Marketing tips, marketing help and advice

2 Powerful tips from marketing that stinks!

By Jim Connolly | June 14, 2020

I’d like to share an example of shockingly bad marketing with you today. In fact, you could say this marketing stinks! However, there are 2 powerful marketing lessons to learn from it, which you can apply directly into your business.

Here’s what happened.

I’ve used the same brand of deodorant for years. Recently, my brand wasn’t in stock, so I looked for another brand and noticed for the first time that they all claim to offer 48 hour protection.

Think about that for a moment.

Thankfully, there are very few people who only shower or clean their body every 2 days; whose armpits remain unwashed for 48 hours. And if you’ve ever stood close to someone with such bad hygiene habits, you’ll know these people don’t buy deodorant!

Here’s the thing: The ridiculous 48 hour claim on the packaging has nothing to do with deodorant. It has everything to do with ineffective, uncreative marketing.

Allow me to explain.

Here’s how it happened

The marketing team behind one of the brands decided to use a bigger number on their product (48 instead of 24), to make it look like better value.

The other brands followed suit. So, the number remains, even though it’s now meaningless and totally ineffective. No one needs 48 hour protection and having that number no longer generates additional sales, because they all use it.

As a marketing tactic, it stinks. It fails on every level.

There are 2 useful tips here

Firstly, if you want to make your product or service stand out from the competition, make it meaningfully different. Provide something that adds genuine value. Something your marketplace will get additional utility from.

Secondly, if you want to really stand out and stay in front, get creative. Because the first deodorant brand simply moved the dial from 24 to 48, every competitor could easily follow suit. Any marketing advantage was wiped out super-fast. So, choose something that’s harder for others to copy.

Better still, consistently strive to keep improving the value you bring. It’s hard to beat a business that operates from that mindset.

Some useful ideas. Plus an outstanding opportunity for your business

By Jim Connolly | June 8, 2020

Photo: Shutterstock.

I have a couple of important ideas to share with you today, regarding your competitors and some things you need to look out for.

Then, I’ll tell you about an outstanding opportunity that could be right under your nose.

Are your benefits as powerful as they were?

I’d like you to think about the major benefits of hiring you or buying from you. That’s because it’s possible those benefits are not as strong or attractive as they were, before the coronavirus pandemic.

For example, if you were one of the only providers in your industry offering client sessions via video, that won’t be the case any more. If people found your fees or prices were attractive or competitive, that may no longer be the case either. We’re seeing providers in many industries lowering their prices and others aggressively price-slashing. So make sure your strengths are as strong as they were, by paying attention to your competitors.

That leads on nicely to the next idea I’d like to share with you.

Fewer, but stronger competitors

One thing we’re likely to see accelerating over the coming months, is the number of businesses that are either merging with, or being acquired by, better-resourced competitors. This would result in a smaller overall number of competitors to your business, but stronger competition. We saw this a lot during the last recession.

Take some time today to research what your direct competitors are doing. All of them. Even those who have been slow to change over the years. They too are now being forced to adapt.

The more you know about the current shape of your competitors and wider marketplace, the better equipped you are to make decisions. Crisis always brings change. It’s up to you to adapt accordingly. Because doing more of what used to work may not be an option for much longer.

And on a much brighter note…

The opportunity you need could be right under your nose

Amid the challenges out there, it’s really important to be aware that there are also outstanding opportunities. I see examples of this every day. Some are from business owners in the industries most effected by the coronavirus.

Where do I start, Jim?

Be part of the solution, my friend!

This means looking for one of the gaps in your marketplace. These gaps are newly created wants or needs. And they usually present themselves as problems that need solving. They may not be obvious, but they are there.

When you identify a gap, test it. Do the research. Get the numbers. Ask for feedback. If everything stacks up, get to work on how to service that need (solve the problem), in a way that’s valuable to the community you serve and profitable to you.

Is it easy?

No.

Is it worth it?

Absolutely.

It’s a love thing

By Jim Connolly | June 6, 2020

Photo: Shutterstock.

Business is all about people. This is true whether you sell to consumers or to companies. After all, it’s a person who decides to hire you or buy from you.

With that in mind, here are a few ideas to help you connect a little deeper with the needs of the people you serve and your wider marketplace.

People love to talk: Give them a story that’s worth sharing with their friends and contacts, and that’s exactly what they will do. It’s how all word-of-mouth recommendations happen. For inspiration, look to the brands, products and services you’ve recommended in the past. Determine what it was that made them worthy of your recommendation. Then figure out how you can adapt that into your business, products or services.
People love to succeed: Look for ways to help your clients and your marketplace hit their targets or achieve their goals. Ideally this would be through the services or products you provide. That said, if there’s a book, newsletter, idea or article, etc., which you found useful, share it with them or recommend it to them.
People love to be valued: Consider how good you are at showing your appreciation of other people. Even something as simple as a thank you note can make a huge difference to how someone feels. This is especially the case when they’re not expecting it.
People love to feel safe: Focus on ways to make your clients and prospective clients feel more secure and comfortable. The way you apply this will differ depending on your industry or profession. However, when it comes to buying from you, risk reversal is universally effective, if it applies to your industry and you do it correctly. I talk about it here, (in point number 3).
People love to save time: Look for opportunities to help your marketplace get more done in less time. This includes looking for ways to speed up the process of hiring you, buying from you and doing business with you.

Stay safe.

Playing to your strengths as a small business

By Jim Connolly | June 4, 2020

Photo: Shutterstock.

Have you noticed the growing number of multi-billion dollar corporations, which are now trying to act like small, compassionate businesses?

I was thinking of this earlier, after reading an interview with the CEO of a major company. He explained the changes they were making, in response to the pandemic. Interestingly, he’s told his workforce they need to stop acting like a corporation and instead, do what’s right and communicate it in a human way.

Let’s ignore the subtext, that until now this corporation has not been doing the right thing.

Instead, let’s focus on why a multi-billion dollar corporation suddenly demands it’s employees to do what’s right and be more human. And the lesson this has for you and your business.

Big companies and corporations have shareholders to please. That means profits come first. Everything has to scale for minimal friction and maximum yield, making it an impersonal way of operating. In normal times, this works spectacularly well for corporations.

But not today

Today, corporations want to send out a signal, “we’re in this with you and want to help”. They cannot be seen to be profit-first machines. Bragging about their huge, 1st quarter results, or surge in their share price, is no longer a smart move… not when many people and businesses are struggling to survive. So, they now want us to see them as going the extra mile. To think of them as being kinder and putting people before profits. Of course, it’s a tactic. A way to position themselves positively and build their brand. A calculated play, designed to attract attention, win customers and drive their profits up.

The big players have the financial resources to market heavily, pushing the message of how caring they are. They’ll have the top PR companies positioning them in news stories as generous and kind.

Companies make multi-million dollar marketing investments like that, based on the very best data. They know how important a human-focused message is.

What this means to you

Small businesses are perfectly placed to make short, medium and long-term gains, because of the very human way they do their day-to-day business. This is something the corporations and big companies are paying a fortune to try and fake, because they know it’s worth it.

You, however, can simply be yourself.

Your client relationships are exactly that, relational, (rather than purely transactional).
Your business always supports local charities, not just when disaster strikes.
Your customer service is flexible, compared to the rigid customer service policies that large companies are forced to adhere to.
There’s almost always a direct connection channel between the small business owner and their clients.
Your clients know that their importance to you is many times greater, than it is to the large companies they buy from.

It’s always a good idea to play to your strengths. And many of the strengths your business has today, come from its size. This means reminding yourself that your business isn’t just like a huge company, only smaller. And embracing the many benefits of being smaller, more agile and maybe most importantly of all… more human.

Stop worrying. Seriously. Stop it

By Jim Connolly | June 3, 2020

Photo: Shutterstock.

Here are some things you need to know about worry, including a more helpful alternative.

Worrying doesn’t make things better. In fact, it’s counter-productive and serves only to make things worse.
Worrying is a horrible waste of your time, and time is your most valuable resource. No one ever looks back and wishes they’d spent more time worrying.
Worrying is infectious. It spreads from you to everyone you connect with; family, friends, clients and your marketplace.
Worrying causes you to operate sub optimally. It poisons your thinking and causes you to make bad decisions.
Worrying puts your mind into a fear focused state. This makes it harder to find the answers you need and easier, to miss valuable opportunities.
Worry is a liar. The vast majority of things we worry about, either never happen or when they do happen, were nothing like as bad as we thought.
Worrying causes you to feel worse… and worse and worse.
Worrying is the lowest possible use of your amazing imagination. When we worry, we use our mind as a movie theatre, which plays the worst case scenarios of whatever we’re worrying about, over and over again. Instead, change the movie. Use your mind to create a movie of the outcomes you want, the solutions you need and the people and things you are grateful for.

A more productive way forward

Once we’re aware that something is worrying us, it’s time to switch on our resources.

It starts with reminding ourselves that we get to choose what we focus on. At any point, we can move our focus from what we’re worrying about, to the solutions open to us. We can list the people whose help or advice we need and reach out to them. We can then decide what action to take and when to take it.

These are difficult times for small business owners. That’s for sure. Thankfully, although we can’t control external circumstances, we absolutely can control how we choose to respond to them.

Here’s what your prospective clients really want from you

By Jim Connolly | May 31, 2020

Photo: Shutterstock.

So, what are your prospective clients (or customers) looking for, before they decide to buy from you?

The answer to that question remains the same for every business owner. And it holds true for every industry and in every economy. It’s simply this: They want a bargain. They want something from you, which is being sold for less than its value to them. Preferably, way less than its value.

This includes the “money’s no object” crowd. Think about it, when the wealthy customer spends half a million dollars on a piece of jewellery, they want to feel like a million dollars. A million dollar feeling, for just half a million dollars. What a bargain.
The same is true when the shopper on a restricted budget needs a new phone. They go for the best value in their price range. This may be a phone with some of the features, usually found on a more expensive model. What a bargain.

Whatever end of the market you serve, make your value clear. Explain what sets you apart from similarly-priced competitors. Shine a spotlight on what makes your product or service such an amazing proposition. And if there’s not much separating you from your competitors, pump more value into what you provide.

What do I mean by “pump more value”?

I’m not merely referring to ramping up your marketing message, so it sounds more compelling. I’m suggesting you do that… and go beyond that! I’m suggesting you actually increase the value of whatever you provide, so that it’s clearly better than your competitors, if it isn’t already. So that its value really stands out.

How?

Research what you’re competing against. Then look for one or more ways to rise above it. For example, see if you can; offer better guarantees, provide faster delivery times, render a higher level of customer service, adjust your trading hours so they’re a better match for your marketplace’s needs, make your product more environmentally friendly or offer better payment options. You get the idea.

Do this until there’s so much value attached to what you offer, that it’s the obvious choice. The best option. Well worth the money. An easy decision. A real bargain.

Given the current economy, placing a greater emphasis on value is critically important. People are thinking harder before they hire someone or buy something.

And when your prospects need more convincing, your marketing needs to be more convincing, too.

You deserve clients like mine

By Jim Connolly | May 20, 2020

My clients are amazing.

In fact, they’re totally and utterly amazing.

I’ve loved serving my clients for over 25 years. And I respect them. Every single one of them.

Why?

Because they’re not like the average business owner. That’s why their businesses succeed, when the average business fails in the first 5 years, or worse; slowly fails to deliver the results they need for decades.

My clients want to succeed, but they know that DIY marketing can only take them so far. So they choose me to be a part of their success. For which I’m eternally grateful.

The biggest accomplishment of my career, is nothing I myself have done. It’s that I get to spend every working day, with inspirational, smart, courageous people, helping THEM achieve. Imagine that: Every day since 1995, being fortunate enough to do something I love, with amazing people I admire and respect.

You deserve clients like mine.

How to work with totally, utterly amazing clients

Here are a few useful pointers, based on what I do.

Before I work with a client, I always speak with them to determine if we’re a great fit. I only suggest we work together and explain how my service works, after I’ve established I can definitely improve their results. I strongly recommend you do the same.
Only work with people you instinctively trust. If they lose your trust, fire them. Fast. By the way, I’ve only done this once in 25 years, because I take time to make sure we’re a great fit, first.
Treat different clients differently, based on their unique needs. No two clients are the same, so adapt to their specific wants and requirements.
Resolve to do everything possible, to help them succeed. I’m talking about going WAY above and beyond the claims you make in your marketing. For example, when appropriate, I connect my clients to my contacts, opening up possibilities they’d never dreamed of. Do the same. All or nothing. If you can help, help. Period. If you don’t trust your clients with your contacts, you should seriously reconsider who you’re working with.

And always follow the golden rule… care more about your client’s success, than you care about your own success.

You’re only as good as your last performance

By Jim Connolly | May 18, 2020

only as good as last performance, good last performance

Photo: Shutterstock.

I want to share maybe the most powerful mindset in business with you. Because when you understand it, it boosts your productivity, increases your confidence and supercharges your results.

It’s simply this: “You’re only as good as your last performance”.

Here’s how it works.

Why this mindset is so powerful

By learning from your last performance, your road ahead is always filled with potential. Always filled = never-ending. And never-ending potential is just another way of saying endless potential.

It gets even better!

Because you’re always free to bury an unsuccessful last performance, under a better performance, you can destroy the fear of failure from holding you back.

Here’s an example of how I embrace this mindset.

When I publish a blog post and find it didn’t resonate with my readers, (it bombed) I don’t just leave it there.

I understand that “you’re only as good as your last performance”. So I learn from my last performance, make improvements and replace it with something better.

I check things like the subject, the message, the conclusion, the clarity, and the relevance etc.

My NEW last performance is then an improvement. The previous performance is history. And knowing that if I get it wrong, I can always perform better next time, I’m free to work without fear. That’s huge. Because it’s exactly that kind of fear that holds people back from doing their best work.

In short: This mindset gives you the freedom to produce marketing (or do pretty-much anything), without the fear of failure crushing you.

When you embrace the idea, that each performance is an opportunity to improve, and that a bad performance can be buried under a great one, you’re free to blow the lid off your potential.

You’re only as good as your last performance in business

Here are a few real-world examples, of the way embracing this mindset helps business owners.

If your last public speaking opportunity didn’t go as well as you’d hoped, learn from it and make your next performance better. Because that’s the talk, which people will remember.
If your last newsletter or article didn’t generate the results you needed, learn from it and bury it under your next, newly-improved performance. Because that’s the one your readers will remember.
If your last marketing exercise failed to get the results you needed, learn from it. Make the required improvements. Then bask in the success of your newly-improved marketing performance.

As you can see, the idea can be applied extremely widely. This gives it the flexibility to help you in many of the most challenging areas of your business.

Embracing this mindset frees you to give the world a massively better (and always improving) version of you and your work. Oh, and just watch what it does to your results.

Given that you’re only as good as your last performance, here’s a suggestion. List some of your past performances, which you’d love to improve, then replace them with better ones. That’s a great place to start.

How to get back to your productive best

By Jim Connolly | May 15, 2020

Photo: Shutterstock.

A friend recently told me she was going through a long, unproductive spell with her business. She asked if I had any ideas that might help her. As this is something that impacts a lot of business owners, I thought I’d share my advice with you.

As we hadn’t spoken in a while, I asked her to give me a catch-up. It soon became apparent what the core issue was.

It seems that at some point over the past year, she became comfortable with things. Now, there’s nothing wrong with being comfortable. Her problem stemmed from becoming comfortable, yet unfulfilled.

Like many business owners, she decided to settle for things the way they are, rather than continue to develop her business and grow as a business owner. This means the motivation and energy that came from taking bold steps and achieving breakthroughs, just isn’t there any more.

Inspired, passionate productivity

Here’s why this is massively important for you and your business.

When we’re inspired by the work we do, passionate about the people we work with and motivated by our goals, we’re at our most motivated and our most productive.
When we settle for less, work with people who lower our aspirations or zap our energy, we no longer have that drive. We become demotivated and unproductive. And work becomes a lot less rewarding on every level.

If you’re feeling unproductive for too many days in a row, it could be a sign you’re settling for too little. Get around the right people. And limit your association with anxious, fear focused people. Then set yourself some inspirational goals.

With the right people around you and exciting goals ahead of you, you’ll quickly reignite the inspired, passionate productivity you had when you started your business. You’ll also find that today, just like before, there’s very little you can’t achieve when you put your mind to it.

Just a quick reminder

By Jim Connolly | May 14, 2020

Remember.

You’re never more than one idea away from a life-changing breakthrough.
And it’s never been easier to put your ideas into action and show the world. YouTube gives you a free, global TV channel. WordPress gives you a free, global publishing platform and Gmail gives you free, global message distribution.
Whatever problem you’re facing right now, has already been overcome by countless other business owners. This means the answer you need is already out there. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Just try looking in better places or asking for some informed help.
Thanks to social networks, you can listen to your marketplace and find out exactly what they want. This means you can develop a product or service, knowing in advance that the demand will be high. No more guessing. And that means way, way less risk.

There are very real commercial challenges out there right now. No doubt at all. But it pays to remind ourselves that we have opportunities to overcome them, which previous generations of business owners couldn’t have even dreamed of.

What is “a bias for action” and why is it potentially dangerous?

By Jim Connolly | May 9, 2020

Photo: Shutterstock.

Since the start of the pandemic, one of the key business mantras out there, is that it’s smart to have “a bias for action“.

That’s not only wrong. It’s dangerously wrong.

Why a bias for action is dangerous

On a surface level, the advice seems to make sense. It sounds positive after all. However, if you think about it for a few minutes you’ll spot the obvious error. You’ll notice that many of the most unproductive people you’ve ever met had a bias for action.

These include.

The people without a strategy, who are enthusiastically doing the wrong things.
The people who work like crazy until they burn out and get sick.
The people who jump from project to project, because they’re action focused and get bored fast.
The people who keep themselves busy doing what’s comfortable, rather than what’s required.

It reminds me of something Jim Rohn used to say; “Motivation alone is not enough. If you have an idiot and you motivate him, now you have a motivated idiot.”

Harsh words. But Jim made a very solid point. A bias for action can work directly against us. Unless we also develop a bias for progress or a bias for success.

The most productive people in business make a critically important distinction. Instead of a bias for action, they widen it out. They don’t want to be busy. They want to achieve desired outcomes. So they develop a bias for progress instead. Progress is what happens when preparation is combined with action.

This means planning first, then acting. Using your time and energy as effectively as you possibly can.

These are challenging times and we all need to be at our productive best. So get specific about exactly what you want to achieve. Do the research. Get the advice. Look at the numbers. And if everything stacks up, take action. That’s when a bias for action is needed.

Agility is the new growth

By Jim Connolly | May 6, 2020

Photo: Shutterstock.

Since the start of the pandemic, I’ve written a lot about the need for business owners to adopt agile thinking. So it may come as a surprise that the title of today’s post is taken from Matthieu Pellerin, the founder and head of Google’s Growth Lab.

Pellerin wrote a very interesting post yesterday, Inside Google Marketing: Agility is the new growth. In it, he generously shares what he’s seeing, regarding changes required when marketing during the coronavirus pandemic. I found the following quote especially interesting:

“Our raison d’être continues to be driving responsible and sustainable growth, but we’re now operating under a new mantra of ‘organisational agility’.”

Whilst his post focuses on what his team at Google are doing, there’s clearly a core message we can all benefit from.

The needs, wants and situation of your clients and prospective clients is changing rapidly. In some cases, daily. Your marketing messaging needs to be just as agile, if you want to be as useful, valuable and relevant to them as possible. This includes your email marketing, website content, blog posts, social networking updates and vlogging, etc.

You simply cannot expect a pre-pandemic marketing message to strike the correct tone. Pellerin gives an example of just how important he believes it is, to get agile and move fast:

“We readjust these plans regularly and continue to switch resources as needed. Our key product priorities are shifting at lightning speed”.

Next steps

If, like many people reading this, you’re getting fewer sales or new client enquiries, check the messaging you’re using. If it fails to address the new and evolving priorities of your marketplace, it will also fail to deliver the results you need.

Whenever possible, hire a professional marketing copywriter to create compelling, relevant content for you. If that’s not within your budget, do something yourself. And in either case, review the message at least every 7 days. Sooner if it isn’t generating the results you need.

Yes, this means spending more time on your marketing. However, an agile situation demands an equally agile response.

Mark Twain: Going out on a limb

By Jim Connolly | May 3, 2020

mark twain, going out limb, where fruit is

One of the foundations of success, is a willingness to go out on a limb. That’s because all meaningful progress is preceded by the decision to take a calculated risk; to go out on a limb and do something.

Risk, security and progress

Starting a family, starting a business, relocating – all of these life changing decisions require us to go out on a limb. One of the oddities of life, is that even though the decisions that lead to the most progress in our lives are preceded by risk, we tend to opt for certainty instead. The pull of the comfort zone is clearly too strong for most to resist.

The challenge with opting for the mediocre decisions, is that mediocre decisions lead to mediocre results.

In our strive for certainty and security, it’s easy to justify playing it safe. After all…

If we don’t state our opinions, our opinions can’t be criticised.
If we don’t start a business, the business can’t fail.
If we don’t ask that amazing person for a dance, they can’t say no.

Mark Twain and going out on a limb

I discovered a wonderful quote from Mark Twain, which describes the importance of going out on a limb far more eloquently than I can.

Here’s what he said: “Why not go out on a limb? That’s where the fruit is!”

One of the great ironies in business, is that playing it safe is the riskiest thing we can do. This means a risk averse business owner places an incredibly low ceiling on his or her potential. They reach a plateau with their business no matter how hard they work, because every genuinely valuable opportunity has an element of risk attached. Progress means change. And change means risk.

Here’s an interesting fact:

In over 6000 years of recorded human history, no one has ever achieved anything outstanding by playing it safe. No one. The message is clear. We need to either accept the necessity for calculated risks, or settle for way, way less than we deserve.

So why not go out on a limb, as Mark Twain suggests? At least occasionally. And put yourself within reach of the fruit.

Mark Twain photo: Shutterstock.

It’s pure, marketing gold dust

By Jim Connolly | April 30, 2020

Photo: Shutterstock.

One of the most important lessons in marketing, is to understand that none of us have any clients or customers.

In other words, the client relationship is not ours.

We have to earn the privilege of providing a service to our clients… and then keep looking for opportunities to re-earn it. This means consistently looking for ways to deliver more value than they expect. And determining that an outstanding service is our absolute base line, our bare minimum, and never offering anything less.

Pure marketing gold dust

Only by accepting that we have no clients, can we avoid complacency and operate at our very best. And by operating at our very best, we become not only invaluable to our clients; we also leave a trail of outstanding work that inspires client referrals.

Think about it.

Massively higher client retention than others in our industry.
Far, far more client referrals than others in our industry.

It’s pure, marketing gold dust. A robust, unstoppable way to grow a successful business.

As I have said many times before, everything in business is marketing. This includes the quality of the service you provide to your clients, and your absolute commitment to their success.

Pandemic marketing: Specifics you need to focus on

By Jim Connolly | April 27, 2020

Photo: Shutterstock.

We’ve all seen the tragic, human cost of the pandemic unfolding and the heroic work of those working on the front line.

Commercially, as countries start to sketch out their plans to ease certain restrictions, we can get a better idea of the business disruption we’re likely to see between now and next year. With that in mind, and to help you plan ahead, here are some specific marketing challenges, which business owners will need to overcome.

I’ve split them into 2 groups (business to business and business to consumer), though you may find some overlap.

If you sell products or services to businesses.

Those offering design, branding and so-called ‘soft skills’ training may find prospects holding back on investment, until things settle down.
It’s likely that a number of the businesses you serve will cease trading. This will vary depending on the industries you sell into.
If your customers have been scaling back or reducing staff numbers, this could reduce the frequency or size of their requirement / future orders from you.
With almost every business taking a financial hit from the pandemic, you will encounter more price resistance than before.
Leading on from the previous point, your low cost competitors are likely to be a greater threat to your business than they were.
Some of your competitors will be a lot more active with their marketing. Most will rely on DIY marketing and have little effect on your business. However, some may get expert help and eat into your market share.

If you sell direct to consumers.

Many consumers will be forced to scale back on non-essential products and services. This is less of an issue if you sell into the expensive end of your market, or the low cost end of the market. It’s a bigger concern if you sell into the middle of the market.
If most of your customers are elderly, many will be required to stay in lockdown until a vaccine or cure for COVID-19 is developed. You’ll need to create a safe way to serve your customers. Then, you’ll need to market your new approach clearly.
Those offering so-called ‘soft skills’ training may find customers and prospective customers less willing to invest, until their financial situation is more certain.
Restaurants, coffee shops and cafés, etc., are likely to be required to provide social distancing for customers, until a vaccine or cure is developed. This means you’ll have a smaller capacity, fewer tables / fewer seats and probably fewer customers. You’ll need to work hard on increasing the average order amount.

Issues like these will impact millions of business owners, but you don’t need to be one of them. Everything here can be overcome successfully, if marketed correctly. Everything.

So get to work now on the areas that are likely to impact your business. And give yourself the advantage of adapting to the new needs of your customers, before your competitors do.

At worst, your business can still grow

By Jim Connolly | April 21, 2020

This is a short post. It’s also the most important I’ve written in a long time. I strongly recommend you take a couple of minutes to read it.

Photo: Shutterstock.

During the pandemic.

You have the freedom to focus on surviving.
You have the freedom to focus on thriving.

If your thinking is all about how to survive, it will have a hard limit. A limit that sees survival as the desired end point. If things go as well as they possibly can, you’ll still be in business by the end of the pandemic. If things fall (even a little) short of your desired end point, you’re out of business.

If your thinking is all about how to thrive, it has no limitation. No restriction on your end point. If things go well, your business (and you) will have absolutely thrived by the end of the pandemic. If things fall short of your desired end point, your business can still grow!

Focusing on thriving will open you up to outstanding possibilities. It will boost your energy levels. It will inspire the people around you. It will excite your marketplace. It will open your eyes to opportunities that the survive crowd aren’t even looking for.

Picture this for a moment. Imagine how much better your chances of success will be, if you choose today to focus exclusively on thriving. This means you too will be working on outstanding business possibilities, with boundless energy, surrounded by inspired people, with an excited marketplace, and all this whilst simultaneously enjoying new opportunities, just like my ‘thrive’ clients.

I hope you found this useful, but more importantly, I hope it inspires you too, to thrive.

15 Things you really should be doing right now. Yes you. Yes now!

By Jim Connolly | April 18, 2020

Photo: Shutterstock.

Many of you have emailed me, asking for advice on what you should be focusing on right now.

Obviously, different businesses have different needs. But as we all know, hunkering down and waiting for things to magically just get better, isn’t an option.

With that in mind, here are some general examples of things you should consider.

Research the new needs of your marketplace. It definitely will not be business as usual after the crisis passes.
Stop watching rolling news and feed your mind with useful ideas instead.
Build strategic alliances. Partner-up with providers, who offer a complimentary, but non-conflicting product or service.
Sketch out ideas (and then develop) new, highly profitable services.
Plan the way forward for your business.
Form endorsed relationships.
Before you market anything to anyone, remember that these are weird times for everyone.
Look outside your industry for new ideas, which could dramatically improve your business.
Get to know your clients better.
Hire expert marketing help. This is the worst time in history to rely on DIY marketing.
Start a blog, then distribute it via email. Like I do.
Ramp up your marketplace outreach.
Look for ways to connect your clients or customers with one another.
Ask your clients and former clients, “How can I help?”.
Send a ‘thank you’ to all those helping you during the crisis.

Most importantly, get active now. Don’t let your competitors gain a huge advantage over you, by building their businesses while you’re waiting to see how things pan out. That’s an unnecessary additional business problem, which you really don’t need. So get moving. And get moving now.

Business as normal: The 2020 version

By Jim Connolly | April 16, 2020

Photo: Shutterstock.

The human cost of the coronavirus is heartbreaking, and the courage and dedication of those on the front-line, helping patients, is beyond heroic.

Scientists and governments are currently trying to figure out what to do and when, to restrict the spread of the virus and save lives. They’re also trying to get the balance right, so the economy is strong enough to support the population when the pandemic has passed.

When will business return to normal?

As you probably know, certain trading restrictions are already being lifted in some places, with lifting of restrictions in many other areas expected in the coming weeks.

It seems business will return to ‘normal’ slowly, but starting soon.

However, it will be a new version of normal.

And the new normal will bring with it numerous opportunities, just as it always has in the past.

Many outstanding, new opportunities will exist to transform your business. That’s because things will change. And change is the most powerful catalyst for innovation, which creates opportunity.

So, keep your eyes open! Because windows of opportunity tend not to stay open very long. But they’re wide open to you right now, my friend.

Here’s what your marketplace wants from you

By Jim Connolly | April 15, 2020

Photo: Shutterstock.

Here are a few thoughts regarding the needs and wants of your marketplace, written from their perspective.

We’re about to find out how you react in a major emergency. Please exceed our expectations.
We always value sincere, personal messages. But never more so than today.
We’re eagerly looking for sources of realistic optimism. And we’re looking at you.
We want your seed, not your need. So show us how you can help. Go easy on the sales pitches.
We’re just like you; when people go silent on us, we soon forget them.
We all respond differently under stress. Expect the unexpected from us and you won’t be disappointed.
We will remember how you treated us after the crisis has passed.

Your marketplace is made up of a diverse group of people. They won’t all be focused on the exact same things. But many will be sensitive to some of those points.

This is a challenging time for everyone, including your clients and prospective clients. Your marketing needs to speak to this new reality or it will be irrelevant and ignored.

Front of mind?

By Jim Connolly | April 11, 2020

Photo: Shutterstock.

So, what does front of mind mean? In this article I’ll explain the meaning and also provide you with some powerful examples we have all been very aware of.

Since the start of last year, many of the companies, organizations and brands that were front of mind (sometimes called top of mind), have now been replaced. The 2020 coronavirus pandemic changed everything and we saw different brands respond very differently with their marketing. It was a great example of what front of mind means, and how it works.

What does “Front of mind” mean?

It’s generally used to describe the first person or brand that comes to mind, when someone thinks about a topic. For example, if I ask you to give me the name of a social network and you reply with “Facebook”, then Facebook is currently front of mind for you, among social networking brands.

One of your key marketing tasks as a business owner, is to occupy the front of mind position in your marketplace. When they need whatever you provide or need help from someone in your industry, your name needs to pop into their mind first.

If they think of 2 or 3 competitors before you, you’re way less likely to get an enquiry.

A recent example of how front of mind works, and can change, came from the way businesses responded to the coronavirus. Their reaction fit into one of the following three groups.

1. Some carried on as if nothing had happened

They were unsure what to do, so they just did what they’d always done. This made them utterly irrelevant to the new needs and wants of their marketplace. They quickly faded in prominence, in the mind of their existing clients – – let alone the minds of those who would have been their future clients.

2. Some made an announcement, then went quiet

This group saw other providers making a statement about COVID-19, so they did the same. They then reverted back as if it was business as usual, like those in the previous group. And they too saw their businesses or brands fade in the mind of their marketplace.

3. Some adapted to the challenges of the coronavirus

This group increased the relevance and frequency of their marketing messaging. They looked at the new needs and new wants of their marketplace and adapted accordingly.

Interestingly, this group included the largest of corporations and the smallest of small businesses.

For example.

Coca Cola started to use their Twitter account exclusively to share coronavirus advice and promote charities, to over 3 million followers.
I live in a small village where a local taxi driver switched his business, to exclusively focus on delivering shopping, hot food, medicines and other supplies to high-risk people. He’s now the best known taxi driver in the area and has an army of super loyal customers.
In the marketplace they serve, those 2 very different businesses became front of mind.

Businesses in that 3rd group were keenly seeking out ways to proactively connect with, and be helpful to, the community they served. They used social networks, newsletters, blogs, vlogs or podcasts etc., to share useful, relevant information and they thrived as a result.

And they naturally became front of mind!

The situation in 2020 / 2021 saw lots of new brands become front of mind, and many have managed to retain the position. The key is to remember that there are opportunities in every economy, and under every kind of service conditions, to take our businesses to the front of our marketplace’s mind.