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Add You - Simplify: Give up Expensive Marketing Tactics
When I originally published this article, there was a picture next to it of three well-known name brand products. There was Tide laundry Heinz ketchup, and Pepsi cola. Even though the pictures of the ketchup and cola bottles were small, you could still easily determine their brands from the colors of the packaging and the shapes of the bottles.The managers who manage those brands at their respective companies have worked very hard over many years to make certain that you (in the U.S. and certain parts of the world) recognize these brands and, hopefully, purchase them. Even though they appear as tiny little pictures on your screen, it’s likely that you were able to identify them very quickly because their managers have focused on getting their images into your mind for years.Companies brand products all the time. So why not brand people?In fact, famous people become brands: actors, professional athletes, and others define themselves using branding techniques, and then market their brand for success.The fact is, if you don’t brand yourself, someone else will, and it probably won’t be the brand you wa
Database- Pull up every warm lead in your database that resides in the general area of where you are presenting, and call or shoot him or her an e-mail letting them know that you are coming their way. Seeing you in action may be just the thing to get them off the fence and on to your calendar.
Target Groups- We all have or should have specific groups that make up our bread-and-butter. For me personally, education, banking and credit unions, counseling/social work, HR professionals- these sectors encompass about 50 percent of my engagements, wit
Do you remember how proud you were the first time you saw your name in print?Most entrepreneurs feel that same flush of pride when they gaze on their new business cards. That small piece of paper represents years of planning and effort and hard work and dreams. The thrill of seeing "your name in print" on a business card is hard to beat.Unfortunately, other people couldn't care less. Your business card, the one you're so proud of, is just another advertisement ? another piece of clutter to file. It's no more or less important than any of the many business cards that cross a prospect's desk at any given point in time.So how do you make sure that your card is one of the few that attracts attention, gets kept, filed, and actually used when your prospect needs your product or service?It pays to think about the reasons people keep cards to begin with. Often, it's not for the reason you expect. Understanding this critical concept can dramatically affect the design and ultimate effectiveness of your card.Let's say that you install and maintain swimming pools. You meet Nancy Newcomer and have a great conversation about landscaping
In October 2000 I became a full-time speaker, jumping into the profession without a part-time job to make ends meet, no credit and very little savings. Since bank robbery was no longer an option, I had to develop a marketing plan that was cheap, easy and would quickly result in paid gigs. The first year I turned a profit, the second year I turned a substantial profit and now, entering my fifth year in the business, I speak as much or as little as I want to. In this chapter, I’d like to share that marketing plan with you.
What little marketing my office does is exclusively via email, and requests for additional information are directed through my web site. My only large initial investment was made in identity design and website development. By having a site that is professionally done, easy to navigate and properly indexed, it can provide meeting planners with all the information they need to make a decision.
I do not incur the time or costs associated with mass mailings or large print runs of marketing materials, and my office never makes cold calls- ever. The promotional material I do send is specifically tailored to each target group. One-sheets are printed as “blank” templates, with high-quality photos, graphics and titles only. Customized program descriptions, specifically targeted to each industry are then printed on demand or simply e-mailed in PDF format. Potential clients that see me as a specialist in their industry are more likely to respond than those who receive material with generic appeal.
Pre-qualifying those who receive your material dramatically reduces overhead. No one receives a packet from my office until the following facts have been established:
• They know what my program(s) consist of, either through my website or word of mouth;
• They know my full fee;
• My fee is within their budget;
• They must have the authority to hire me; and
• They must have an upcoming venue in which professional speakers are utilized.
Too many people just enjoy getting mail- they won’t be getting mine.
E-Mail
Identify your target group, go to their website and send a simple e-mail to the meeting planner, President, President-elect, anyone who looks like they may be part of the decision-making process. The message is customized to include their group name, an introduction of your program that encourages a trip to your website, and a bit of “name dropping”. This is particularly effective if you have a glowing testimonial from one of their colleagues. Either paste an excerpt in to the body of your message or include a link to the full testimonial on your website. Nothing sells like a good word from their own.
Send out e-mails only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. This way, your message is less likely to be discarded as people skim their full in-boxes on Monday morning. If you get a reply stating they do not want to be contacted this way in the future, it is important that you respect their wishes.
After a presentation or any mingling event, be sure to ask for a list of attendees and e-mail addresses. Some organizations and associations have strict policies against sharing this information, but many don’t. Send a thank you note that directs them to your website. It is a great way to build your database, sell additional product, get people to sign up for your e-zine and just generally keep you in mind.
Increase Your Exposure
During the original negotiations with your client, receive permission to have a few guests present during your presentation for preview purposes. Any guests that do attend your presentations are going to hire you if you do your job on the platform. This is a wonderful negotiating tool if the client cannot meet your full fee. Determine an exact “allowance” of table space and make it clear that your guests will be there to preview you only, not to partake in the meal, sessions or any other aspect of the event. When sending invitations, indicate that there are “x” number of spaces available that will be reserved on a first-to-reply basis. Even if you extend an invitation to a total stranger, you’ll be amazed at how warmly people respond when you are “offering” rather than “asking”.
Local calendar- Contact the Hotels, Convention Center, Visitors Bureau and Chamber of Commerce within the city you are visiting. Either visit their website, send an email or call the sales department and introduce yourself as a professional speaker, coming to town for an engagement. Ask about Associations or companies that may be holding events around the same time as your visit. For some there will be a policy of confidentiality and they will not share this list with you, but many will. Then, pull up the company or associations website and e-mail the decision makers an invitation. Printed material and video can never sell like a live presentation!
Database- Pull up every warm lead in your database that resides in the general area of where you are presenting, and call or shoot him or her an e-mail letting them know that you are coming their way. Seeing you in action may be just the thing to get them off the fence and on to your calendar.
Target Groups- We all have or should have specific groups that make up our bread-and-butter. For me personally, education, banking and credit unions, counseling/social work, HR professionals- these sectors encompass about 50 percent of my engagements, with
The late 19th century was a time of massive cultural, commercial and lifestyle change in the United States and Western Europe. Industrialization was in full swing. Railroads were fully formed and providing speedier movement of people, goods and foodstuffs to consumers and businesses. Men such as Thomas Edison, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie and J.P. Morgan were transforming commerce and innovation. This was a golden age of consumer product invention.The opportunity to innovate in the areas of personal hygiene, comfort and safety were being aggressively addressed for the first time in history. The evolvement of a mass consumer marketplace was nascent. The confluence of this new mass market and a slew of new products to address perceived needs created a unique confluence of opportunities.The daily chore of a man shaving facial hair was just such an opportunity. Today, when viewing the pictures and images of this age; we are amused by the highly stylized, gloriously cultivated facial hair seen on many male faces. The clean-shaven face is rarely seen. It would seem as if 1890’s men were striving to grow works of individualized art on their f
I do not incur the time or costs associated with mass mailings or large print runs of marketing materials, and my office never makes cold calls- ever. The promotional material I do send is specifically tailored to each target group. One-sheets are printed as “blank” templates, with high-quality photos, graphics and titles only. Customized program descriptions, specifically targeted to each industry are then printed on demand or simply e-mailed in PDF format. Potential clients that see me as a specialist in their industry are more likely to respond than those who receive material with generic appeal.
Pre-qualifying those who receive your material dramatically reduces overhead. No one receives a packet from my office until the following facts have been established:
• They know what my program(s) consist of, either through my website or word of mouth;
• They know my full fee;
• My fee is within their budget;
• They must have the authority to hire me; and
• They must have an upcoming venue in which professional speakers are utilized.
Too many people just enjoy getting mail- they won’t be getting mine.
E-Mail
Identify your target group, go to their website and send a simple e-mail to the meeting planner, President, President-elect, anyone who looks like they may be part of the decision-making process. The message is customized to include their group name, an introduction of your program that encourages a trip to your website, and a bit of “name dropping”. This is particularly effective if you have a glowing testimonial from one of their colleagues. Either paste an excerpt in to the body of your message or include a link to the full testimonial on your website. Nothing sells like a good word from their own.
Send out e-mails only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. This way, your message is less likely to be discarded as people skim their full in-boxes on Monday morning. If you get a reply stating they do not want to be contacted this way in the future, it is important that you respect their wishes.
After a presentation or any mingling event, be sure to ask for a list of attendees and e-mail addresses. Some organizations and associations have strict policies against sharing this information, but many don’t. Send a thank you note that directs them to your website. It is a great way to build your database, sell additional product, get people to sign up for your e-zine and just generally keep you in mind.
Increase Your Exposure
During the original negotiations with your client, receive permission to have a few guests present during your presentation for preview purposes. Any guests that do attend your presentations are going to hire you if you do your job on the platform. This is a wonderful negotiating tool if the client cannot meet your full fee. Determine an exact “allowance” of table space and make it clear that your guests will be there to preview you only, not to partake in the meal, sessions or any other aspect of the event. When sending invitations, indicate that there are “x” number of spaces available that will be reserved on a first-to-reply basis. Even if you extend an invitation to a total stranger, you’ll be amazed at how warmly people respond when you are “offering” rather than “asking”.
Local calendar- Contact the Hotels, Convention Center, Visitors Bureau and Chamber of Commerce within the city you are visiting. Either visit their website, send an email or call the sales department and introduce yourself as a professional speaker, coming to town for an engagement. Ask about Associations or companies that may be holding events around the same time as your visit. For some there will be a policy of confidentiality and they will not share this list with you, but many will. Then, pull up the company or associations website and e-mail the decision makers an invitation. Printed material and video can never sell like a live presentation!
Database- Pull up every warm lead in your database that resides in the general area of where you are presenting, and call or shoot him or her an e-mail letting them know that you are coming their way. Seeing you in action may be just the thing to get them off the fence and on to your calendar.
Target Groups- We all have or should have specific groups that make up our bread-and-butter. For me personally, education, banking and credit unions, counseling/social work, HR professionals- these sectors encompass about 50 percent of my engagements, wit
Analogy is a powerful way of getting out of a mental logjam and seeing and understanding things more clearly.Many entrepreneurs and owners struggle understanding the difference between working “in a business” and working “on a business.” Working in a business is tactical in nature. It deals with the ongoing issues of what is. Working on a business deals with the issues of what should be or better yet what could be.If you think of the business you are in as a clothes washing machine it might be clearer. Every day you get up at 0-dark-thirty, do your thing and get into work. Working in the business is imagining yourself every day opening the washing machine lid, hitting the on button, hopping in and closing the lid after you. During the day getting through a “normal cycle” is oxymoronic. Someone is always opening the lid and throwing in more dirty wash just when you should be ready for the rinse cycle.At some point, way later in the day than what you planned, someone comes along, opens the lid and extracts you (usually a call from home about a promise you made). And out you climb, still wet and grimy with all the things you just
• They must have an upcoming venue in which professional speakers are utilized.
Too many people just enjoy getting mail- they won’t be getting mine.
E-Mail
Identify your target group, go to their website and send a simple e-mail to the meeting planner, President, President-elect, anyone who looks like they may be part of the decision-making process. The message is customized to include their group name, an introduction of your program that encourages a trip to your website, and a bit of “name dropping”. This is particularly effective if you have a glowing testimonial from one of their colleagues. Either paste an excerpt in to the body of your message or include a link to the full testimonial on your website. Nothing sells like a good word from their own.
Send out e-mails only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. This way, your message is less likely to be discarded as people skim their full in-boxes on Monday morning. If you get a reply stating they do not want to be contacted this way in the future, it is important that you respect their wishes.
After a presentation or any mingling event, be sure to ask for a list of attendees and e-mail addresses. Some organizations and associations have strict policies against sharing this information, but many don’t. Send a thank you note that directs them to your website. It is a great way to build your database, sell additional product, get people to sign up for your e-zine and just generally keep you in mind.
Increase Your Exposure
During the original negotiations with your client, receive permission to have a few guests present during your presentation for preview purposes. Any guests that do attend your presentations are going to hire you if you do your job on the platform. This is a wonderful negotiating tool if the client cannot meet your full fee. Determine an exact “allowance” of table space and make it clear that your guests will be there to preview you only, not to partake in the meal, sessions or any other aspect of the event. When sending invitations, indicate that there are “x” number of spaces available that will be reserved on a first-to-reply basis. Even if you extend an invitation to a total stranger, you’ll be amazed at how warmly people respond when you are “offering” rather than “asking”.
Local calendar- Contact the Hotels, Convention Center, Visitors Bureau and Chamber of Commerce within the city you are visiting. Either visit their website, send an email or call the sales department and introduce yourself as a professional speaker, coming to town for an engagement. Ask about Associations or companies that may be holding events around the same time as your visit. For some there will be a policy of confidentiality and they will not share this list with you, but many will. Then, pull up the company or associations website and e-mail the decision makers an invitation. Printed material and video can never sell like a live presentation!
Database- Pull up every warm lead in your database that resides in the general area of where you are presenting, and call or shoot him or her an e-mail letting them know that you are coming their way. Seeing you in action may be just the thing to get them off the fence and on to your calendar.
Target Groups- We all have or should have specific groups that make up our bread-and-butter. For me personally, education, banking and credit unions, counseling/social work, HR professionals- these sectors encompass about 50 percent of my engagements, wit
Having a bad marketing strategy or business image is a lot like a piece of spinach wedged in your teeth, a bad-comb over or leaving your fly open – everyone sees it, it looks bad, but no one will tell you to your face. It’s tough to know when you look good and when you need a little help. Your business image is no different. So how can you tell when you might need marketing and design help? Just as seeing a piece of spinach in your teeth in the mirror, the answer is often found through self-analysis. Looking at your competition, your prospects and your image are a great place to start. You owe it to yourself and your success to take some time to reflect on where you are, where you want to go and how you might get there.So do you need marketing and design help? Let’s find out…Price War: Does it always feel like you have to compete on price? That’s tough, isn’t it? If this is the case for you, you’re not alone, I’ve found this to be a major challenge for most companies – those companies almost always desperately need marketing and design help. Here’s what happens: when customers aren’t educated on the value a
Increase Your Exposure
During the original negotiations with your client, receive permission to have a few guests present during your presentation for preview purposes. Any guests that do attend your presentations are going to hire you if you do your job on the platform. This is a wonderful negotiating tool if the client cannot meet your full fee. Determine an exact “allowance” of table space and make it clear that your guests will be there to preview you only, not to partake in the meal, sessions or any other aspect of the event. When sending invitations, indicate that there are “x” number of spaces available that will be reserved on a first-to-reply basis. Even if you extend an invitation to a total stranger, you’ll be amazed at how warmly people respond when you are “offering” rather than “asking”.
Local calendar- Contact the Hotels, Convention Center, Visitors Bureau and Chamber of Commerce within the city you are visiting. Either visit their website, send an email or call the sales department and introduce yourself as a professional speaker, coming to town for an engagement. Ask about Associations or companies that may be holding events around the same time as your visit. For some there will be a policy of confidentiality and they will not share this list with you, but many will. Then, pull up the company or associations website and e-mail the decision makers an invitation. Printed material and video can never sell like a live presentation!
Database- Pull up every warm lead in your database that resides in the general area of where you are presenting, and call or shoot him or her an e-mail letting them know that you are coming their way. Seeing you in action may be just the thing to get them off the fence and on to your calendar.
Target Groups- We all have or should have specific groups that make up our bread-and-butter. For me personally, education, banking and credit unions, counseling/social work, HR professionals- these sectors encompass about 50 percent of my engagements, wit
Most people join organization and associations but never utilize their benefits. As a serious business owner, and we at CD&C Business & Legal Form Processing Services, LLC (“CD&C”) would like to think we fall in that category, growing your business should be at the top of your priorities. Joining a business association/organization could help you get new clients/customers and possibly increase your business sales and recognition. Organization and associations offers several benefits that may enhance your business. Some of the benefits includes but are not limited to the following:Workshops, seminars, webinars, conferences and teleconferences. These benefits allow you to network with your peers, open discussions about what is going on in your industry, what others are doing and possibly put you in contact with potential clients/customers.Webinars and teleconferences are often offered online and by telephone where you can listen and participate in the comfort of your home. Often time you are allowed to record the teleconferences so that you can view and listen to them whenever convenient for you.Attending organization and associatio
Database- Pull up every warm lead in your database that resides in the general area of where you are presenting, and call or shoot him or her an e-mail letting them know that you are coming their way. Seeing you in action may be just the thing to get them off the fence and on to your calendar.
Target Groups- We all have or should have specific groups that make up our bread-and-butter. For me personally, education, banking and credit unions, counseling/social work, HR professionals- these sectors encompass about 50 percent of my engagements, with each target group being comprised of state associations or individual companies that would jump at the chance to see me live as a way to preview my presentation. You take away the uncertainty and nervousness that meeting planners feel- they see exactly what they are getting. You are getting the idea- shoot them an email.
Bureaus- Stop wasting time and money sending unsolicited packets and videos. If you have ever visited a bureau's office, you have witnessed the infamous “closet” where all the promotional packet and videos are kept for review. They are inundated with material and cannot possibly get to them all, as they receive dozens of inquiries a week. If you are going to a city where a bureau is located, make a phone call and invite a representative to preview your presentation. If nobody is able to attend, offer to stop by the office for a quick introduction. A face-to-face impression will keep your name fresh in their minds when clients call.
NSA Chapters or any organization you are a member of- Contact the state chapter and inquire about their monthly meeting. Offer to also present while in town, and while they are usually set months in advance, you never know when a cancellation will come up. This is a great networking opportunity, and you will be surprised how your business will bloom if your colleagues know your program.
Press- Look up and contact every major (and minor) newspaper within the general area. Contact every department, area or section you think may be interested in your topic. Let the editor(s) and/or reporter(s) know your coming their way, invite them to visit your website, and let the coverage begin. It's fast, free and easy- and the paper loves it because a newsworthy event falls right into their lap.
Think Outside the Box
I have several shirts that have printed on them both front and back, “I am a Professional Speaker, ask Me What I Talk About”. When traveling, particularly in the larger airports I will wear one of these shirts and am amazed how many people “Ask Me What I Talk About” (I do not do this if I am exhausted following an engagement or multiple engagements where I just want to curl up in the corner of the airport and rest my eyes). Think about how many CEO’s, Executive Director’s, and other Decision Makers are in airports!
I have even taken this one step further and have given them to family and friends who are familiar with my topics (My brother is a Professional Speaker…My Son is a Professional Speaker…My friend is a Professional Speaker, etc.). For them I offer a commission for each engagement that can be traced back day they wore one of my shirts and they love the attention and extra money!
Marketing does not have to be time-consuming, expensive, or a dreaded part of any business. My office enjoys our marketing methods because in most cases we are dealing with warm leads and are offering people something that does not come around very often- an opportunity to see me for free! If a beginner, this is a great way to get started with minimal cost and I can guarantee you that Rotary, Lions and Kiwanis clubs will gladly let you have guests. If a seasoned pro, you should have a gold mine of contacts. Implement these ideas and you will witness leaps and bounds in referrals, references and your phone ringing. And the best part… it’s cheap!
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