Jim's Marketing Blog

If you want to really improve your marketing and business development results, today’s post is just for you!

As a marketing professional, I’m always fascinated to see the way different people respond to the same situations.  In my experience, it is usually a person’s perception of a situation that governs how they feel about it (and what action they take), rather than the actual situation itself.

For example, you see a headline in a newspaper about an announcement your government has just made.  If you are a supporter of that government, you will probably see value in the announcement, but if you are opposed to that government, you will probably be against it.  The announcement is the same, but it’s perceived differently by different people.  As they say, one guy sees ice outside and starts complaining about how cold it is, the other guy sees the ice and enthusiastically grabs his ice skates!

Our perception of how things are is exactly that: OUR perception.  It doesn’t mean it’s right or wrong, it’s just the way we see things.

Your perceptions of your business and the marketplace

What perceptions do you have right now regarding your business and your marketplace, which may need to be reviewed?  Here are a few questions, which may help:

• Are you attending great networking events, which generate high quality clients for you… or are you doing like 99% of small business networkers and meeting the same ineffective contacts month after month?
• Is your website a 24/7 lead generating machine for your business or an under-performing site that is little better than an online brochure?
• Are your taxes and accounts being handled by a great accountant, who will ensure you are not paying a penny more than you should, or are you “saving money” with a cheap accountant and losing thousands?
• Does your social networking activity have a commercial strategy, or are you sharing funny videos and chatting with old school friends on Facebook; wondering why “all that social networking” isn’t advancing your business?
• Does your marketing clearly demonstrate the unique value of working with you, or do you seem very similar to your competitors, so prospective clients only have your fee as a way of differentiating you?
• Are your fees or prices a true reflection of the value you bring, or are you promising a premium service for a bargain basement fee?  Your fees have to match your promises if you want people to take you seriously.
• Are your negotiating skills convincing genuine prospective clients to work with you, or is there room for improvement?
• Is your customer service genuinely excellent, or is it little different from your competitors?
• Is your glass half empty or half full?  The correct answer by the way, is that your glass is 100% full: 50% with water and 50% with air!

In short: It’s too easy to confuse our perceptions with reality.  This is why you need to check your progress regularly, to ensure you’re moving forward in all the key areas of your business.

What marketing topics would you like me to cover here on the blog?

I’m always working to make this site as valuable as possible to you, which means writing about the areas of marketing and business development, which you are most interested in.

So, what areas of marketing or business development, would you like to know more about?

Your feedback please

Your feedback is really important and will help shape the content I cover, so please take a moment to leave a comment and let me know what you want to see here.

Thank you!

I enjoyed a wonderful evening yesterday, talking with friends.  We laughed, joked, and shared a few stories, as we sat around an enormous log fire, in the kitchen of a friend’s 400 year old farmhouse.

Afterwards, I reflected on how it’s almost always the things that money CAN’T buy, which bring the most joy – Like great conversation with good friends.  In fact, none of the key moments in my life happened as a result of me spending a ton of money.

Many people think that the acquisition of money is the same as the acquisition of success or happiness.  It isn’t.  I know people with millions in the bank, who own all the things that money can buy, who are not particularly happy with their lives.   Equally, I know people who earn very little, yet have wonderful families, children they love and great friends.

I’m not suggesting for a moment that money isn’t important.  It is!  It’s hard to be happy, when you’re always worrying about how to pay the bills.

I am suggesting that whilst we build our financial futures, we also make sure we invest in developing those things that money can’t buy.

As 2010 draws to a close, how happy are you with the progress your business made this year?

Many business owners have had a challenging year in 2010.  We know from small business failure rates, that the majority of them will stick with whatever they have been doing, mistakenly thinking that things will “just get better”.

Only a tiny minority of small business owners will proactively change course and get their business on track.  These inspired people understand that success comes only when you are following the right strategy.  They know that no matter how hard they work on the wrong plan, it still won’t work.  They know the difference between movement and progress.  That’s what today’s post is all about.

Movement

When you are working hard, it feels like you are making progress, even if you are going nowhere.  All that activity and determination, combined with your best intentions, creates the illusion of progress.  Now, when that kind of effort and intent are focused on an effective strategy, you will indeed make progress.  The challenge here, is that many people simply do not know what to do in order to succeed.  So, they end up doing what they already know how to do, even if it’s not working.  It’s demoralising and completely unnecessary.

Progress

Progress comes when we do the right things, correctly.  This means finding out exactly what YOU need to actually do, in order for your business to progress.  Now, being as your business is unique, you need to know what specifically to do, based on your unique situation.  YOUR strategy needs to reflect the following:

• The amount of time you have available to market your business each week.  If you are following a strategy that requires more time than you currently have available, it will not work.
• How much you can invest financially in your marketing.
• The profile of clients or customers you want to attract.  An effective strategy is based on attracting only the best quality clients for your business.  Low value clients are demoralising to work with and they can make work a lot more stressful than it needs to be.
• Your plan also needs to reflect your unique abilities regarding things like copywriting, negotiating and networking etc.  Your strengths, weaknesses and assets have to be incorporated into your plan.  Otherwise, you risk engaging in marketing that will be completely ineffective and enormously frustrating.

This blog is read by small business owners all over the world, in every industry and profession.  As a result, I try hard to be as relevant as possible to as many people as possible.  However, there are clear, obvious limitations on how much progress you can make, without working to a plan of action, that’s built around your unique situation.   This is why I offer you a service, where I personally help you to develop the strategies you need and show you how to put them into action.  There’s a waiting list and it will cost you a few thousand pounds to have me mentoring you for a full 12 months, but it’s a wonderful investment for those who want to enjoy the rewards of a successful business.

Whatever route you elect to take, make sure it’s moving you forward.

Let’s work together and grow your business. To find out more click here!

I’m excited to announce the launch of a brand new service, for those of you who are interested in developing additional sources of highly valuable, repeat income.

I believe this is the most valuable service I have launched in the past 10 years!

Just like my neighbours, there was a period of 5 days last week where I was snowed in.  However, unlike my neighbours, this had zero impact on my income or business.  That’s because the vast majority of my income is residual.  Residual income development is what this new service is all about.

For example, when someone buys my audio program from this site, the transaction is completed and the funds deposited into my bank regardless of whether I am in the gym, having lunch or playing with my son.  I invested a week writing it and 2 days recording it.  That was 5 years ago, and it still sells to people all over the world, generating tens of thousands of pounds worth of ongoing, almost pure profit in the process.  Not bad for a few days worth of enjoyable work.

Do you run a business or a self employed job?

I was quoted in The New York Times recently, regarding how most small business owners do not actually run a business, they simply run a self-employed job. The Times agreed!  In most cases, a small business owner needs to deliver X number of hours worth of work, for X amount of money.  The challenges business owners face when developing their income around this model include:

• As my neighbours discovered, if they don’t show up at the office, their income drops, or stops.
• When they take a holiday, their income stops (which is why so many small business owners take so few breaks!)
• If they get ill, their income stops.
• When they retire, their income drops.  At the point in their lives, where they need most money, they have even less and have to cut back.
• Their income is capped all their working lives, because the number of hours they can work is capped.

I recommend a better approach

I suggest you get away from that model as soon as you can.  My new service is about developing something of value, which you create once and earn from many times; like the sales manuals that companies pay me for.  I write a sales manual once, which companies all over the world buy for their sales teams.  They pay me a license fee each year for using the manual.  I have manuals that were written a decade ago, which still generate revenue every year.

It’s not free money of course.  The first sale, of the first manual pays for my time, the following sales are then sources of extremely profitable, repeat income.  Like the audio program I mentioned earlier, this is an example of how to develop new income streams from what you know.  I have 18 different streams of income, which I currently earn from.  It’s not a magic formula, but it is an enjoyable, highly profitable way to make money from your knowledge.

Introducing my brand new service

Since I first started mentioning residual income on the blog, it’s not just The New York Times that picked up on it.  A number of you have emailed me to find out more on how to develop the right income streams for you and your business.

In view of this incredible level of interest, I am launching a brand new service in January, where I will show you how to identify and then develop and market your own residual income streams.  It’s a wonderful opportunity.

What next?

If you are interested in developing new, residual incomes for YOUR business and would like to know how my new service can help you, simply email me at Jim(@)Jimsmarketingblog.com with:

• Your name
• Company name
• Email address & Country.

I will then make sure you are the first to know, when the full details are announced.  Places will be limited, so if you are interested, get in touch as soon as possible to avoid missing out!

Let’s work together and grow your business. To find out more click here!

It’s exactly 1 year ago today that my mentor, Jim Rohn, passed away.  Jim Rohn was a major influence to me and I will think about him even more today, as I celebrate his life and mourn his passing.  I would like to take this opportunity, to share one of my favourite Jim Rohn quotes with you:

“Don’t wish it was easier; wish you were better. Don’t wish for fewer problems; wish for more skills. Don’t wish for fewer challenges; wish for more wisdom.”

If you want to grow your business, through the act of giving; this post will give you a few ideas and help you avoid getting the balance wrong!

For almost a week now, the village where I live has been snowed in, with cars unable to move through the worst snow and ice this area has seen in decades.  So, a friend and I decided to see how we could get some food to the elderly residents; who couldn’t walk to the nearest shop, around 3 miles away, in such treacherous weather.  Thanks to a very helpful farmer, who took us part the way on his tractor, we were able to get to the shop and carry enough bread, milk and eggs to provide our elderly neighbours with some basic food for the next week.

As we delivered the groceries, without exception, we were greeted with; smiles, handshakes, hugs (and even a few kisses!)  The actual cost of the groceries was tiny.  The amazing response we received came from the intention behind what we did.

The beauty of contribution

People tend to respond extremely positively, when they know that you are doing something to help them, because you genuinely want to contribute.  This is something that many of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs and business owners have known for years.

I help thousands of people every week, through the information I give away here on this blog.  As a direct result, I have no need to market my services or advertise my services, beyond 1 single page on this site, which explains what I do.  That’s it!  By simply giving as much away for free as I can, I have a highly successful business, numerous income streams and a world-wide readership.

That’s because giving opens up the process of receiving.

The community here on the blog are VERY generous when it comes to sharing my posts and recommending me.  You’re amazing!  You also download my audio program and some of you hire me, when you decide to invest in professional marketing help.  It is very much a 2 way street, with everyone benefiting.  It’s a great way to grow a business and connect with brilliant people!

Start giving: One-to-many

However, for this process of giving and receiving to start, you need to get the ball rolling and start giving.

I’m not talking about giving your time away for free, offering one-to-one help, whilst you quickly go broke!

That kind of one-to-one help simply doesn’t scale for most of us and usually attracts people, with no respect for your time or its value.  That’s where many small business owners get the balance wrong and end up giving until it hurts them and hurts their finances!

I’m talking about using a one-to-many strategy.  In my experience, the best way to do this is via a blog.  Rather than spend 30 minutes of your time delivering one-to-one advice to a single person, you can use that same 30 minutes writing something like this post, which will reach hundreds, thousands or hundreds of thousands of people.

Contribution has always been a wonderful experience.  With the ability today, for business owners to contribute so much, to so many, for so little, the commercial benefits of giving are mind blowing.

What are you doing, in order to contribute to your marketplace?

Let’s work together and grow your business. To find out more click here!

The business development ideas that produce the best results, have 2 things in common.

1. They work.
2. They are put to work.

Business development ideas & the need for action

I have spoken with countless business owners, who have great business development ideas, which they have never put into play.  The challenge here, is that the best ideas in the world will not work, unless you do.

How many ideas are you sitting on right now? I’m guessing that there is at least one great idea, which you think could be gold dust for you, but which you have never taken action on, for whatever reason.  Maybe you are short on time?  If you are, skip an hour’s worth of TV this evening or skip a meal, and use that time putting your idea into action.  We can afford to miss a TV show or even one meal, but missing out on a great idea, that’s a different proposition.

Before you invest further time looking for more new ideas, why not spend that time taking action on one of the business development ideas you already have?

How flexible are you regarding your business, products or services?  I ask this because many business owners miss out on great opportunities, through failing to spot the evolving needs of their marketplace.  Let me explain.

The need for flexibility

The multinational Blockbuster video chain, went from being the world’s leading destination for movie rentals to bankruptcy – Partly through being inflexible in it’s thinking.  It totally missed the opportunity to be the first to develop a world-class movie download service, by sticking too long to an outdated model.  As The Guardian newspaper reported, an online service came from nowhere to gain a massive commercial advantage and grab millions of it’s customers:

“Online video on-demand, dominated in the US by Netflix, which has 17 million subscribers and is soon to launch in the UK, sounded the death knell for Blockbuster, the video rental giant, which followed MGM into the bankruptcy courts in September.”

Embrace flexible thinking

The great news here, is that by adopting a more flexible approach, you have an opportunity to gain a massive commercial advantage over your stuck in the mud rivals. Of course, your clients and prospective clients may not be asking you directly for something new.  But by listening to the marketplace, it’s possible to identify common problems, which you can solve with new products or services.

Remember, the development of your business should be guided by what the marketplace wants and needs; NOT by copying what your competitors are doing.

Leslie Nielsen: A lesson in flexible thinking

After hearing the sad news of the death of Leslie Nielsen earlier, I remembered one of the most interesting facts about this wonderfully gifted actor.  He was 54 years old when he became an international star, after his role in the smash hit comedy movie; Airplane.  Until that point, Mr Nielsen had been a “serious” actor for decades.  However, this didn’t stop him going for the comedy role in Airplane, which saw him become an extremely successful comedy actor.

Had Mr Nielsen closed his mind to that comedic role, he would have missed the biggest opportunity of his career.

The marketplace is evolving faster than ever.  The business owners who refuse to move with the changing demands of their clients and prospective clients will quickly become irrelevant.

The bottom line: Never change just for the sake of it, but always listen to your clients and your prospective clients and look for ways to make things better.

How optimistic are you about your business in 2011?

Optimism can be a wonderful thing.  It’s powerful to look to the future with optimism, knowing that the plans we are working on today are going to help us move closer to our goals or targets.

Optimism can also be the by-product of self-delusion.  It’s pure fantasy to look to the future with optimism, knowing that we are going to use the same core ideas that have failed us in the past.

Things don’t just magically get better for us

We have to make things better.  You can work hard hoping it will improve your results, you can deeply desire better results, but unless you are working to a better plan, your results will be largely the same.  If you spend twice as long driving in the wrong direction, even if you REALLY want to arrive at the right destination, you will still end up further and further away from where you want to be.

Now, if you already have a great plan, but have been sitting on your hands doing nothing, (which I doubt), adding hard work to the mix WILL get you closer to where you want to be.  But if you have just spent the whole of 2010; working hard, trying hard, helping others, being sincere and you are STILL not getting the results you want, you need to improve your strategy.

Thankfully, you are in the driving seat

You get to choose the direction you take.  You can opt for more of the same or something better.   The bottom line here is that if you want to arrive at the right destination in 2011, make sure you are using the right map.

Would you like to attract more word of mouth referrals?  If you would, here are a few simple questions to help you uncover the way word of mouth referrals work, based on your own experiences.

The idea of this post is to show you the process behind a word of mouth referral, so you can reproduce it with your own products or services (herein called products).  So, let’s get started!

1. What was the last product you paid for, which you went on to recommend to people?
2. On a scale of 1 to 10, how good did you believe the product was when you recommended it?  Think of 5 as being a very average product, 7 as being a good product and 10 as being “best in class.”
3. What motivated you, to want to share your feedback?  For example, did the provider make it super-easy for you to share your feedback?  Did you feel so positive about the product or service, that you wanted YOUR name to be associated with it?  Were you offered a commission or reward for the recommendation?  Did the product provider ask you to recommend them or their product?  Whatever your answer, write it down in as much detail as possible.
4. How many people did you tell?  Did you just mention it to a friend or share it with your social network / business contacts?  Why did you tell so many or so few people?  Again, get this written down in as much detail as possible.
5. Finally, go through the same exercise for 3 or 4 other products, which you recommended to people.

Word of mouth: Deconstructed

For you to benefit from that simple exercise, you need to consider how you can apply the same process that inspired you to recommend those products, to your own products.  Do you need to work harder on developing a better (more remarkable) product, or maybe become more proactive at asking for referrals?  Do you need to make it easier for people to tell their friends how great you already are?  Your answers will start to show you the areas where you need to focus your efforts, in order to get more referrals.

Word of mouth and being remarkable

Here is a prediction regarding your answers.  I would be very surprised if any of the products you recommended were just average.  In most cases, I would expect to see scores of 8 and above.  The key motivator that inspires word of mouth referrals, is when something is remarkable.  In short, if we want to be spoken about positively (or remarked upon) we need to be remarkable.  No one feels inspired to recommend something, if it’s unremarkable, average or dull.  I wrote a post about it, which you may like to read.

The Bottom line: No matter how much word of mouth business you already attract, you should always be seeking to improve upon it.

Would you like to attract massively more, high quality inquiries from prospective clients?  If you would, here are 4 quick tips to get you on track!

1. Make sure your content is focused on your area of expertise

The more focused your content is, the easier you make it for people to position YOU in their mind, as the person they need to speak with or email, when it comes to whatever your area of expertise is.

Equally, the more focused your content is, the more likely you are to get targeted traffic from Google.  Google is always looking for the most relevant results.  A great way to show Google what your site is all about, is to provide lots of great focused content.  Speaking of Google…

2. Be as easy to find as possible

Learn the basics of good SEO (search engine optimisation.)  I recently wrote about Google’s free seo ebook, which covers a lot of the basics and tells you what Google is looking for, from your site. It’s well worth a read and it’s free, so check it out!

3. Be easy to contact

In order for you to be easy to contact, there are 2 things you need to consider.  The first and most obvious, is to give all your contact details on a dedicated contact page.  Equally important is the second element, which is for you to make it as comfortable as possible, for your readers to get in touch with you.  Let your readers know that you genuinely want to hear from them and that you welcome their emails or calls.

I always make it as clear as possible that I really love hearing from my readers and that they can ask me anything about my services, with zero obligation on their part.  Guess what?  I get emails every day from people all over the world.  These range from “thank you” emails, where my free advice has helped them, to inquiries regarding how we can work together on the development of their small business.

Be approachable, friendly and grateful!

4.  Give more than you think you should

Put your best foot forward on your site if you want to get more inquiries.  Many people offer just a diluted version of themselves online, because they fear that if they give too much away for free, they will get less paid work.

That is the 180 degree, polar opposite of the truth!

The kind of people who are only interested in your free stuff, were never going to become a client.  Equally, the people who are actually looking for professional help are MORE likely to hire you, if you show them you know your subject, by providing genuinely useful information to them via your site, up front.

I have given away thousands of marketing and business development ideas via this site, yet my clients still called me to work with them.  Why?  Because they knew that there’s a massive difference between what they can achieve from reading my blog, and the kind of results they can enjoy with me mentoring them.

Of course, by giving better quality information, you also encourage more people to link to you and share your work with their friends on social networks.  That helps you grow a bigger, targeted readership and generate even more targeted inquiries.

Finally, make sure you ASK people to get in touch with you.  A simple call to action is often a great reminder that you are open for business and keen to help.

I also practice what I preach: So, if you would like to discover how I can help you, as your marketing and business development mentor, get in touch with me here. I look forward to hearing from you.