Jim's Marketing Blog

I was thinking earlier, how anyone can refer to themselves as a marketing expert.  If they are really bold, they may call themselves a marketing guru, marketing wizard or even a “thought leader.”  The same is true for every industry.

Of course, the grand titles people assign to themselves are not what counts.  It’s the marketplace, which decides if we are any good.

• If we consistently help people create quantum improvements, people will notice.
• If we write a newsletter or a blog, which showcases our ability in a very positive light, people will notice.
• If we try to help as many people as we can, by giving as much unique value as we can, people will notice.

Obviously, the reverse is also true.

• If our work is generic, people will notice.
• If we write a newsletter or blog, which showcases our lack of ability, people will notice.
• If we have nothing of original value to offer our marketplace, people will notice.

We all have the freedom to give ourselves any title we wish, which is why I find titles so interesting.  Ultimately, the titles people give themselves ALWAYS tell us much more about the person, than the literal meaning of the title.

If you want to enjoy massively better results from your business, you need to step back and look at the way things are right now.  A great place to start, is to ask yourself the following question on a regular basis:

Am I making measurable progress in reasonable time?

I know business owners who are earning roughly the same today as they were 2 years ago.  That’s not how you grow a successful business.  That’s called stagnation.  It’s stressful, unrewarding and 100% unnecessary.

Day by day, it’s easy to miss the fact that you are making little measurable progress.  Small business owners who are working hard but getting little reward, don’t do so deliberately.  They are simply unaware that they are repeating small errors, which are stopping their business from growing.  They are like the guy trying to cut down a tree with a hammer.  Lots of effort for very little progress.

The bottom line: If you are not making the progress you want, either figure out what’s blocking you or talk to someone who knows.  Make the changes required and start getting the results your hard work deserves!  Don’t make the mistake of hoping things will just get better.  Hope is not a business strategy.

So many important things in business get overlooked, because we think they probably don’t matter.

• It matters when you make short term decisions, yet you want long term success.
• It matters when you tell a client you will have it finished by 4pm, but you haven’t.
• It matters when your Facebook page is packed with fresh content, yet your primary website or blog is left neglected.
• It matters when you haven’t read a great book on your area of expertise in the past 6 months.
• It matters when you use social media like an old school marketing channel, to interrupt people with unwanted sales messages.
• It matters when you have to attend networking groups to plead for leads, because you are not attracting regular word of mouth referrals.

In business, every action you take is either working for you or working against you.  Nothing is neutral.  Everything matters.

If you want to attract the best clients and the highest fees, you need to understand the commercial value of originality.

The original Mona Lisa was insured in 1962 for a hundred million dollars and today that valuation would be closer to a billion dollars.  However, you can buy a copy of the Mona Lisa for the price of a coffee!  This is because the marketplace values originality and attaches no value to copycats.

The easy route

The easy route is what the masses decide to take.  This is what Seth Godin refers to as; “offering an average service to average people.”  They attract average clients and have to charge average fees.  This approach is soul destroying and those who take it look to the future with apprehension.  However, it requires little thought, which is why it’s so common.

The challenging route

The challenging route is what the leaders in every field decide to take.  They look for ways to offer a uniquely valuable service, rather than looking for excuses for why they MUST toe the line and do what their competitors are doing.

Whenever I have written on this subject before, people have left comments saying that it’s just not possible to offer anything new or original in their profession.  That is factually incorrect.  What they are really saying, is that it’s challenging, so they quit.  The people get on and do it, push through that challenge.  They invest the effort and energy to come up with something uniquely valuable and then they have the courage to implement it.  That’s why they get to work with the best clients and earn the highest fees.

In a world full of copycats, you can achieve huge commercial success if you seek out and implement your own, original masterpiece!

You can catch up on part 1 and part 2 of this series, using the links below:

How to attract the best clients and the highest fees Part 1

How to attract the best clients and the highest fees Part 2

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

Ever have a salesperson approach you and you just know that they are only interested in making a sale?

When a salesperson is more interested in the commission they will make from selling to us, than they are in helping us, they usually lose the sale and wonder why.  They seem to be unaware that their prospective clients can sense that they are not looking out for them.  If the salesperson realises this and then decides to link their own success, to a genuine commitment to helping others, everything changes.

Suddenly, without using any new fancy footwork, they are selling more than ever before and people are now recommending them.

Honesty signals

What the salesperson in that example needed was a change in their mindset – Not better negotiating skills.  By genuinely giving the best advice and trying to help people make the right decision, they gave the honesty signals that their prospective clients are always looking for.

One of the beautiful ironies of business, is that the more we care about the marketplace, the more the marketplace cares about us.

One of the beautiful paradoxes of business, is that our own self-interest is best served by looking out for the best interests of others.

If you have ever wondered how your small or medium sized business can compete against the big guys, here’s a tip!

You have to start by understanding that a small business is not simply a scaled down version of a big business.

There are some important differences.  For example, big businesses are run my committees.  Small businesses are run by people.  The marketplace finds it easier to connect with people, than with committees.  Go and connect on a more personal level with your marketplace.

Big businesses are also notoriously slow to change.  Small businesses can change as soon as change is required.  If you get a great idea, which you want to implement, go and implement it.

Your opportunity as a small business owner, is to play to your strengths.

If you just offer a scaled down version of what big businesses offer, you can’t compete.  However, use your advantages fully and you can develop something of value, which the big guys can’t touch.

Here’s a quick question for you:  Who do you network with and why?

I ask this, because there is a direct link between how well connected you are to the right people and your overall business success.

Small business owners usually associate or network exclusively with other small business owners.  They tend not to deliberately build relationships with the most influential people in their niche.  You need both types of people.  It’s important to connect with fellow small business owners, but it’s extremely important to mix with people, who have the skills, influence or funding your business needs, in order to grow successfully.

Knowing the right people for your business

For example, small business owners will speak with the local bank manager about funding, even though the bank manager is a risk-averse, job-for-life, salaried employee.  If they spoke with a wealthy entrepreneur and offered a compelling reason to invest, they could not only get the funding they need, even more importantly, they would be able to tap into the wealthy entrepreneur’s priceless treasure chest of business knowledge.

The marketing person who needs to hassle people for business at local networking events, or pester people for referrals at networking groups, is very obviously not the best person to show you how to attract clients.  However, that’s the person most small business owners will waste their time and money on, simply because that’s the only marketing person they know.

If you are serious about developing a successful business, you need to deliberately build a network of great people around you.  Take the time to identify and then reach out, to people who can help you make quantum improvements to your business.  Your circle of contacts should be one of your businesses most valuable assets.  Treat it that way and work on developing it.

If you look at the world’s most successful businesspeople, none of them play it safe.

If you look at the people at the top of your profession, none of them play it safe.

However, if you look at the hundreds of millions of people who live uninspiring, average lives, all of them play it safe.

Risk, creators and consumers

In their quest for the good life, successful people learn to embrace risk. They know that the only job security is when you are your own boss, so they risk it and build a business. They tend not to waste their lives watching reality TV; because their own reality is compelling.  They prefer to meet with friends in the evenings, chew over their plans or develop their ideas. They get it. They are the creators.

In the quest for security, the masses choose not to risk anything. They don’t want to leave the security of a salaried job, even though as an employee, their job is never secure and their destiny is always out of their control. They let their boss take the risks. They console themselves with a brainwashing kit: A 5 foot TV and a diet of TV shows. They are happier to watch the risk takers, who live on the other side of their TV screen. They are the consumers.

The paradox?

The real kicker here, is that the person trying to avoid the risks, is actually playing a far riskier game.  They are constantly under threat of unemployment.  Their boss can fire them, their boss can sell the business, their boss can go broke.  All this is out of their control and can happen tomorrow.  Zero security.

Maybe the most valuable lesson anyone can teach a teenager, is to embrace smart risks.  If something looks like a great potential idea, do the research and if it seems to stack up, try it!  It’s the least risky option and leads to a life worth living.

Have you been thinking about joining me on my marketing mentor program; where you and I work together, one-to-one for a whole year, to grow your business and boost your profits?

If you have, I have some GREAT news for you.

There is 1 position available, starting in just TWO WEEKS!

You can find out more about the program here, along with how to get in touch.  This really is a great opportunity for us to work together on the marketing and development of your business and for you to benefit from the most powerful marketing ideas I know.

If you are interested, I recommend you get in touch as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Jim Connolly can help you grow your business and achieve the breakthrough marketing results your hard work deserves. To find out more, simply click here!

People often say how lucky I am, to have a business that allows me to work very few hours, live in a great rural location and still work with wonderful people all over the world.  They want to know how they can do the same.

So, here’s how I did it!

My life sucked

It started with a conversation.  At the time, I was running a very successful marketing business in London.  I worked long hours, made a great deal of money but spent most of my life working, often away from home.  I sat down with my wife and we talked about how we could improve our quality of life.  That conversation was to change the course of our lives.

Over the coming days, my wife and I developed a whole new way to deliver a massively valuable marketing service, which could be delivered no matter where in the world we were.  We then bought a new home, moved in and put the plan into action.

I would love to have a great story about how hard it was, but it wasn’t.  It was actually one of the most enjoyable and exciting adventures I have ever been on.

Then my life stopped sucking!

A couple of years later, our beautiful son was born.  Thanks to this business model, I have had breakfast with him every morning of his life and been here to play with him when he gets home from school too.  I work half as many hours as most people and a quarter as many hours as most business owners.  I work hard and I work smart, but I don’t work long hours.  Over 80% of my income these days does not require me exchanging my time for money.

Now, I could have listened to the people, who told me I was crazy to leave a thriving business in London and restart all over again, with no clients and no guarantee of success.  I could have focused on what I feared, rather than what I wanted.  I could have compromised and told myself that I will retire to the countryside some day; when I’d be too old or too sick to enjoy it.

The motivation to make it work was so strong that I had enough energy and ideas, to have achieved everything I wanted 100 times over.  Today, I get to feel that same motivation, helping other people, who want to transform their business and live the life they are capable of, just as I did.

The irony?  Within 12 months of moving to the countryside, I was working half as many hours, earning more and massively more profitable, than when I was living and working in London!

If you are not where you want to be with your lifestyle right now, change it.  Decide what you want.  Develop a better plan.  Then get to work on making it real.  You can do it.

For those who are serious, I’m here to help you.

In retail marketing, they have a great saying.  They say that your store should be worth crossing the street for. This means it should be so attractive that people will leave whichever shop they are in or stop whatever they are doing, to cross the street and walk into your place.

The retail outlets that are worth crossing the street for, made the decision to stand out.  They worked at it.  They invested in it.  They took it seriously.

Conversely, the stores that blend into the background and slowly go broke, made the decision not to stand out.  They copied what they saw the others doing.  They didn’t take it seriously enough to do it correctly.  They tried some advertising and played with their window display.  They took free advice.  They did the wrong things extremely well.  As a result, the harder they worked, the more they became camouflaged among all the others, who made the same mistakes.  They didn’t stand a chance.

Is your business worth crossing the street for?

When people compare your business to your competitors (and they do) are they prepared to cross the street? Does what you have to say , capture their attention and motivate them away from their current provider?  These are important questions for you to ask and answer, if you want to grow a successful business.

Most small businesses struggle to get noticed, let alone project the kind of powerful impact, which attracts clients and customers.  The thing is, there’s no need for this to happen to you.  It’s a decision you make.  If you don’t know how to stand out, you can either invest the time required to learn how to or hire someone who already knows.

The bottom line: It’s always your decision.

Will that new business idea of yours succeed?

Yesterday alone, 3 people asked me that question.  They wanted me to tell them “YES, go for it!” or “NO, it’s a bad business idea!”  The challenge here, is that the question itself is deeply flawed.

Will your next business idea succeed or not?

There are many components behind whether a business idea will fly or flop.  The mental resilience of the person behind the business is a key factor.  Their work ethic is another.  Their resources need to be taken into consideration too.  The list goes on and on.

In most cases, the advice I give to people who email me with that question is the same.  I suggest that if they have done the research, checked the numbers and THEY believe it will work, then they should give their idea a chance to fly. Yes, it is good to get feedback from people, whose opinions you trust and respect.  For example, speak with an accountant about the numbers.  But don’t ask her if you should start that business or launch that new idea.

Some people waste years waiting for an idea, which everyone they speak to says is a definite winner.  No one can possibly know that, because of all the factors involved.  As a result, they do nothing, miss the opportunities and get nowhere.  Their need for guarantees, safety nets and green lights, stops them from getting started.  It’s also the total  opposite of the way an entrepreneur works.

Entrepreneurs don’t seek permission

Entrepreneurs don’t try and put the pressure on other people, by making it someone else’s decision, whether the entrepreneur should start his or her business.  They accept responsibility.  They get the information they need and then get to work.

Here’s the one fact we know for certain, regardless of who you are or what your business idea is:  100% of the ideas you never work on, will never succeed.

• Do the research.
• Make sure the numbers add up.
• Make the plans.
• Get to work.
• If the idea flops, learn from it and do better next time.

But don’t wait for anyone to give you permission to start.