Marketing tips, marketing help and advice

What on earth are they thinking?

By Jim Connolly | October 29, 2020

I’ve been doing some thinking this morning.

I wonder why thousands of accountants pay, to use the exact same newsletter and marketing materials as their competitors… then complain because their look-alike firms attract fee sensitive client enquiries.
I wonder why marketing professionals join networking groups, desperately looking for leads, when they’re supposed to know how to attract the very best clients.
I wonder why most business owners have no idea who the top 5 or 10 people in their industry are, yet they can name the judges on a TV talent show.
I wonder why business owners say the reason their customers don’t recommend them, is that ‘their customers’ just aren’t that type, even though it’s provably incorrect.

Here’s one possible answer

Much like web designers who have ugly websites and communications companies who use bland messaging, I believe there’s too little thought given to the consequences. These situations occur when decisions are made (and avoided) with too little consideration of the effects they will have.

On a surface level, the decisions mentioned here are easy to make. So easy, they’re almost non-decisions.

For example.

Maybe the accountants with bought-in newsletters see them as a tiny financial investment, thus of equally little risk. They’re not thinking enough about the consequences of trying to grow their practice, with a cookie cutter approach.
Maybe the marketing person in the networking group hopes no one will notice the irony of their membership. And if their business is already struggling, they may not even care about the medium-term impact it will have on their reputation.
Maybe the business owners who are less informed about the top contacts in their marketplace, than the judges on a TV show, just want to chill after a hard day at work. They may not necessarily care that much, about the influential people in their niche.
And maybe the business owners who would rather assume their clients ‘just don’t recommend service providers’, aren’t ready yet to face the reality that they’re not referable.

Here’s the thing. Our results are always telling us something. It’s our job to listen. To take heed. And then to take action. That’s always sound advice, but never more so than today.

The common factor behind self-made millionaires

By Jim Connolly | October 24, 2020

In every industry, during every economy, there are businesses that thrive. There’s no mystery as to why this happens. In fact, we can choose to become one of them. And that’s what today’s message is all about.

I’m very specifically referring to the business owners who:

Have the courage to do things their way. As Warren Buffett says, the best investors sell when everyone else is buying, and buy when everyone else is selling.
Have the courage to turn away the wrong kind of projects and clients. They know that no business can thrive without a strong client base or customer base.
Have the courage to develop innovative, new products or services.
Have the courage to refuse to do average work. They know that people judge them based on the quality of their work. So they set the bar high and increase their value.
Have the courage to set deadlines and deliver as promised. They’ve figured out that this is one of the best ways to earn the trust of their clients.
Have the courage to charge 100% or 500% more than the industry average.
Have the courage to focus on what they want. They’ve learned that we tend to move in the direction of what we focus on. So they refuse to focus on what they fear.
Have the courage to lead. When everyone else is waiting for someone to take action, these business owners lead by example.

Time and again, I find that the most common factor behind successful business owners and entrepreneurs, is courage.

The role of courage in business success

Fact: A courageous business owner will always outperform a fearful one. This holds true, no matter how smart the fearful business owner is.

For instance, many of the most fearful and least successful business owners I have met or studied, were very highly educated. However, as former US president Calvin Coolidge famously said, “The world is full of educated derelicts“. They were great at detail. Wonderful with research, yet lousy when it came to leaving their comfort zones. They lacked the courageous mindset of an entrepreneur.

Smart and courageous

Conversely, Apple was co-founded by a courageous university drop-out. And Steve Jobs was not alone. Dell founder Michael Dell never graduated. Nor did Henry Ford, Wendy’s CEO or Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. (Ellison is worth an estimated $54 Billion, around 10 times more than Sir Richard Branson). Smart people for sure. That goes without saying.

My point is that their lack of academic qualifications had no negative impact on their success, and that gaining academic qualifications is no guarantee of success.

In the 25 years since starting my business, I’ve worked with thousands of business owners. I’ve found that nothing can stop a smart, courageous business owner from succeeding. And that nothing can stop a smart, fearful business owner from being average… at best.

The good news is that courage is NOT the absence of fear.

Courage is a choice we make.

Courage is how we choose to respond when faced with the risk that comes with every genuine opportunity. It’s how we choose to respond when faced with the current uncertainty.

And we can choose to start acting with courage, whenever we wish.

How a failing business increased revenues by over 1100%

By Jim Connolly | October 21, 2020

Almost every small business owner is wasting their time and money on the wrong kind of marketing.

Here’s why you’re probably making the same mistake, plus an example of what happens, when you switch to the right kind of marketing.

The wrong kind of marketing

I’m referring to the obvious stuff that small business owners think of, when they consider marketing.

This includes the things they do when business is quiet and they have to do SOMETHING. The things that look easy enough for them to try. The things they copy from their competitors. The predictable, uninspiring messages they put on their websites, newsletters and social media accounts. In short: the obvious things that small business owners dabble with.

That’s not how you grow a business. No. That’s running blind, hoping you’ll get lucky. And it’s why the majority of small businesses go broke.

The right kind of marketing

I’m referring to creative marketing. You already know what creative marketing looks like. It’s what 100% of successful businesses do; from the expanding small businesses in your marketplace, to the consultants who work from home yet service international brands and earn a fortune. It’s also what the world’s fastest-growing brands do and how they stay ahead.

Creative marketing is not only spectacularly effective, it’s rare among small (and medium-sized) businesses. Really rare. This is one of the reasons it’s so powerful, compared to the dabbling bullshit I mentioned earlier.

Here are just a handful of reasons why creative marketing is so powerful.

It’s hard to copy, which means it carries on working.
It requires little or zero money, so your competitors can’t out-spend you (think about that for a moment).
It stands out, so you get noticed.
It helps you differentiate your business, products or services, so you never have to sell based on prices / fees or work with low value clients.
It inspires your prospective clients to take action.
It gets shared. This increases the reach of your marketing.
It’s memorable. Because small business marketing is useless, creative marketing finds it easy to make a positive, memorable impact.
It touches people in a way that never happens with uncreative marketing.

Still not convinced?

I’d like to tell you about Sara.

What creative marketing can do

Sara emailed me before the pandemic and invited me to lunch. She’s semi-retired now, but I mentored her a while ago and we’ve been great friends ever since. She now knows how to creatively build an extremely profitable business, in any sector or industry. She’d previously been a very good business consultant, but always struggled to get the flow of high quality clients she needed. Sara went on to build an amazing business and today invests in small and medium-sized businesses.

Why am I telling you this?

Over lunch, Sara told me that 2 and a half years ago she’d invested in a small, independent bakery. The bakery was already employing great people, already using premium quality ingredients and already making delicious food. BUT too few of the right kind of customers knew it was there, as they’d been using typical, small business marketing.

Sara spotted an opportunity and because she knew the owners, she offered them a price for their business. They eagerly accepted, especially as Sara promised she’d employ the same team to run it. (And they were going broke).

I asked Sara how the bakery was doing. She said she’s increased the turnover by almost 1100% and it’s massively more profitable, too.

One thousand, one hundred percent.

Massively higher profits.

Remember: She kept the same team, the same levels of quality, the same delicious food. Her only change was to switch from typical small business marketing, to creative marketing.

This probably goes without saying

But I’ll say it anyway.

If you’re currently dabbling with the usual type of ineffective, small business marketing, it’s time to switch.

Switch to a deliberate, creativity-driven approach. It’s what 100% of my work is based on, both with my clients and my own business.

Punch above your weight, by creatively gaining the attention, trust and patronage of your marketplace (ahead of your competitors). Look to the future with excitement, not apprehension, because your creativity-driven approach works perfectly in every economy, location and industry.

And it has never been more effective, than it is right now.

Choose to thrive, my friend. Choose to absolutely thrive

By Jim Connolly | October 19, 2020

Today I want to make an important plea to you. I want you to focus like a laser on making your business absolutely thrive over the next 12-months.

Yes, I know it’s 2020.

Yes, I’m very aware of the challenges.

I am also aware of the importance of looking to your future with the overriding goal of absolutely thriving.

When the marketplace is in turmoil, business owners set one of the following two broad targets. They either choose to survive (the vast majority) or they choose to thrive (a tiny minority).

We must choose our target wisely.

Choosing to survive means you may just make it, if you achieve the target.
Choosing to thrive means you’ll have an exceptional year, if you achieve the target.
If you fail the target of survival, even by 1%, by default you don’t survive.
If you fail the target of thriving, even by 25%, you can still have a better-than-average or average year.

Your target determines your focus. It sets the stage for the plans you make and the decisions you take. It shapes the conversations you have. It guides the opportunities you attract (and those you repel).

Your target also determines how you feel and how you make others feel about you and your business. It builds or erodes confidence.

Survival mode is a source of anxiety. When we speak with an anxious business owner, we sense their worry and stress. We feel apprehensive about them and apprehension turns prospective customers away.
Thrive mode is a source of excitement. When we speak with an excited business owner, we sense their energy and motivation. We feel positive about them. This is commercial gold dust. Especially today.

Given this, we all have a decision to make.

We can’t change the duration of the pandemic, or the even longer duration of the economic carnage it leaves us with. But we can choose the target we focus on.

And as I have seen with my 2020 client intake, it is possible to absolutely thrive.

An outstanding marketing lesson from Apple

By Jim Connolly | October 14, 2020

The iPhone 12 was announced by Apple yesterday.

With the launch, came an extremely valuable marketing lesson.

The lesson?

Apple knows that just a tiny percentage of people who buy the new iPhone, actually need a new iPhone. Their current phone works perfectly fine for everything they need.

The vast majority buy a new iPhone, because they want to feel better. And they hope that buying a new iPhone is the answer.

The world’s most valuable company knows that people make purchasing decisions based on feelings, not logic. However, most small business owners market their business based on logic, not feelings.

And that’s a really, really bad idea.

Instead…

As a business owner, you need to do everything possible to magnify the positive feelings associated with buying your products or services. You need to let people know how enjoyable it is working with you. You need to explain how happy they’ll feel, owning your (whatever). This means fewer statistics and graphs, but more emphasis on positive emotions.

So ease up on the logic. Focus way more on feelings.

Because emotion drives motion (action).

And people need to take action, to buy from you or hire you.

Your business: Price drops and fee reductions

By Jim Connolly | October 13, 2020

Without knowing it, many business owners are engaged in a dangerous race to the bottom. In today’s post, I explain why this is almost always a terrible strategy for business owners. I also share some proven advice on how to avoid it happening to you.

Let’s go.

Race to the bottom: What does it mean?

In marketing, we tend to use the term to refer to making sales or winning new clients, based on being the cheapest option. This is most common among commodity businesses. However, the current economy is seeing a massive surge in price cutting and fee reductions. The ‘winner’ of the race to the bottom is the business that’s the cheapest / lowest priced at that time.

Some big businesses use their financial muscle to work successfully with low prices (or fees). Their buying power means that they have deals available to them, which smaller businesses simply can’t access. This allows larger businesses to compete in your marketplace, profitably, with extremely low prices.

However, small and medium-sized business owners tend to just lower their prices, as a way to make more sales or attract more clients. They then find their competitors do the same.

And the race to the bottom begins.

The prize?

The winner gets, wait for it… the privilege of building a business on a dangerous foundation of customers, who will leave them the moment a cheaper provider comes along.

It’s a high risk, low return strategy. It requires you to constantly look for ways to lower your overhead, cut corners and speed things up. All this, in an effort to attract the least loyal profile of customers in the world: Those who switch from provider to provider, looking for the lowest prices.

Why is such a high risk, low return strategy so popular with small business owners?

Simple.

They see it as an easy way to attract more customers or make more sales. However, a look at the medium and longer term picture shows why this usually goes horribly wrong.

Here’s what I’ve seen small business owners do over and over again.

Bob’s race to the bottom

Let’s take Bob the business owner as an example.

Bob decides to lower his prices by 10%. He soon notices a slightly better sales conversion rate.
So, he lowers prices by another 5%. And it improves sales even more.
Some of Bob’s competitors decide to do the same.
The race to the bottom is now on!
Bob then needs to lower his prices by another (whatever)%, because his competitors are charging the same low prices as him. Bob’s prices are now rock bottom or very close to rock bottom.
Bob continues to make some sales, BUT with very, very little profit.
At this point, it’s a case of waiting for one of the following common scenarios.
Scenario one: A well-funded competitor decides to sell at a loss for 6 / 12 months (to gain market share), Bob then has to try and survive on fewer and fewer low-profit sales. This is HUGE right now, as financially strong small business owners seek to crush their competitors during the pandemic.
Scenario two: Bob’s overhead increases unexpectedly and he is forced to start increasing his prices, all those price sensitive customers he raced to win will now look for the NEW, cheapest provider.

It’s easy to attract customers by reducing your prices. However, it’s unsustainable. So, if this is something you are considering, please think again my friend. Consider the medium and longer-term consequences of winning the race to the bottom.

Have you tried the 6 idea trick? You really should

By Jim Connolly | October 12, 2020

Do you ever find it difficult to come up with answers or ideas for your business? If you do, you may find this simple ‘6-idea trick’ extremely useful.

I can’t take the credit for this technique. I discovered it in the late 1980’s, whilst listening to an author being interviewed on the radio. And I’ve used it ever since.

A flow of answers and ideas

The interviewer asked the author if she’d ever suffered with writer’s block. She said no, then shared her secret. It can be broken down into 4 simple steps.

Start your working day by coming up with 6 ideas. (I do this before I check my phone for messages or switch my computer on).
The ideas don’t need to be work related. They can be about anything.
They don’t need to be great ideas or even good ideas. They just need to be ideas.
The key is, don’t stop until you have 6 ideas written down.

I honestly don’t know how this technique works. What I do know, is that I’ve shared it with countless people over the years, with exceptional success. Some do it daily. Others only do it when they’re experiencing an unproductive spell.

Interestingly, although some of the ideas I jot down have proven useful to me, that’s not where the results come from. The value is in the daily exercise of generating 6 ideas.

It seems that by starting your morning focussed on creating ideas, your mind sets off on a more resourceful track, which helps you think more creatively throughout the day. Ideas and answers seem to flow more naturally.

Of course, it could simply be that because you expect to feel more creative and resourceful, you become more creative and resourceful.

Regardless of how it works, it’s been extremely useful to me and the vast majority of people I’ve shared it with over the years. At a time when new challenges are coming at you hard and fast, I sincerely hope this helps you get the answers and ideas you need. And if you do find it useful, share it with your friends.

Why most business owners miss their targets. And how you can hit yours

By Jim Connolly | October 9, 2020

I have a very quick, yet powerful marketing tip for you today. It seems simplistic, yet it’s something that the majority of small business owners fail to do. And it’s essential for their success.

Decide what you want from your business, in all the key areas, not just financial areas. Then, turn that want into a target, by putting a number on it.

You can’t hit a target that doesn’t exist

Almost every business owner has a numeric target for profits, revenues etc. However, they tend not to have specific number based targets for the areas of their business, which are essential for achieving those financial targets.

For example, there are things you’ll need to do in order to attract 4,000 new customers over the next 12 months, which are irrelevant if you need to attract 40. The number is what gives you your target. And your target will then rule in and rule out, certain strategies. It will also let you accurately measure whether you’re on track or not.

I speak with business owners regularly, who are wasting time and money on advertising, social media, promotions, sponsoring events… which have absolutely nothing to do with the actual goals or needs of their business.

I see this most often with accountants, freelancers, trainers, lawyers, consultants, designers, coaches, etc. They almost always go wide and shallow, rather than narrow and deep.

They try and reach as many people as possible (wide), with automated social media, advertising, promotions and such (shallow). They’re being vaguely relevant to a wide number of people, rather than directly relevant to a smaller number of targeted prospective clients. And vaguely relevant marketing is 100% ineffective. It totally fails to capture attention and is too weak to motivate anyone to do anything.

Here are just a few areas where you need number-based targets, in order to make the right marketing and business development decisions.

How will you know when you are attracting enough high quality sales leads? Put a number on it.
How will you know when you are getting enough word of mouth referrals? Put a number on it.
How will you know when your business is retaining enough existing clients? Put a number on it.
How will you know when your profitability is high enough? Put a number on it.
How will you know when you have enough subscribers? Put a number on it.
How will you know when you have enough visitors to your website? Put a number on it.
How will you know when your professional network is large enough? Put a number on it.

Let those numbers, which are specific to what you want from your business, guide you. It will give you clarity like never before. You’ll be able to make better decisions and focus on the right activities, to achieve your main goals.

Your marketplace has radically changed. Here’s what you need to know

By Jim Connolly | October 5, 2020

The marketplace we serve has changed.

What is very clear now, is that the COVID-19 pandemic has radically changed how our clients, customers and marketplace think. And we need to adapt our services and marketing accordingly, or slowly cease to be relevant to their new wants and needs.

Here are some of the most common changes.

It’s changing their personal life. People are worried about elderly relatives, children, their jobs and their futures. They’re also unable to meet family and friends face-to-face. Some have unexpected, serious financial concerns. Others are dealing with unprecedented levels of stress.
It’s changing their work life. Many people (and entire departments) now work from home. Others are unable to, and have the added worry of increased exposure to the virus. The whole dynamic of work has changed.
It’s changing their company budgets. Some areas are no longer being invested in, whilst others are getting bumper investment.
It’s changing their outlook. Things that people used to take for granted are now exceptionally important. And many of the things they thought were important aren’t important at all.
It’s changing their comfort levels. Many who were previously of a generally happy persuasion, are now eagerly seeking comfort. And many who were previously assured, are now seeking assurance.

Everyone in business needs to factor these enormous changes into their planning. We need to review our products or services and either make them relevant to the landscape or replace them with relevant alternatives. With most economists now expecting things to remain volatile for at least the next 6 months, it’s not viable to just wait until our pre-pandemic plans are relevant again.

It’s also really important to review our marketing messages. What motivated our prospects this time last year, could have the opposite impact today. If it speaks to a carefree time, where your prospective customers were relatively confident about what the future held for them, it will be massively less effective today and possibly, fully ineffective soon.

Our world has changed. Our lives have changed. Our marketplace has changed. Our planning needs to reflect this.

Relocate to an even more comfortable, comfort zone

By Jim Connolly | October 2, 2020

Why do we start a business?

It provides us with interesting puzzles to solve, which we find extremely compelling.
We’re very well rewarded financially, allowing us to enjoy the lifestyle we want.
We get to spend every day, working with wonderful clients or customers.
Our working environment is a hive of creativity, fun and productivity.
And it goes without saying that our plans for the future energize us.

Well, that’s how it should be

When we decide to start a business, we give ourselves a blank canvas. We get to choose the kind of work we do, the prices we charge, the place we work from and the clients we work with. In short, we construct every single element of our business, from the ground up.

Presented with this stunning opportunity, it’s a fact that most business owners end up seriously off-course.

This happens for a reason. Business owners are not stupid!

None of them set out to struggle or spin their wheels. Instead, they very slowly drift off course. It’s subtle. Little by little. Day by day. Until after a number of years, the business is not what its owner wants it to be.

That’s why it’s worth reminding yourself that your business can be whatever you decide you want it to be.

Those aren’t just words!

You can choose to work on rewarding projects, for great customers who value you. Or you can choose not to. You can choose to create compelling, motivating plans for your business, which energize you. Or you can choose not to.

So, how do you turn things around?

And what must you do, to finally own the business you’ve always wanted?

It starts with belief… and then a decision

You need to believe (on an intellectual and emotional level) that you deserve a better business, free from whatever limitations you now face. That’s because after a while, many business owners find themselves settling for less than they deserve. Most commonly, I find they lower their lifestyle goals, to accommodate the limitations of their business. You need to believe that by doing the right things correctly, you can transform your business into a spectacularly rewarding enterprise, on every level.

Then you need to decide.

You need to decide to do what’s required.

It means deciding to move from your current comfort zone, and make yourself comfortable in a kinder zone. A zone that’s more rewarding. A zone that provides for your needs and your wants. A zone that’s REALLY comfortable.

Is it worth it? Yes. Absolutely. One hundred percent!

How can I be so certain?

Simple.

I work every day with business owners who have the belief and made the decision. They decide where they want their business to be. We then look at their current position, and work together to make it happen. And the improvement, not only within their businesses, but their lives as a whole, is breathtaking.

You deserve the same, my friend.

Being there

By Jim Connolly | September 27, 2020

Being there is extremely important. That’s because it says something remarkable about you. And as such, it has a huge impact on the way people feel about you.

Being there is especially important:

When people are relying on you to be there.
When people need your help, your understanding or your support.
When people know it would be easier for you not to be there.
When people can see you’re going the extra mile.
When people are in need of your leadership. This has never been more important, than in 2020.
And when you not only show up, but show up on time and with the right attitude.

It’s easy to make promises. It’s easy to agree deadlines. It’s easy to tell people that they can rely on you.

Ultimately, it’s what you do that matters.

By being there when people are relying on you and when they need you, you tell them a great deal, without saying a word:

You give clients (or customers) confirmation that they were right to trust you.
You show clients and prospective clients what they can expect from you in the future.
You earn and re-earn a reputation for reliability.
You make yourself and your business, super-easy for people to recommend to their friends.
You build deeper, stronger commercial relationships and an outstanding reputation.

It’s hard to overstate just how massive an impact this can have on your business. Especially when so many business owners are scaling back on the human touch, and automating everything they can.

Be there when people need you. Because they have never needed you more than they do, right now.

The next good step

By Jim Connolly | September 25, 2020

Here’s something business owners can all agree on: It’s hard to plan ahead during a pandemic. We never know when the next restriction will be introduced. We don’t know for certain when the next restriction will be lifted, or how long it will stay that way.

One of the natural reactions to this kind of instability, is to become overwhelmed. And with overwhelm comes a tendency to stall, as we don’t know what to do amid the flux and confusion.

A business that stalls on decisions, when the world around them is moving fast, is a business that’s failing to adapt to the needs of the world around them. Such a business will soon cease to be relevant. It’s easy prey for its agile competitors. And that’s a 100% unsustainable position, given the likely duration of the pandemic and the years of economic recovery after the coronavirus has passed.

Here’s one very effective way to overcome the core problem of inertia caused by being overwhelmed (yes, I feel it too). It’s time tested. And it’s what has guided every step I have taken with my own business, since the start of the pandemic.

It’s based around a very simple question.

What is the next good step?

For example, when I feel overwhelmed with the constantly changing situation, I grab my notebook, get outside and look at the needs of my clients. I then ask myself, what’s the next good step, to help them thrive. I then take it. I look at the needs of my readers and ask myself, what’s the next good step, to provide a nugget of useful information for my reader community? I then take it. (It’s why I am writing this for you at 7am on Friday 25th September). And I look at the needs of my local community and ask myself, what’s the next good step, to help the most vulnerable people? I then take it.

Once you’ve taken the next good step, take the next. You get the idea.

You can’t do everything. But you can do something. In fact, as a business owner you must do something. So just focus on one step. The next good step. And do that. You’ll soon discover that taking action beats the feeling of being overwhelmed. It puts you back in the driving seat.

What’s the next good step for you to take right now? Think about it. Then take it.

Crank up your fees by 500 percent

By Jim Connolly | September 21, 2020

In today’s post, I’m going to share a proven idea with you that can massively increase your revenues and profits. It’s something I’ve done successfully for countless clients over the years. And it’s based on a wonderfully effective business model, too.

I’d like to start by asking you to consider the following. I want you to imagine for a moment, that your clients paid you significantly more than they do now. Maybe 300% or 500% more.

Now hold that thought.

If they were paying you that rate:

You could give them considerably more of your individual attention.
You could provide them with a dramatically better level of service.
Your clients would value you more. So, they’d keep returning, delighted with the service they receive from you.
Your clients would also recommend you to their friends, many of whom would then become clients. Remember, birds of a feather flock together. People who value premium services and can afford them, have lots of contacts with the same mindset and resources.
And these new clients would be just as delighted… so they would recommend you to their friends.
Repeat.

Before you know it, you could have a premium quality client base, growing organically.

Premium quality clients. Growing organically. Surely that’s worth considering?

Maybe it’s time you considered offering a premium version of your services. Your marketplace already has a highly profitable subset, who value quality and will very happily pay more for it. In fact, they eagerly seek it out.

And that’s not all.

The premium quality corner of your marketplace is not only the most profitable. It’s also, by far, the least competitive. It’s the middle ground, which is always stuffed full of competing providers, forcing fees down.

Just think how your business would thrive, with higher fees, higher profits, happier clients and less competition.

Average is easy. But it’s overcrowded and overrated.

Excuses and explanations. Time machines and chickens

By Jim Connolly | September 18, 2020

There are explanations and there are excuses. Although some small business owners often use them interchangeably, they have very different meanings.

When you consciously understand the difference, it can transform your business, just as it transformed my own business. I explain how in a moment.

First, here’s a very simple look at the difference between explanations and excuses.

Explanations explain why or offer reasons.
Excuses deny responsibility.

Here are a couple of common examples.

Explanations and excuses

The small business owner who says there aren’t enough hours in the day, for them to correct a business problem, is not giving an explanation. They’re making an excuse. They have enough time. They get the same 24 hours every day as the most successful people in their industry. By believing that they don’t have enough time, they’re excusing themselves from making the improvements required, for their business to operate effectively. At least until they discover a time machine.

Maybe the most common type of excuse in business, is the famous chicken and egg scenario. This excuse is used when someone wants to avoid making a decision. A decision where there’s risk involved.

For example, ‘I can’t hire my first employee until I’m making enough money, but I’ll never make enough money until I hire someone’.

Because they unconsciously want to avoid making a decision, they choose to believe that there is no way out. This approach to decision making is toxic, because we place a very low ceiling on our potential, if we dodge the major decisions. All of which come with an element of risk. That’s why you have never, and will never, hear a successful business owner described as a poor decision maker.

Excuses and explanations feel similar

I’ve found that business owners don’t intentionally make excuses. They almost always believe they’re giving an explanation. This was certainly how it was for me! I used to believe that my excuses (I had lots) were actually reasonable explanations. It was only after I learned the difference between excuses and explanations, that I was able to correct things. As a direct result, I was then free to start making better decisions.

Take some time to look at explanations you have made (to yourself or others) regarding your business. Look closely for explanations, which could be excuses in disguise. This includes the chicken and egg / time machine kind of examples I gave earlier.

By making yourself consciously aware of the difference between explanations and excuses, you’ll find it easier to make better decisions. It certainly worked wonders for me and my business.

More importantly, I hope it does the same for you and your business, my friend.

Stop offering freebies. Seriously. Stop it!

By Jim Connolly | September 14, 2020

Image: Charles Deluvio

A lot of service providers offer free initial consultations as a way to attract new clients. However, it’s one of the most dangerous things they can do.

Here are just 3 of the major problems caused by free consultations.

1. Free consultations make you look desperate

By giving your time away for free, you give the impression that you’re sat in a quiet office, with no clients. And nothing to do.

You’re literally (not figuratively) placing zero value on your time. That’s a very negative image to create in the mind of your prospective clients.

It paints all the wrong pictures. It damages your reputation, because looking desperate isn’t a good look! As such, it totally devalues your services. It also acts as a warning sign to genuine prospective clients, who will not hire what looks like a failing service provider.

It’s a toxic soup. Pure poison.

2. Free consultations attract time wasters like a magnet

Whilst high quality prospective clients are put off by needy looking service providers, free consultations are super-attractive to freebie hunters. These never-to-be clients flock to them.

Freebie hunters are time wasters who refuse to pay for professional help. Instead, they sign up for everything they can get for free, then try and do it themselves.

It looks something like this:

The freebie hunter searches the internet for service providers who offer free consultations.
They then contact the provider and request a free consultation, pretending to be a prospective client.
They know the service provider will try and impress them with their knowledge.
So, they ask for advice on their specific problems.

Don’t become a target for freebie hunters. Just don’t. Seriously.

3. Free consultations trap you in a dangerous cycle

Giving your time away for free to strangers can’t solve your marketing problems. It will simply guarantee that you stay stuck. That’s because it locks you inside a negative cycle.

The cycle looks something like this:

You need more, paying clients.
So, you offer free initial consultations, placing zero value on your time.
This makes you look needy (at best).
Any genuine prospective clients who see this are presented with a desperate looking image, which damages your reputation.
This obviously repels the exact clients you want (and need) to attract.
And this is on top of whatever your previous marketing problem was, which led you to giving your time away.
You remain stuck.
So, it’s back to step 1 again.

Thankfully, there are proven ways to make your business succeed. Strategies that attract the right clients or customers. Strategies that are perfect for you and what you want to achieve. This is where you need to focus. Anything else is unsustainable, totally avoidable and less than you deserve.

How to have inspiration, ideas and answers on demand

By Jim Connolly | September 10, 2020

How would you like to have access to inspiration, ideas and answers whenever you need them? That’s what this brief post is all about.

I found the above note in an old Apple Notes file. I think it was part of some research I did, for a blog post I never published. Anyhow, discovering that note this morning reminded me why I take (and keep) lots of notes and how extremely valuable they are.

I thought you might find it useful, so I’ve decided to quickly share it with you.

Now, as you can see, that note by itself is just a snippet of an idea.

But that note isn’t by itself. It’s part of a massive body of ideas I’ve jotted down over the past 20 years. They’re mostly pen and paper notes, though I also have thousands of digital notes, like the above example.

It’s this stack of ideas and observations, in note form, that’s extremely valuable for anyone involved in problem solving; which is every person reading this.

Inspiration and answers on demand

As a marketing professional, I can’t ‘wait’ for inspiration to arrive. When work starts, I need to command inspiration to appear. If I’m more than one coffee into my day and I’m struggling to get into the flow, that’s where the notes come in.

I grab a notebook or search my digital notes and usually within 5 minutes, my brain is in a highly creative state.

An old note with a nugget or two of information, soon points my thinking in a massively more productive direction. That new direction helps me focus on new ideas and new solutions, which I couldn’t possibly have accessed otherwise. I use these to help my clients build great businesses, develop new products or services and spot windfall profits they never even knew existed.

More importantly, just think how valuable that kind of asset would be for you and your business. Imagine you were able to know in advance, with confidence, that you could tap into a powerful source of inspired ideas and answers.

Start by collecting ideas. The sooner you start, the sooner your stack of ideas will grow. And don’t just collect your own ideas, but ideas from others (like this one). And definitely spend more time on ideas from outside your industry. Grab ideas from books, movies, artists you love. Don’t limit yourself. Collect your ideas in a format that’s easiest for you.

And most importantly, make it a daily habit.

How to use the Narrow and Deep strategy, to hook your ideal clients

By Jim Connolly | September 5, 2020

Today’s post is all about attracting more, high quality enquiries from eager prospective clients.

There are 2 important questions, which very few business owners ask of themselves. However, they contain the seeds of a massively valuable marketing insight. And by asking and answering them, you’ll avoid an extremely common and damaging mistake.

Here are the questions.

What does my ideal client (or customer) look like?
What am I doing, to make sure my marketing is exclusively, directly relevant to this super-valuable niche?

Here’s why these questions, and your answers, are so important.

Something for everyone?

One of the most common marketing mistakes, especially with small and medium-sized businesses, is to try and appeal to the widest possible range of people.

On one level, it seems to make sense. The thinking looks like this: The more people you try and appeal to, the more prospective clients you’ll have.

However, that’s not how it works. Not even close. In reality, using that approach guarantees you will actually attract far fewer clients or sales. And there’s a very good reason why.

It’s simply this. To motivate someone to switch brands or switch providers, your marketing needs to motivate them to take action. And in order to motivate them, it has to be directly relevant to them. It has to talk to their wants. Their needs. Their values.

Narrow and deep

Every time you decide to widen the appeal of your marketing, beyond your ideal client, you weaken its effectiveness. Your marketing shifts from being:

Directly relevant (powerful and compelling).
To vaguely relevant (feeble and weak).

If you haven’t already, I recommend you get intentional about exactly who you want to do business with. Then focus all your marketing, so that it speaks exclusively to that high value group.

Go narrow and deep. Not wide and shallow.

Get it right my friend, and it’s a game changer.

How to turn your small business around, when times are tough

By Jim Connolly | August 22, 2020

If you have any concerns about the growth of your business in the coming months, I have an important reminder for you.

It’s simply this.

There is a major benefit of owning a small or medium sized business when the economy is down. I’m referring to the speed or agility with which you can improve things.

Turning your small business around when times are tough

You can get an idea in the morning and sketch it out in the afternoon. Then, if everything stacks up you can put it into play within days. Often sooner. This is something I have done myself and in the work I do with my clients.

Why am I reminding you about this?

When the economy is volatile or hard to predict, that kind of agility is like a superpower for small business owners. If things are not going the way you want them to, you can switch direction. You can identify a new opening or opportunity and quickly make it work for you. And you can do it way, way faster, than any large business or corporation can.

In short, always be mindful that you can very quickly improve your fortunes whenever you need to.

A lot of business owners are concerned about the coming months, as we see economies slowly opening-up again. That’s okay, because a degree of concern is actually useful. It can act as a powerful motivator to get things done. However, once the motivation hits you, it’s time to stop worrying and tap into your super power: Agility.

Turn your small business around starting now!

Remind yourself that you’re never more than one idea away from the answer you need. You’re never more than one breakthrough away from developing a highly successful, new service. But to make this happen, you need to remain focussed on turning things around, rather than worrying about what the future might bring, should you continue on your current trajectory.

Note: If you’re looking for fresh ideas or things you can quickly improve, here’s a large (4000 word) marketing tips guide I wrote, with lots of examples. There’s nothing to subscribe to – it’s just a regular web page packed with valuable, free information to help you turn your small business around.

How to overcome the apathy that stops people hiring you

By Jim Connolly | August 18, 2020

I’d like to introduce you to your main competitor.

Oh, and it’s almost certainly not the competitor you’re thinking of. Whilst there are a few (very few) exceptions, your main competitor is not an alternative brand, vendor or service provider.

No.

Your main competitor is apathy: The decision by your prospective clients (or prospects) to avoid the risk, hassle and stress of switching to you, from their current provider.

Small business marketing almost always fails to address this effectively. It focuses on reasons to hire them or buy from them, without even addressing the huge leap of faith required by a new client. This is especially the case for service providers and those selling high ticket goods.

Your marketing needs to simultaneously build trust in you AND convince prospects that switching to you is easier, than enduring their current provider.

The smartest business owners ensure their marketing clearly demonstrates the following.

Why people can trust them. For example, by showcasing their “trust assets”. (I put some of my trust assets here).
Just how frictionless it is for prospectives to switch to them.
That they’ll handle the whole on-boarding process for the prospect.
All the promises and guarantees required, to give their prospects total peace of mind.
How prospects would be nuts, not to upgrade to their vastly superior service.

I recommend you do the same, and also introduce it into your sales conversations.

Another type of apathy

There’s a second apathy challenge you need to be aware of. It’s not about switching. It’s about hiring you, rather than doing (whatever) themselves.

For example, many business owners who hire me have never had expert marketing help before. So, they’re not switching to me from another provider. They hire me, rather than continue to dabble with ineffective, DIY marketing and suffer lousy results. They switch from apathy (with the status quo) to action.

And it’s still vitally important to make their switch from apathy as frictionless as possible. Otherwise, the fear, risk or doubt that’s held them back will carry on doing so.

Tip: Whenever I speak with a prospective client, I make sure they know that I look after them, personally, every step of the way. I call this partnering with my clients. It gives them great peace of mind. And that makes the decision to hire me massively easier for them.

You should do something very similar for your prospective clients or customers.

Moving forward

Never wait for a prospective client to tell you they have doubts, before you address the subject. By that point, a barrier to doing business with you will have already been created. And you’ll find yourself facing an unnecessary uphill challenge. Ouch!

Instead, take the initiative. Give them the peace of mind they need, in advance. Let them know there are no barriers to hiring you or buying from you. Get this right and you will have overcome your main competitor. Apathy.

Plus, you’ll have created a major marketing advantage over competing providers, who are failing to address apathy correctly with their marketing.