniature version of your future. website, you should think about which elements are really crucial to the mobile audience and only include these. Use focused
If you’re getting 5% or more of your traffic from mobile devices, then it would be a good time to consider how to ensure these visitors are getting an optimal viewing experience.
Next time you view your website stats, you might want to check your mobile device usage.
. Mark Rocket Mark Rocket is an Internet entrepreneur and space enthusiast.
Mark was the first Kiwi to book a ticket with Virgin Galactic and has a broad network within the international space community.
He is passionate about developing Mark kicked off Avatar, a web the commercial space industry design and marketing company, in and is a former Company Director 1998 and the web directory and investor of Rocket Lab. NZS.com in 2000. Currently Mark resides in Mark also co-founded New Christchurch and enjoys his Zealand Tourism Online in 1998 ongoing cyberspace adventures and the company was purchased with Avatar and NZS.com by Telecom Yellow Pages in 2006.
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www.maxiom.com.au Smart B.O.M.B. Magazine | 65
STOP TRYING TO USE CORPORATE PRINCIPLES ON SMALL BUSINESSES By Mike O’’Hagan Corporate financial planning is good for corporates. Most small business bootstrap their way into existence Many years ago the Banking people asked the Academic people to develop a better way, than the traditional P&L and Balance Sheet, to assess a business. At that time small businesses were uncommon, most being large “corporate” businesses.
MOST OF WHAT THEY TEACH is good for Corporate and unviable for Small business. They are very different business models.
MBA business plans assume a financial investment is made and the principle is to get a return on this investment. In relity most After studying the corporate start-ups bootstrap their way into business model they produced existence. Simply, they start with what we today know as the “MBA next to no money and limit what Business Model”. they remove from the business – fueling growth from cash flow A structured Business plan with profits. all its components showing the path forward, generally with a Perhaps the biggest issue I see heavy bias towards “costing” with the MBA type of planning is each component. The Banking nearly all financials and people just wanted a more projections are “assumptions”. efficient method to assess a business. Therefore the whole plan is based on guess work. As time developed a whole industry, driven by Governments In saying this I do believe you and a swag of people, who have need a clear idea “why” you are been unable to build a business in business, with clear strategies for themselves, developed around the products, customers teaching “business” to new and and workers. small business people.
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So how does small business usually grow? Simply by trying lots of different things and doing more of what they find works.
Mike O'Hagan is well-known as one of Queensland's most innovative entrepreneurs. Twentysix years ago he pioneered a unique business in short distance residential removals, MiniMovers,which has grown to a National operation. Mike also sits on a range of Boards including the Australian Institute of Management AIM Qld & NT, The Cyber Institute, and the National Board of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. Mike has recently completed his Masters in Entrepreneurship program at MIT in Boston USA
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D IS FOR DREAM TEAM By Tony Falkenstein
“The only place where 1 + 1 = 3” -Anonymous If you have been a manager for a year, you have the team you deserve. If you still have people on your team, who you know are not pulling their weight, then look in the mirror to find who is to blame. One great employee is worth two mediocre employees. A great employee will not only produce far more than a mediocre person, but they see their job as a responsibility and they will be innovative and always be looking for a better way to do things. They will have an attitude that makes other people want to be part of their team.
If you can develop one great person to lead every five mediocre employees, the mediocre ones should be effectively apprenticed to the great ones, and you will have your dream team in double quick time.
need to invest time, energy and commitment to ensure you have your dream team together. Once you have the team you deserve, then develop them into a team of top players, encouraging their individual talents to add to the might of the team.
But if you only have one great person in an organisation of twenty, it is not enough for him or The dream team is unbeatable! her to be effective, and you will find they will get frustrated and leave. Great people make great teams, and together can move mountains. Great teams focus on getting the job done, they know that they are all cogs in making the wheel turn faster and one person faltering slows the wheel down. They ensure that doesn’t happen. Great teams recognise the differences in people – they realise they need the various types whether they be creative or precise, extrovert or introvert, salesmen or accountants – all of them make up Dream Teams.
Tony Falkenstein OMNZ has worked as an entrepreneur with multinationals and public companies, and now owns the majority share in publicly listed Just Water International Limited, You’ll know if you don’t have a as well as privately- owned great team as the conflicts will be Bartercard New Zealand Limited.
internal, rather than where it matters – out in the marketplace. He founded Red Eagle So, if you want your Company to grow and prosper, you really
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Corporation in 1987, a week after the sharemarket crash….Read more
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E IS FOR ENERGY ZAPPERS By Tony Falkenstein
“Guess what, there’s another bomb out there, it is going to kill a lot more, but I’m not telling you where it is.” - Wolf Blitzer How sad it is, that the world has a proportion of people who are Energy Zappers.
Just one living Energy Zapper in your crew will affect many others, who suddenly are infected with doubts that maybe their world is about to end.
Expose them with a memo to all staff headed ‘Energy Zappers – our conflict is in the marketplace, not the workplace – if your Nothing is positive for Energy colleague wants to moan, tell Zappers – if they won Lotto, they them to talk to their supervisor, as would still find something to They are the ones who spread you can’t do anything. complain about! Energy Zappers rumours, sway other negative are the party poopers of every people and fence sitter types that Let’s make our workplace an organisation … until you nothing good can come out of energy zapper free zone.’ eradicate them, they will these new changes. undermine everything positive in your organisation. They will offset the new manager from day one and generally resist all attempts at fresh thinking and positive energy being introduced into their surroundings. Do be careful, as energy zappers are like gamblers or alcoholics – they try and hide the disease. How do you get rid of energy zappers? This is the great consequence; they get rid of themselves once they are exposed!
Brian suddenly realized no one was listening any more… how could that be?
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They are unable to work in an atmosphere of positivity, and when they no longer have any influence, they will leave seeking somewhere else receptive to their negativity.
Tony Falkenstein OMNZ has worked as an entrepreneur with multinationals and public companies, and now owns the majority share in publicly listed Just Water International Limited, as well as privately- owned Bartercard New Zealand Limited. He founded Red Eagle Corporation in 1987, a week after the sharemarket crash….Read more
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Ask an Expert - Franchising Business Development Alliance
Strategise Systemise Commercialise Franchising is a highly competitive sector with a unique set of challenges. But we discovered that successful franchises have one common characteristic, and that is extraordinary “passion”. This is a key asset for any business owner, particularly in franchising - along with getting great advice - as Mark Fernandez from Business Development Alliance explains. 1. What inspired you to start BDA? What are your goals and values?
passion and determination. With our never ending search for excellence coupled with our experience we believe that we have a lot to offer anyone either BDA has been servicing the Franchise and Business sectors entering or already immersed in since 2002 and we have grown the sector. into one of Australia’s Premier Management Consultancy. Our 3. What experience do you values enable us to express have helping franchise sector what we do and what we believe clients? in, which, in turn enables us to put into practice what we are We have been involved in the committed to, which is – Franchising sector for over 40 excellence in everything we do. years and have experience across all facets of franchising. Our goals revolve around With this vast experience we providing the best advice, believe our clients can only service and education to benefit from what we have Franchise Networks whilst learned along the way and that assisting and educating brings expertise to the table prospective franchises to when making those critical become more profitable. business decisions.
4. Do you service other sectors as well? Yes, we have worked in many sectors assisting business grow including; manufacturing, retail, hospitality, shipping and wholesale. We have the capabilities and experiences to assist any small business find its growth path. 5. What are the main reasons that someone would choose BDA to assist with developing their business?
Businesses choose BDA as we assist in finding the right growth path. We will determine wether Licensing, Agency Agreements, Dealerships, Co-Operatives or Franchising is the best way forward. Most business understand the need for control 2. What was the driving force Our Director is a Committee when expanding however, may Member of the Franchise behind your decision to Council of Australia WA Chapter not be aware of the boundaries specialise in the franchise in which that control can be and is intimately involved in a sector? exercised. number of well recognised brands within the sector. Its all about passion!!! This sector demands a high level of
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We have had many clients over the years that just need good, sound business advice and that’s where we come in. A’ sounding board’ for senior management and for those franchises that need assistance along the journey. 6. What process, services and support do your clients receive?
completing the Viability Study, Financial Modelling, Scripting Operation Manuals to Training and Recruitment. The real work starts after the launch of a franchise, we then take a ‘coaching ‘ role in the organisation just to keep things on track and to enable the practical application of the system is actually in play.
8. Do you provide services nationally? Yes we do, we have worked in all states and territories in and across our beautiful country. 9. Do you have any plans for overseas expansion?
We are looking to form international affiliates with 7. Who is the target market for companies that have the same We provide a ‘one stop shop’ for your business? values and principals as us. franchising your business. We undertake all activities in setting Typically we find that business 12. What would you say to up a franchise; everything from looking to grow and have heard someone looking to franchise about franchising but not really their business? sure what It’s all about. Yes they know of the major brands but are The key here is to get good looking for a guiding hand to quality advice. If you want to be take their business to a new successful in an industry that level. employees around 650,000 Australians and contributes Business that have been more that $140b to the operating successfully for at Australian Economy, then you least 12 months and are need to have a relentless search profitable are now looking to for excellence. expand. With this in mind, setting the structures and putting the Surround yourself with the best infrastructure in place for growth advisors that you can afford and can be a costly exercise and get out and chat to people in the without sound advice can leave industry – these are my top tips you exposed and put your for business that are looking to business at risk, hence we are grow through franchising. finding more and more Mark Fernandez - brings over 20 Mark Fernandez entrepreneurs seeking years of senior management mark@bda-online.com.au experience in business development professional advice. and franchising to your business. www.bda-online.com.au 24 | Modern Franchise Magazine maxiom
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Smart | C OMPANY FEATURE
GETTING TO KNOW YOU: GENE STARK We talk to Gene Stark from The Marketing Network about why business is about 2 things and 2 things only; marketing and innovation. What inspired you to start The Marketing Network? What are your goals and values?
Then I met my current business What was the driving force partner Chris Dobbin, who was behind your decision to thinking along very similar lines. specialise in marketing strategy? Chris had complimentary skills and was a strange animal who Marketing Strategy is something I was consulting for about 5 had expertise in design and years and had a dream of that I have always had a passion developing a marketing agency digital (read technology) so we for, and it allows me to be have little 'cross over' in our for the SME segment - the involved across many business areas of expertise and hence businesses that needed decisions, although technically rarely ever step on each others marketing advice and most of what we do is Marketing toes - an important factor in any Communication Strategy and assistance most. business partnership. then implementation. We do The idea was for a one stop have other specialist partners in shop and kind of like McKinsey Our main goal is to educate the Marketing Network that focus SME business owners on the meets Saatchi & Saatchi for the on other elements of the importance of marketing in their marketing mix like Pricing. SME market. business, stop them wasting I had tried numerous times with money and have a better life, Today I also get involved in after all SME's make up the different prospective partners providing strategic advice to our majority of the economy and who all loved the idea but the design team, plan and develop provide jobs for so many people, venture didn’t get off the ground content for our clients, work with they also tend to be the most because everyone wanted to a copywriter and teach and stressed, and under funded, we coach our clients on using develop this big wonderful new “animal� from scratch and I want to give them the best LinkedIn. chance of success. was determined that it had to come together organically as noWhat types of customers do one knew the hurdles ahead of We have the goal of making you help? What experience them understand that as Peter us, and we had to test the do you have helping small Drucker famously said, market. business customers? "business is about 2 things and 2 things only; marketing and Our core target audience and innovation". the majority of our client base is made up of Small Medium Enterprises; mostly professional
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services and industrial companies; Accounting firms, IT Companies, Recruitment, Technology and Software firms, as well as more traditional manufacturers. Both my business partner and I have around 7 years experience each (and about 20 years each in the industry) in the SME Marketing Communication space and between us we would have completed around 200 projects in that time and provided advice to thousands of business owners.
2. We are a "one stop shop" with every imaginable marketing service under one roof, which means an account manager, one invoice, but most importantly an integrated, holistic marketing solution to their challenges. What process, services and support do your clients receive?
We do a lot of hand holding and education, and we now have a process for most of the tasks we perform. We also use online technologies to collaborate with clients on everything from Do you service other sectors Project Management to as well? Copywriting and Web Design as well as store all of this Yes, but they still tend to be communication and working files SME's, like Education / RTO in a client’s own designated type organisations and we have "cloud". done some work with NFP's. We rarely charge by the hour, What are the main reasons most of our work is fixed fee / that someone would choose project based and our clients do not have to stress out about The Marketing Network to being billed when they have a help grow their business? question. 1. Our knowledge and experience, which translates to a What challenges did you face very good understanding of their in setting up your business? customer needs and their Time was and still is the biggest marketing challenges of challenge, not having enough for communicating with those everything you want to customers.
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accomplish TODAY and having to wear multiple hats like every other business owner. The main challenges were in fact around developing processes, templates, etc that were suitable for the SME market, what works in the corporate world simply didn't translate to meet the needs of our clients or our own. Tell us about some of the expectations that you had. Have they been met? Most of our expectations about growth have been met however there are some we are reevaluating and looking for better ways of doing what we do for ourselves and for our clients. The pace of change is such that you never stop and as The Marketing Network we are still relatively young, being 2.5 years old. What types of services do you offer? The Marketing Network is a multidisciplinary organisation that brings together every imaginable professional marketing, creative and management disciplines that
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Smart | C OMPANY FEATURE
have not previously existed in any Do you provide services one organisation under one roof: nationally?
2. The more diverse the marketing consultant’s background the more likely they are to provide your business Brand Development: Mostly in Victoria, we have had with innovative ideas on how to ● Strategy and Positioning clients in NSW and Tasmania, ● Brand Name Development but today there's no reason to be find, attract and retain customers. confined by geography. All of the ● Marketing Plans The most common and silly Freelancer, guru, elance type ● Creative Strategy portals have changed the game. question we get asked is have ● Market Research you worked with "our type of ● Media Planning The only constraint is the mindset business", luckily for us, the ● Personal Brand answer is usually yes, but we try of many SME business owner Development and their desire to have a face to to educate clients that this is face...we usually suggest skype! definitely not the reason why they Content Development: should be choosing us. ● Copywriting for the Web, Do you have any plans for Print, Video Scripts, PR I'm amazed that some business overseas expansion? Releases, Email, Direct owners would put the most Mail, Advertisements We have a few years ahead of us important part of their business Design: before we contemplate this, but into the hands of people who are ● Brand Style Guide we have discussed the different doing the same work for their ● Corporate Collateral ways we can take our concept to direct competitors! ● Web the world! 3. The diversity of the marketing ● Print consultant’s experience is What would you say to ● Email important. someone looking for a ● Packaging & P.O.S. business or marketing ● Photography A marketing consultant that has consultant and what advice worked with big business has the Promotion: would you give them? planning discipline and ● SEO & PPC ● Social Media (Facebook, 1. Consulting in general is one of knowledge that can only be gained working at the big end of LinkedIn, Twitter, etc) the most transient industries and town. ● Online Video marketing is no different. ● PR (Traditional and Online) A marketing consultant ● Direct Mail Make sure they have been that has worked with small and around for a while and intend to ● Branded Merchandise medium enterprises will have the ● Print Advertising & Online stay, rather than go back to the street smarts that come only after comfort of a corporate job. Advertising one has experienced the
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limitations of tiny budgets that force a marketing consultant to think outside the square.
5. Has the marketing consultant worked both on the client and advertising agency side of the marketing fence? Both sets of 4. Does the marketing consultant skills are vital to achieving have Integrated Marketing success for your business. Communication experience, that is experience across all or at Marketing professionals on the least most of the marketing client side concentrate on disciplines, and for how long? developing products or services to meet the needs of their target Integrated Marketing market, managing the Communication is important distribution relationships and because it is the “helicopter the sales process, analysis and view” of your marketing situation, research of buying trends etc. rather than a band-aid approach to the immediate challenges at Marketing professionals on the hand. advertising agency side concentrate on the Here are some of the main communication aspect of areas: marketing, making sure that the right message reaches the right ● Strategic Brand prospects, the right number of Positioning times. ● Online and Social Media Marketing This is also generally the most ● Advertising expensive part of your marketing ● Direct Marketing - getting your message into the ● Media Planning / Buying hands of your prospects, before their eyes, and into their ears. ● Sales Promotions & Events 6. If a marketing consultant can’t ● Personal Selling come up with a few innovative ● PR ways of promoting your business in your first meeting, they are Then ask for proof of their experience and examples in all probably not right for you. of the above areas! Be aware, however, that ideas and strategies are tools of trade and marketing
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consultants may be hesitant to give those away for free, but they should be able to at least provide you with some constructive observations on how your business can be improved. 7. Will the marketing consultant just take your brief or will they challenge it? Does the marketing consultant have the guts to challenge you their potential prospect? Do they have the fortitude to tell their clients and prospect’s the truth about their chances of success, about their briefs and about their businesses in general?
You can contact Gene by email: gene.stark@ themarketingnetwork.com.au or to visit their website go to themarketingnetwork.com.au
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