Jim's Marketing Blog

Marketing tips and ideas to help you grow your business

10 Huge business wins you can start on today

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grow business, 2024 tips, business success, marketing

With 2024 just around the corner, here are 10 massive improvements you can make, to set your business for success in the year ahead.

  1. Resolve to do all the work required for success, rather than the 95% of things that every business owner does. That extra 5% will make you unstoppable.
  2. Focus like a laser on what you want to achieve. Why? Because it aligns your thoughts and thus your actions, with your goals. A lack of focus leads to a lack of alignment and poor results.
  3. End each workday with a 20-minute review of what happened. List your achievements, things you could have done better, and the lessons you have learned. Use these to make better decisions the next day. I’ve seen this idea create life-changing results for my clients.
  4. Fall in love with your business. We know that when we do what we love, we never work another day in our life. The same is true when we learn to love what we do. So start today. It will improve your results across the board.
  5. Get around the right people. Associate with those who will motivate you, inspire you and encourage you.
  6. Do something every day, which your future-self will thank you for. Make a new connection, take a step toward the attainment of a major goal, etc.
  7. Place enormous value on your time. Throughout the day, ask yourself is this the best use of my time right now? If it isn’t, stop and do something better.
  8. Start a daily journal habit. It will provide you with a place to reflect, a place to organize your thoughts, a place to solve problems, a place to capture ideas, and so much more. This works great with point number 2.
  9. Strive to always exceed expectations. Raise your own bar.
  10. Provide your business with the resources it needs. When we starve anything of essential resources, it stops growing. Our business is the same.

Photo: Shutterstock.

The best decisions you’ll ever make

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risk taking, risky thinking

I have a very quick, yet powerful business development tip to share with you today.

It starts with a question.

Have you noticed how the best decisions you’ve ever made had 2 things in common?

Firstly, they were all big decisions. Really BIG decisions. For example, the decision to buy or rent your first home, or to get married, start a family, start a business, etc., are all huge, life-changing decisions. Secondly, you made these massive decisions even though you had no guarantee of success in advance.

Those same 2 factors are also essential to our business success. Our biggest commercial breakthroughs come from making big decisions, with no guarantees. 

So if we have a poorly-calibrated view of risk, we place a very low limit on what we can achieve. We fail to enjoy the major progress, which is only possible when we make the major decisions that will lead us to major success.

If our business is growing too slowly, we need to identify the business decisions we’re avoiding. Because the answers we need are right there.

Photo by Matt Reiter.

Finding diamonds. And 9 other tips

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small business, business tips, business ideas

Here are 10 characteristics, common to every successful business owner I have ever met or studied. I hope you find them useful.

  1. They look for the diamonds in every downturn. When something goes wrong, either internal to their business, or external to the economy, they focus on the opportunities it brings. And those diamond opportunities are always there.
  2. They make a study of business success. They listen to informed minds and take notes.
  3. They always have enough time to do everything required. That’s because they know the difference between a lack of time and a lack of direction. With direction you can achieve more in a day than others achieve in a week.
  4. They are self-starters. They don’t seek external motivation. They do what needs doing.
  5. They have learned when, and how, to say no.
  6. They are reliable and turn up even when it’s easier not to. This commitment to reliability is both rare and highly valued.
  7. They accept responsibility when they make a mistake. They learn the lessons, then set to work on improving things.
  8. They are good decision makers. Once they have the information required, they make a decision. They know that leaving decisions unmade is extremely counter-productive.
  9. They are eager to lead. They step forward, when others step back.
  10. They never mistake movement for progress. Others are moving, but doing figure eights.

If you found something above that could be useful to you, make a note of it now, while it’s fresh in your mind. Then, get to work on putting it into action. Act while the opportunity is hot, and the motivation is high.

Photo by Jon Tyson 

How to sell your services into massive companies

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marketing home run

Photo: Shutterstock.

Have you ever considered selling your services to huge corporations? If you haven’t, then maybe it’s time that you did. I’m going to show you how to remove the main barrier, and make it far easier for you to land extremely valuable clients.

Once you understand what I am about to share with you, you may find it easier to gain a $10,000 client than a $500 client.

Allow me to explain.

It’s amazing what big companies spend money on

I was prompted to write this, after remembering an email I received from a friend. He’s a head of department for a massive software corporation. He had just sat through what he called a “cringe-worthy” motivational talk from a former, professional sportsperson.

Apparently, the speaker:

  • Had no business background.
  • Had no idea about the challenges they face.
  • Didn’t understand their industry.
  • Didn’t offer a single idea for how they can improve things.
  • He “shared a few funny stories, dropped a few famous names and finished with a copy/paste you can achieve anything speech”.

My friend wanted to know, why do such people get hired as speakers by massive corporations?

Here’s why that guy was hired

The reason people like that get hired to speak is simple. More importantly, it also explains what motivates massive corporations to spend money on any kind of product or service.

That speaker may have been a waste of company money, but he was a very safe bet. An easy hire, with no risk attached.

Hang on Jim, if the guy is a waste of money, how can hiring him possibly be a very safe bet?

That’s a great question! :)

Here’s how it works:

  • The decision maker, who hired the guy, isn’t spending his or her own money. The money comes from a budget, which they need to spend.
  • The decision maker’s priority is to spend their budget every year without screwing up. So they invest in what they hope will be the safest, least risky option.
  • The risk with a speaker like this is close to zero. That’s because it’s hard to measure the impact of a talk in any meaningful way.
  • Bonus: The decision maker can’t be blamed even if the speaker is demonstrably terrible. After all, they did hire a famous person!
  • So, decision makers eagerly grab any opportunity to spend chunks of their budget on these low commercial value, but 100% risk free, speakers.

The lesson here?

I think there are a couple of lessons.

1. Corporations should reward courage

Corporations need to stop rewarding decision makers, for making lousy, but safe, decisions. Instead they need to reward courage. They need to reward decision makers for advancing the company with smart investments.

Until then, former sportspeople (or influencers, faded TV celebrities etc.), can fill their boots with very easy money. At least until their impact is measured and they are no longer a safe bet for decision makers.

2. It’s really easy to sell into huge corporations

If you’re selling into a billion dollar corporation, remember that the decision maker is frightened. They will only buy from you if you can convince them that you’re a super-safe bet. If they see you as a close to zero risk, they will pay you thousands, maybe tens of thousands. And if you’re really good on the day they’ll pay you regularly, too.

Of course, in order to sound as safe as possible you need some supporting evidence. Former sportspeople have their fame.

If you’re not a former, professional sportsperson, influencer or celebrity etc., you will need to work on building your brand, like the rest of us.

If the decision maker hasn’t heard of you, you’ll sound risky. So get your name out there for all the right reasons. Highlight notable media mentions, accomplishments and anything else that will reduce or eliminate the decision maker’s fear.

Then remember the following before you market your services:

  • You’re never selling to a billion dollar corporation.
  • You’re always selling to an individual, whose priority is not to make a mistake.

Lasting success for your business

Lasting success comes from achieving the balance of being a safe bet… AND being someone who provides measurable value.

Get that balance right and you’ll build yourself a world-class reputation. You’ll also find yourself able to attract the most valuable clients, again and again and again.

Super-effective marketing, in just 3 steps

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marketing, motivate people, take action now, motivation,

Do you ever wonder what’s stopping you from getting enough high quality sales leads or enquiries?

This is a problem, which new clients often have when we first start working together. So today I thought I’d share a very brief overview of how I turn things around for them.

Super-effective marketing is based on a 3 step process. It motivates people to take action, now. Let’s break that down.

  1. Motivates people.
  2. To take action.
  3. Now.

1. Motivates people

Your prospective clients (or customers) are busy. On top of this, they’re bombarded with notifications all day long, from people and apps demanding their attention. Faced with this reality, your marketing needs to rise above all that noise. It needs to motivate prospects to pay attention, and then inspire them to engage with your message.

None of this can be achieved, with the common marketing tactics you hear about on marketing forums, watch on YouTube, or read about on marketing websites.

Why?

Because those common, tired tactics are already overused. They’re part of that noise. People tune them out. They fail to make an impression. So they’re ignored.

2. To take action

To compel a prospect to take action, your marketing needs to make a direct request. Note I used the singular ‘request’ there. Not request(s). The more options you offer, the less likely anyone is to do anything.

So make a single, focused, direct request. 

3. Now

It’s not enough to ask the prospect to take action. You need to ask them to take the required action now, while you have their attention and their motivation is high.

Why the rush?

Simple. Even if they love your message. Even if they’re genuinely interested. Their attention will soon jump onto the next thing. They’ll tell themselves “I’ll do it later”. And you will lose them. 

If your marketing isn’t generating daily sales leads or client enquiries, it’s failing you in at least 1 of those 3 areas. There’s no need for this to happen to you. These are quick and easy wins, if you choose to fix the problem correctly.

Photo by Avel Chuklanov 

New is getting old

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marketing risk, new, change, fear of change

When it comes to creating a powerful marketing message and attracting customers, the word ‘new‘ is overrated. New is a very loaded word and can destroy your marketing results.

There are 3 broad reasons for this.

  1. The newest product or service is always a riskier bet. At best, it’s a bigger gamble than the trusted incumbent. At worst, the customer feels like a paying guinea pig.
  2. The newest product or service is seldom the best. It lacks the improvements that come from years of feedback. It lacks the robustness that comes from stress-testing.
  3. New doesn’t last for long. This makes it a short-term marketing message. Anything that’s new is only new for now.

A dozen better alternatives

Given the challenges of using the word new, I recommend you replace it with something more compelling. More motivating. More attractive. To get you started, here are 12 alternatives.

  1. A faster way.
  2. A more enjoyable way.
  3. A cleaner way.
  4. A proven way.
  5. A stylish way.
  6. An profitable way.
  7. A premium quality way.
  8. An ethical way.
  9. An exciting way.
  10. A safer way.
  11. A more reliable way.
  12. A cost effective way.

What next?

Take a look through your marketing and search for opportunities to replace new with a better alternative. This is usually in situations where new is used as the only adjective. 

Also, you can apply this to your presentations, negotiations or meetings. For example, if you’re trying to sell a new product, service or idea to someone, they’re more likely to pay attention when you tell them about your ‘more profitable way’ of doing something, than your ‘new way’ of doing something. 

Finally, in situations where you need to use the word new, such as a press release or product launch, combine it with another word. For example, new and improved. 

Photo by Werner Du plessis

Did you see what those liars are saying?

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marketing liars

Have you ever looked at the marketing promises made by your competitors?

  • Your most unreliable competitors will promise to deliver on time, every time.
  • Your lowest quality competitors will promise premium quality at low prices.
  • Your least competent competitors will promise a highly professional service.

And they’ll all have testimonials. Testimonials that are often the opposite of what a real client or customer will experience from them.

It’s horrible. It sucks. But it makes sense

After all, they’re hardly likely to admit that working with them or buying from them is a total nightmare. You see, the mindset that says it’s okay to produce low quality work and charge over the odds for it, has no problem being dishonest in other areas of their business.

What does this have to do with you?

Everything!

It has everything to do with you. And here’s why.

Your prospective clients or customers have been lied to before. This means the claims you legitimately make in YOUR marketing will only be treated seriously, if you back them up.

Here are a couple of tips to help you make the truth of your marketing a lot more believable.

One way to add credibility, is to link from your website to external sources. For example, link from your website to external reviews or positive media coverage. Similarly, if you’ve been accredited by a respected organisation, link to the page on their website, where you’re mentioned.

Another way to add credibility, is to turn up regularly with useful information, via a newsletter, a blog, a podcast or on social networks, etc. By providing genuinely useful, informed advice, you demonstrate your knowledge. By doing this regularly, you show your reliability. This also gives you an opportunity to show your personality. By demonstrating your knowledge and allowing your marketplace to get to know you, you create a potent marketing mix that really helps you to build trust.

Please don’t just find this advice interesting.

Do something with it.

When the economy is in bad shape, people think a lot harder before making any investments. This includes investing in the services or products you provide. Showcase your credibility and make the decision to invest in you as easy as possible.

Set your business free from this limiting belief

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marketing, failure, success

With 2024 less than 2 months away, I’d like to help you overcome one of the biggest barriers to business success. If you do, you’ll set yourself up for an amazing year ahead.

Ready?

Then lets go my friend.

It starts with one of the biggest paradoxes in business. The only way to succeed more often, is to increase your failure rate. (I’ll give you 3 examples of why this is provably correct in a moment).

The challenge here, is that many small business owners have not yet figured this out. They avoid taking action on their ideas, unless they are convinced, in advance, the idea will work out exactly how they want it to.

That’s an exceptionally high bar to set. So they tend to leave most of their ideas on the drawing board. Including the ideas that would have made them a fortune.

Broadly speaking, there are only three potential outcomes after you take action on a business idea. And you can benefit massively from all three of them.

  1. It might work out just how you wanted, right out the box! A quick win. An instant hit. 
  2. It might work later, after you make some adjustments. By putting an idea into action, you attract feedback. Feedback allows you to tweak and improve. And improvements lead to success.
  3. It might flop. If it does, you get to learn from it and invest that learning into future opportunities. These failure lessons help you build an invaluable reservoir of feedback, which leads to better and better decision making. This is how ALL ongoing success happens.

When you fully understand the value of feedback, it becomes a lot easier to take action with your ideas and insights. That’s because you will have eliminated any irrational fear of failure. Just like every successful business owner before you. 

Failure is feedback.

And feedback is your friend. 

Reject the mob. Here’s why!

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focused marketing, specifics

Here’s a very straightforward, proven way to build a successful service-based business. I’m going to suggest you reject the mob.

All right. That’s the intro finished. Let’s go!

Depending on the service you provide and your location, there are thousands, maybe tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of prospective clients.

Except, they’re not really your prospective clients at all.

No.

Whilst you may be able to provide a degree of service to some of them, for the vast majority you won’t be exactly what they’re looking for. You can’t possibly be. None of us can.

After all.

  • Some will want a more local provider.
  • Some will demand the lowest priced provider.
  • Some will insist on the absolute premium, and happily pay the maximum to ensure it.
  • Some will need a provider that speaks a certain language.
  • Some will be looking for a provider from one of their networking groups.
  • Some will want a provider with a rare, highly specialist knowledge.
  • Some will require a provider who charges annually in arrears.
  • Some will only hire a provider with offices in multiple locations.
  • Some will want unlimited phone access at no extra charge.

Given you can’t possibly serve the majority of your marketplace, I have a strong recommendation for you. I recommend you adopt a much more focused strategy.

Here’s why. Along with how it works.

Reject the mob

The temptation is to try and have as wide an appeal as possible, so you get a shot at as many prospective clients as possible. That’s a very common approach. It seems to make sense, but it’s completely wrongheaded. A bad mindset to work from. And a very expensive mistake.

Why?

Because by trying to be somewhat relevant to everyone, you fail to be directly relevant to anyone – including your actual prospects.

Your actual (genuine) prospects need to see your marketing and immediately identify that you’re talking to them. By weakening that message, you lose them.

They’ll assume you’re not what they’re looking for, when you’re exactly what they’re looking for and exactly what they need.

So my plea to you is simple.

Reject the mob. They’re not interested. They’ll waste your time. They’ll want ‘this’ when you offer ‘that’. And you’ll go nuts trying to make them happy, let alone keep them happy.

Embrace your actual prospects instead

Focus on being directly relevant to the prospective clients you can absolutely delight with your services. These are the people who will hire you, pay you the correct rate, recommend you to their friends and stay with you for years and years. These are the clients you can confidently build an amazingly successful business with.

These are the clients you need. And they need you. They really need you!

Now, go and let them know! Focus all your marketing, so that it’s strikingly obvious you’re exactly what they’ve been looking for.

Closing for business? Let’s look at closing the sale

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Marketing, closing the sale, closing sales, the close, closing technique

Photo by Finn Hackshaw on Unsplash

When I started out in sales and marketing, it was all about closing the sale.

In fact, good salespeople were often referred to as good closers.

Decades later, I still see sales recruiters asking for candidates who have a proven record of closing.

Here’s why you need to be extremely careful, before using any of the countless closing techniques and tricks.

Closing for business?

The challenge with the closing mindset, is that it positions the prospective customer as little more than an obstacle. A barrier between you and the sale. An hurdle to be overcome. It’s little wonder so many closing techniques are based on aggressive, psychological tactics.

Here are a couple of the worst, widely used examples today.

  • The silence close. This is where a series of long, uncomfortable silences are used at key points in the sales process. The person selling uses this discomfort to exert the maximum mental pressure on the prospective client. It’s borrowed from interrogation techniques!
  • Assuming the sale. This is where the person selling literally ignores the prospect’s total lack of interest and acts as if the prospect has agreed to make the purchase. They just start asking for the delivery address and a suitable date. When/if the prospect objects, the salesperson responds with a series of why? questions, further pressuring the prospect.

In a nutshell, the focus is on outmanoeuvring your opponent. It’s them against you. A confrontation.

Here’s a very different approach, along with why I strongly recommend you use it.

Opening

I built my reputation in sales by adopting the total opposite approach. Instead of focusing on closing, I focused on opening. And I made a fortune.

Opening?

Yes. Opening relationships and opening opportunities. I found the idea of closing to be self-defeating. I discovered that you can achieve a great deal more, by opening relationships with people. This means taking time to listen to them. And then learning about their challenges and what they want or need. If our marketing is targeted correctly, we’re automatically only speaking with people who are our ideal profile of client.

When handled correctly, and preceded with effective marketing, this means there’s no need to close anything or close on anyone.

The whole process becomes a natural, flowing conversation, where we seek to help people overcome a challenge, with the products or services we provide.

It’s an effective, rewarding and professional way to achieve amazing sales results, and build masses of high-value relationships that last.

Too passive?

No way! This approach may sound passive, but consider the people YOU like. The people you trust. The vendors you’re already purchasing from. Are they pushy? Are they confrontational? No! That’s because we avoid people like that. Conversely, we’re attracted to those who respect us and are open and honest with us.

We trust people who are open and honest.

We buy from people who are open and honest.

We value people who are open and honest.

We recommend people who are open and honest.

In short, the more open we are, the more opportunities we’re open to, the more sales we make and then, the more referrals we receive.