Jim's Marketing Blog

Marketing tips and ideas to help you grow your business

How to avoid the worst mistake in business!

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marketing idea, marketing opportunity

Image: Shutterstock.

One of the greatest barriers to business success, are our undiscovered mistakes. I’m referring to those errors we make, without even knowing it.

Undiscovered mistakes are especially dangerous. That’s because we don’t know we’re making them, so we’re likely to inadvertently repeat them. Again and again.

How do we stop these mistakes from happening to us?

My mentor’s advice to me

Here’s something one of my mentors shared with me over 25 years ago. It’s simple and quite brilliant.

  • He told me to undertake a review, every time something of any importance goes wrong. Today we’d call this ‘unpacking the problem’.
  • He advised me to do this in as much detail as possible, and as soon after the mistake has been spotted as possible, and that it was essential to do it in writing.
  • By unpacking the problem soon after noticing it, we can still remember it clearly. So we’re less likely to miss anything. Usually, it’s a small or minor-looking detail that’s causing the mistake.
    • IMPORTANT: Often, the minor detail is something we’re missing or doing incorrectly in multiple activities or strategies. Identifying it in ONE mistake, can dramatically improve our business results, when we eliminate it from all future activities and strategies.
  • By writing it down (especially on paper), rather than thinking it over exclusively in our head, we put space between us… and the problem.
  • He explained that the space between us and the problem, is where answers are born. This last step sounds almost poetic. However, it’s exactly what I’ve found happens. By looking at the problem on paper, and thinking it through in my mind, that space in-between is like fertile soil from which answers sprout up.

I have no idea as to exactly how this strategy works. I only know it does, and with surprising frequency. That’s to say, it’s worked for me again and again over the past 25 years. And I’ve literally lost count of how many others I have shared the idea with, who have seen equally good, or better, results from it.

Give it a try the next time something meaningful goes wrong. You have nothing to lose from the additional clarity the strategy will bring. And you could find it saves you a fortune… or helps you make a fortune.

Either way, it’s certainly worth trying.

Marketing seminars are worse than useless

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avoid marketing seminars, marketing seminars useless,

Marketing seminars are worse than useless.

Before I explain why, we need to acknowledge the following basic truths.

  • The marketing strategies and tactics that work best for a private school looking for students, differ wildly from the strategies that work for a chain of strip joints.
  • And the effective strip joint strategies are very different from the strategies required by an oven cleaning franchise.
  • And the perfect oven cleaning franchise strategies, are totally different from those required by a tech start-up… or a long-established family law firm…. or a record label… you get the idea.

General, non specific marketing seminars deliberately ignore this fact.

They provide strategies and tactics that are intentionally designed NOT to be specific to anyone attending, based on the most general, of general advice. They’re designed to sell as many places on the seminar as possible. It’s a cookie cutter approach. The exact opposite of what’s required.

Different industries and professions need radically different advice. Business owners need marketing strategies that are, at the very least, specific to their industry.

But even industry specific strategies aren’t that much better. They’re marginally less terrible, that’s all.

The danger of general marketing advice

General marketing advice is what the majority of businesses in any sector already use. It’s freely available on websites, podcasts, webinars, Facebook, Linkedin and Youtube, etc. It’s available from well-intentioned industry bodies and institutes. It’s available in those For Dummies books. Which is why the marketing of most businesses, in the same sector, looks so amazingly similar.

Here’s what we see.

  • They provide a very similar sounding range of services.
  • They use very similar marketing promises.
  • They offer very similar guarantees.
  • They charge very similar prices.
  • They target very similar prospective clients.
  • And they suffer with the pain of very similar results, with (at best), a very similar slice of their marketplace.

The last thing they need is even more, general marketing advice; wrapped up as a so-called marketing seminar.

It’s worse than useless. It’s toxic.

Toxic?

Yes. Because as you can see, it makes your business less visible, less relevant and less attractive. It gives a prospective customer or client absolutely no meaningful reason whatsoever to notice you, contact you, hire you (or buy from you)… rather than hire a look-a-like competitor.

What’s needed is the exact opposite.

You need a strategy that will work for your specific business, based on your specific resources and designed to achieve your specific business growth targets.

That’s unavailable on any general marketing seminar.

Publish the process: Field Offices

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field offices, change scenery,

In the early days of the blog, I’d often share a look behind the scenes at my working day. It’s something I call publishing the process and today it’s back!

Just as before, I’ll share ideas I’m working on, the tools I’m using, useful new resources, the way I collect ideas… as well as things like sources of inspiration, etc.

Let’s kick things off with: Field offices

Lots of readers have asked me about how and why I use field offices. It’s something I’ve mentioned in passing in recent blog posts and newsletter articles. But never in any detail.

It’s a relevant topic to start with, as I sit in a field office right now; sipping espresso, with my MacBook Air finally connected to the coffee shop’s WiFi.

“[…] We get into ruts at work by following strict routines. That’s the problem! […]”

Dr. Todd Dewett

How many times have you had a great idea or flash of insight, when you’re in the shower, or when you’re at the gym or stuck in traffic?

It happens to all of us and it happens a lot.

One reason for this is that the change of scenery disrupts your routine and provides you with multiple, different inputs. Fresh sources of stimulation. And each of these influences how we think and feel, to a lesser or greater degree.

Like thousands of others, I’ve found that the same thing happens when I deliberately choose to break the routine of working from a non-traditional working environment.

Field offices offer 2 major benefits

  1. Field offices provide you with the same valuable, fresh / different ideas and insights, that often come randomly in the shower. However, by deciding to deliberately kick-start the process, you have far greater control over when it happens.
  2. Because you’re equipped with the tools you work with, for me it’s a laptop or a notebook and pen, you can capture the idea or insight and instantly get to work on it.

I also find it helps to use multiple different locations and settings. Here are the ones I’ve used recently.

  • A bench on the Chesterfield Canal.
  • A coffee shop (in the above photo).
  • The grounds of Lincoln Castle and also Conisbrough Castle.
  • My garden.
  • Sherwood Forest.

As with anything like this, some people will find it extremely useful, others will find it a lot less useful. I strongly recommend you, at least, to give it a try. See it it helps and how it helps.

How it helps?

Yes.

Field offices work in different ways for different people.

I find that they’re of most use to me when I’m stuck with an idea. Other people I know, find field offices most useful when writing reports. Whilst others, still, use them exclusively when they’ve spent too many days at a desk, and feel they ‘just need’ a change of scenery.

I hope you found this look at field offices useful. Moreover, I hope it inspires you to give it a try the next time you’re looking for a creativity boost.

You’re doing great. But compared to what?

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marketing comparisons, sales strategies

My eyes squinted earlier, when I switched on my 2012 MacBook Pro. The screen resolution is bloody terrible.

I absolutely couldn’t use it for work today. Certainly, not for more than a few minutes. At the most.

Except, that’s totally incorrect

I wrote over a thousand blog posts using that laptop. I was happy using it, too. And the screen hasn’t changed in any way since then.

But my expectations have!

These days, I’m used to working with crystal clear text and amazing colour accuracy.

The screen on that old MacBook is only low quality… in comparison.

There’s an important business lesson here

If I’d carried on using that same machine, I’d be blissfully unaware of the improvements that come from a spectacularly better screen.

Is it possible that you’ve carried on using a marketing strategy, only because you’re blissfully unaware of what you could achieve, with a spectacularly better strategy?

Most people won’t answer that question, until they have something to compare their current results with.

And when it happens, it will hit them like a ton of bricks.

A ton of bricks… really?

Absolutely. This is one of the most powerful breakthroughs in business. It’s a really big deal. There’s a lot to process.

Here’s what I often see when this happens with new clients.

  • First the elation of knowing they’re making massively more money than ever before. It feels great.
  • Then the frustration that they missed out on years of making massively more money than ever before. For some this moment can be devastating. Especially if they missed out over a prolonged period of time, did some calculations and figured out how much it has cost them.

The smartest business owners don’t wait for the comparison to interrupt them.

The smartest business owners go hunting for the comparison with a club!

The Million Dollar question. And answer!

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million dollar question, $999999 question

I spent a little time this weekend, speaking with a guy who made a multi-million dollar fortune, from scratch, when he was in his 30’s. Now in his 50’s, Bernard’s enjoying a much quieter life in the countryside.

He shared an idea with me, about what he called his secret to making money, especially when times are challenging.

Now I’m going to share it with you.

Bernard’s advice for making lots of money

He started by talking about how little attention is given to the figure of $999,999.

Yes, I know that sounds a little weird, but please bear with me.

Here’s what he said.

  • You never hear anyone say that want to live the $999,999 lifestyle.
  • You never see a TV show called who wants to be the owner of $999,999.
  • You never hear anyone talking about “a cool $999,999”.
  • And no one has ever told anyone that they look like $999,999.

His point is that it’s the cool million dollars that gets all the focus and attention.

Early, sustained motivation is the key

Here’s the core of Bernard’s idea, which I think gets his point across beautifully:

Ten by ten by ten is a thousand. Do that another three times and you get a million. Those who manage to make a million are the ones who can get motivated when it’s just $10 – – and then stay motivated when it’s only $1000, or $10,000.

Because the jump from $10,000 to $100,000 isn’t that hard. And from $100,000 to $Million it’s even easier.

Whether it’s building a business, building a fortune or building a subscriber base, there is a common thread.

The work at the beginning is disproportionately hard and unrewarding.

And the way we choose to navigate that difficult period will determine whether we reach the breakthrough, where it becomes easier and the rewards massively greater.

If you’re going through that hard, unrewarding period in any area right now, check your strategy and if it remains sound, keep going!

It really does seem this is the point where results are determined. It’s certainly where most people lose heart.

Like achieving anything of value, Bernard’s advice falls into the ‘easier said than done’ category.

But in fairness, no one suggests making a ton of money is easy.

That’s the very reason we’re advised to overcome the initial difficulties and persist.

When you’ve run out of all possible options

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Get unstuck, problem solving

Image: Ian Schneider.

… you haven’t!

There’s always an answer. A way forward. A way to turn things around. A way to get the outcome you need.

  • Often, the answer you need is already within you, but you need to dig a little deeper in order to uncover it. Start by asking yourself a better version of the question you need answering; because better questions will always lead you to better answers. Try taking your challenge for a walk, something creative people have done for centuries, with great success, in order to find the answers they need.
  • Sometimes, another person already has the answer you need. So talk to people. Especially those with specific, expert experience in the relevant area you’re challenged with. Your answer could be literally, just one conversation away.
  • Other times, the answer you need is in a book, a blog post, an article or newsletter. Thousands, maybe millions of other people have already had and resolved, the same core challenge as you. Many of them have shared how they overcame it. So do the reading.

The key thing here, is that once you’ve accepted that there is an answer, you’re now free to focus 100% on finding it. And knowing this makes all the difference.

Think.

Talk.

Read.

You’ll be amazed how quickly you’ll find exactly what you need, my friend.

The right way to write. Is wrong!

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How to write wrong

Some general advice is extremely useful or at least broadly correct. It applies to the majority of people in the majority of cases. You know… like, brush your teeth regularly.

Other general advice is a lot less helpful. It may work for the majority of people, but not for the rest of us.

The general advice on the best way to write is absolutely in that latter category. And as I get asked about this a lot, I thought I’d share some ideas with you.

The right way to write

When I started writing commercially, the general advice at the time was to get into a routine. This routine then became your recipe for writing. It was one less thing to have on your mind, so you were free to focus on your writing. From memory, some of the advice included.

  • Having a set time to write each day.
  • Writing from a familiar location; your office desk for example.
  • Avoid distraction. This one was huge.
  • Use the same keyboard, pen, paper, notebook etc.

I lasted about 2 days.

My recipe for writing turned out to be almost the exact opposite. For me, the most creative way to work is to mix things up. Some examples of how I do this includes.

  • I write from lots (and lots) of different locations. What Andy Ihnatko calls field offices. These range from my studio, my local coffee shop and Sherwood Forest, to a bench in the grounds of Lincoln Castle and a table on the canal that goes through the village where I live
  • I write using different devices. These include an iMac in my studio, my phone, an iPad Pro, a really old MacBook Air (used for the very last time to write this post) and a MacBook Pro.
  • I write in the morning before the world wakes up (often). In fairness, that’s when around 60% of all my writing is done. However, I also write at lunchtime (here’s a recent example) and in the late afternoon.
  • I write best with background noise. This is why I do so much writing outdoors. Even when I’m in my studio, I have instrumental music playing. I find lyrics distracting.
  • I always have a pen with me and a notebook. However, the pen could be one of a dozen or more that I use regularly. The notebook depends on what’s on my production table in the studio, what’s in my back pocket, my bag or my car. I have notebooks everywhere.

My recipe for writing is also wrong

Rest assured: My recipe for writing is just as wrong (for you) as the advice I was given when I started out.

So what’s my point?

I’ve discovered that with any kind of creative work, we each need to find what works best for us. Our unique blend. Sometimes this means ignoring whatever the prevailing wisdom is. Just because something worked for one of those creative professionals selling online courses or books… it may not work for you or me.

If you have a set way to write (or do anything creative) and you’re keen to improve, here’s a suggestion. A general suggestion, which applies to almost as many people as, “brush your teeth”.

Try something new.

Mix it up (just a little).

This is especially the case if you’re struggling to create. It’s possible that a few minor revisions regarding the tools you use, the locations you create from and times of day you create, could improve things.

Good luck with discovering the right way FOR YOU to write. I Really hope you found this useful.

If you want something done, don’t ask a busy person

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want something done, ask busy person, sayings

Think for a moment about the following advice. If you want something done, ask a busy person. Like a lot of frequently shared quotes, that’s terrible advice. Provably, terrible advice in fact.

People of the internet. Let’s clear this nonsense up once and for all!

Okay, that’s never going to happen. So how about we dig a little deeper and examine why that quote makes no sense whatsoever.

Here’s the thing: The least efficient person, the least capable person, the least productive person, and the busiest person… is often the same person.

Really?

Yep!

Busy doesn’t equate to proficient or productive. It simply means active. And that includes a lot of active people who really wouldn’t want to help you or your business.

Allow me to explain why!

Don’t ask a busy person

Consider the busy people who put a massive amount of energy into doing the wrong things extremely well. And the busy people enthusiastically doing the right things extremely poorly. And let’s remember those busy people, who never seem to learn from their mistakes and continuously have to redo everything correctly, these people are really busy too.

Now consider… err… me.

I’m sitting here busily writing this post, whilst waiting for lunch at the coffee shop. It doesn’t mean the post will be any good, let’s face it, it’s pretty average up to this point, (*but I’m hoping to have a strong ending, so hang in there). It simply means I’m busy. And it gives no proof whatsoever that if you wanted something done, I’d be the best person for you to choose.

Clearly, a much wiser approach is required.

want something done, ask busy person, sayings

If you want something done

How about if you want something done, ask a competent person.

Someone who knows what to do and also has the time and willingness to do it.

An informed, motivated person is likely to be more useful than someone whose key attribute is that they’re always busy.

It’s not a snazzy quote.

It’s not a catchy quote, either.

It’s certainly never going to become a bumper sticker.

But when you need something done, it works a lot better, a lot more often, than simply asking a busy person.

* I had hoped for a much stronger ending, but lunch arrived.

Embrace the low risk and maximum potential mindset

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Eliminate risk, marketing mindset

Image: Harnoor Dhaliwal

It’s impossible to completely eliminate risk from your business. But you can have the best of both worlds, with low risk and maximum potential.

Let’s start by looking at risk and why you can’t (and shouldn’t) totally eliminate it from your business.

Think about it: Even if your results are fine right now, and you decide to just carry on with whatever you’re doing, you’re at enormous risk.

Really?

Yes, really!

You risk losing clients (or customers) to your agile competitors, who continuously seek to improve and target your client base with compelling offers. Sure, small and medium sized business are the most vulnerable, but even massive brands can be wiped out by the just carry on attitude. Remember; Blockbuster Video, Toys R Us, My Space, Palm Inc?

The question is, how do we get the best of both worlds; less risk and massively more potential?

I’m glad you asked.

Mastering the risk / potential balance

In seeking to eliminate risk, you also block yourself from every great opportunity. That’s because every genuine opportunity for your business comes with an element of risk.

So, no risk = no progress.

Therefore, rather than regard risk as something to avoid, consider the potential pluses as well as the potential minuses. Research the positives as well as the negatives.

And challenge your beliefs!

Challenging your beliefs is critically important, as one of the biggest barriers to your success are your inaccurate preconceptions. This is a perfect example. And I see equally damaging thinking with business owners all the time.

A well-balanced approach to risk and opportunity is behind every successful business. It reduces your exposure to risk, whilst simultaneously allowing you to fully benefit from the genuine opportunities your business must have, in order to grow.

I hope you found this useful. More importantly, I hope you do something with it.

How to be a successful, serial entrepreneur

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Wherever you are right now, whatever your past, you can be a successful entrepreneur or serial entrepreneur.

First, let’s get the serial entrepreneur myth out of the way

Look around any business network and it won’t be long before you find people, calling themselves serial entrepreneurs.

They’re everywhere. Or so it appears. However, as is often the case, all is not what it seems. In fact, 99.9% of the people I see calling themselves serial entrepreneurs… are not.

They aren’t even entrepreneurs.

They are serial starters!

Allow me to explain.

Serial entrepreneurs or serial starters?

Serial entrepreneurs: These rare people build a series of successful businesses and fully realise the potential of each business, before they move on. A well known example is serial entrepreneur Ev Williams. Ev founded Blogger and sold it to Google for millions, then he co-founded Twitter and then, the hugely successful Medium.

Serial starters: These are the people we see everywhere, who start a series of enterprises, yet never successfully finish developing any of them. They lack the commitment shown by entrepreneurs. So when the going gets tough, they get demotivated and quit. The vast majority of self-proclaimed serial entrepreneurs fit in this enormous group.

This begs the question.

Why are serial starters so common?

It’s extremely easy to start a new venture. It’s exciting. It brings motivation with it. It gets them up early in the mornings and keeps them up late at night. Everything is new. A blank slate. A new beginning. Endless possibilities.

Then, after a while, the real work begins. Not the new enterprise, shiny work. The real nitty-gritty work:

  • The sales calls.
  • The rejections.
  • The unreturned mail.
  • The broken promises from those who said they would help.
  • The cash flow problems.
  • The hard knocks.

As the shine wears off, the momentum drops for the serial starters. So, they look for the next big thing, rather than finishing what they started. The cycle repeats unless they summon the grit to make it to the finish line.

More about grit than money

You don’t need to start of rich, to be an entrepreneur or serial entrepreneur. You do need grit though.

Yes, some entrepreneurs, such as Gary Vaynerchuk, inherit a multi-million dollar business from their parents, and can use that wealth to get all the additional investment they need and branch into other enterprises. However, most of us start off with little more than an idea, grit and commitment.

Ev Williams, who I mentioned earlier, is a textbook example of starting without money. Like most entrepreneurs, he had to do it the hard way. No wealthy parents. No million dollar assets. No easy way to access the financial investment he needed.

Ev was so broke when he started Blogger that he was living on a friend’s couch! He’s now worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Read Ev’s inspirational story and watch the video, here.

History shows us that when it comes to business, money is less important than grit. Remember, Steve Jobs came from a blue collar family! The key is to decide what you want and then commit to doing what’s required, to make it happen.

It’s that simple. And that hard.

How to get free access to the world’s best marketing writers

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Write better marketing copy, marketing messages

Yes, you read the title of today’s post correctly. I have lifelong, free access to the world’s best marketing writers, and you can have it too.

This post started off with an email from Deborah.

My associate Deborah has a seemingly limitless capacity to ask great questions. The kind of question’s I’ve never asked myself before. Earlier today, Deborah asked me for book recommendations, to help her improve her writing. She’s already a great writer, and it’s easy to see why when she’s always seeking out ways to further improve.

That wasn’t the question that prompted this post. It was only her starter question.

Her follow-up was the kicker!

Just one book?

I recommended a book by Roy Peter Clark, called “How to write short” and it’s a classic from a master of the craft. He shows you how to write compelling messages and engaging content, using as few words as required. I don’t do book reviews. I don’t do affiliate links. You can search for it or find it on his website, using the link above. If it sounds like something you want to improve on, grab a copy. In my eyes he’s the boss of writing short, highly effective copy.

Back to Deborah’s question.

She thanked me for the recommendation. Then she asked me the question that inspired this post. She wondered why I only recommended one book!

Here’s my answer.

More importantly, here’s where you’ll discover how to have unlimited, free access to the world’s best marketing writers and communicators!

I study and practice my craft, daily

When I started out in this business, I learned everything I knew about sales and marketing, by studying the work of others. Initially I studied the work of colleagues, who were older and more experienced than me. Then I widened it out to all my inputs.

So, whenever I read or heard a powerful message, I’d write it down. Then, I would unpack the message to figure out why it was so powerful or motivating. I wanted to learn from it.

And I still do the exact same thing today.

I gather inspiration and rather than just swipe it, I swipe it and study it. The wordplay, the rhythm of the syllables. The mental imagery generated. The degree of urgency created… anything I can learn and grow from.

small business turn around, turn around times tough, things tough business

Here are some examples I noted and studied today.

They’re all from leading companies and brands – – those with the financial resources to hire the greatest marketing writers in the world.

I studied.

  • High converting text from website buttons and contact forms.
  • Powerful calls-to-action on store signs.
  • High yield headlines.
  • Motivating paragraphs from marketing emails and letters.
  • Memorable straplines.
  • Engaging tweets.
  • Powerful slogans.
  • The copy used on packaging and products.
  • Social media profile copy.
  • Instantly clickable email subject lines.
  • … and everything else that attracts my eye or my ear.

Rolls Royce, Apple, Rolex, Disney… international brands of that size and influence don’t hire $100 an hour marketing writers. They hire the very best and money is no object. Their wording (like the examples on that tiny list) is worth a fortune to you and your business.

You don’t have to wonder if their copy works. Yes, it works!

You don’t have to wonder if the copy writer knows what they’re doing. Yes, they REALLY do know what they’re doing!

My task and yours, if you’re interested, is to look for the lessons. Let these masters of the art teach you with their examples of excellence.

Then, use your version of it.

Put it into play.

Test what you’ve learned and measure the results.

Refine it, and then test again.

It’s a great way to improve. Because I publish information very regularly, I’m able to test what I learn just as regularly. I can quickly discover what’s effective and what’s less useful. This is one of the many reasons I believe every professional should write a blog and / or a newsletter. It’s perfect for developing your skills and style.

Making your work stand out

By not reading the same books (or subscribing to the same publications, podcasts and Youtube channels) as others in my profession, I’ve been able to develop my own style. It’s a style that’s often rough around the edges. It’s unorthodox. It’s certainly not perfect.

It can’t be perfect.

Here’s why.

The moment you’ve written something perfectly aligned with the style-guide, you’re camouflaged among the thousands who strive for that same version of perfection. Lost in an ocean of similar writing.

You’re no longer a voice. You’re an echo.

You’re no longer a signal. You’re a noise.

The way I write is imperfectly my style. And it constantly evolves, as the marketplace does.

Conclusion

You can learn a lot about written communication from the most effective and talented experts on the planet – – by way of non-obvious sources. The work of these genius writers is everywhere.

Seriously.

It’s on cereal boxes. It’s the book titles on the world’s best-selling books. It’s what catches your eye on magazine covers. It’s in movie trailers… it’s everywhere. And the people paid to write that material are among the best paid, most effective writers in the world. They’re really good. And worthy of our attention.

That’s not all.

By pulling from these priceless, non-obvious sources, different sources, you also give yourself the freedom to develop your own style and your own voice. Essential assets if you want your message, your work and your products or services to get the attention they need.

The world’s best are there for you to study and learn from. It’s free. And yours for life.

What an amazing opportunity.

A selfish request from a stranger

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email marketing, jim connolly

I receive important marketing emails every day. I know you do, too. Of course, none of these marketing messages are important to us.

They are not even of interest to us.

The vast majority are not even relevant to us.

They are only important to the people sending them.

I’m referring to the special offers that aren’t even remotely special. The poorly targeted offers, which are totally irrelevant to you and your needs. And the outright spam from strangers.

Whilst sending unwanted information via email requires a very small publishing investment, the cost to the sender’s reputation is far higher.

An unsustainable, short-sighted approach

There’s a limit to the number of times a business can pester their prospective customers, before it hurts the business commercially.

For example, if enough of their marketplace consider them pests, their reputation will take a damaging hit. That’s really bad for business. If enough people block their email addresses or report the emails as spam, the sender will find their emails start getting stuck in junk email filters, including legitimately important emails.

An effective and proven way forward

We know from the ongoing, outstanding results enjoyed by successful businesses, that there is a far better alternative.

It’s simply this: We should wait until we have something to say, which is worth listening to. Then share it with people who have given us permission to contact them. People who are interested. People who will have a potential requirement. The kind of people we had in mind, when we decided to offer the product or service in the first place.

Pestering people with unwanted email is cheap (in every sense of the word), easy and only takes a matter of minutes. However, an interesting message, sent to people who want to hear from us, is vastly more effective than a selfish request from a stranger.

How to be lucky in business. Plus 4 other nuggets

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marketing, business, luck, lucky

  1. If you hear yourself wishing for better luck, remind yourself that what you really need, is a better strategy.
  2. It’s getting harder and harder to sell average stuff, now that everyone has a social media megaphone.
    • The best providers get their message amplified in public.
    • The average providers get their message minified in public.
    • Below average providers get their message vilified in public.
  3. A business succeeds when there’s congruence between what the business owner wants… and what the business owner does. Failing to provide a business with what it needs, is like refusing to water your plants. Only a lot more expensive.
  4. Everything your business does is marketing. Yes, everything.
  5. Never complain about the economy or other outside factors. Adapt. Adjust. Put your success in your own hands.

Now go and make it a great day, my friend.

He speaks with great authority, on things he knows NOTHING about

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bad business advice

Image: Medienstuermer

Some people are excellent communicators. The way they deliver words is compelling and their ability to motivate those they speak with is exceptional.

Which is usually great. If the person sharing ideas with us is a subject expert, we gain mightily from their guidance.

The challenge comes when they speak with great authority, on things they know nothing about. When they voice an opinion as if it were a fact. When they’re as compelling as ever, yet they motivate us to do something that’s absolutely wrong.

I was thinking about this earlier, when I received an email from a reader. I thought you might find it useful, so here’s what happened.

When things go wrong

My reader recently had a legal issue with a web designer, regarding a site they’d developed for her business. She wanted some advice on what to do and spoke with a business adviser, who had previously helped her with (great) general business advice. My reader took his advice and sent an email to the web developer, using the wording her business adviser suggested.

Nothing happened.

So she spoke with a lawyer to see if she could “get things moving”.

The lawyer read the email and sadly, the email content has ruined any chance of her getting the resolution she hoped for.

This is from my reader’s email, published with her permission:

“In the past, his advice has always been excellent. That’s why I called him. […] He speaks with great authority, on things I know very little about. I now know he also speaks with great authority, on things he knows nothing about“.

Note: I made a similar mistake myself (2 actually), when I started in business. I wrote about it here.

Obviously, we need to remind ourselves to only take advice from people with relevant experience / qualifications. It’s also a good idea to consider who we currently rely on for advice, and whether their advice is working for us or not. Daily, I see the damage caused when business owners take bad marketing advice from general business advisers and generic online courses.

Yes, expert advice will come with a fee attached. However, that fee is usually way lower than the price we pay for taking bad advice.

Answers, insights and ideas: 12 Things to focus on

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marketing ideas reality

There’s an old saying that assures us, if we want better answers we need to ask better questions. Good quality questions cause us to think differently and often give us extremely useful answers, insights and ideas.

With this in mind, I’ve compiled some questions, which I hope will help you to identify opportunities to help your business thrive.

In no particular order.

  1. What lessons can I learn from the most successful person I know… and conversely, what can I learn from the mistakes of the least successful people I know?
  2. What’s the biggest challenge currently facing my clients (or customers) and how can I help them overcome it?
  3. What’s the biggest challenge currently facing my marketplace and how can I help them overcome it?
  4. How can I make my services meaningfully different?
  5. Am I regularly using the 6 Idea Trick?
  6. What is currently the weakest point in my marketing and how can I improve it?
  7. How many non-essential fields can I remove from my contact forms, in order to increase the number of enquiries I get?
  8. If I charged 300% more for my services, what extra value would I be able to deliver to my clients… and why don’t I build this as a new, highly profitable, premium version of my services?
  9. Who let the dogs out? (Okay, just checking to see if you’re still reading along with me).
  10. What’s the best thing about my services and how clearly do I communicate this compelling advantage to prospective clients?
  11. How might it benefit my clients and prospects, if I slightly adjust my business hours so they’re a little different from others in my industry, and better suited to the needs of the clients I serve?
  12. Is my face also the public face of my business or do I / we mainly operate behind a logo… and if the latter, why?
  13. Who are the top 5 people I need to connect with and what’s my strategy to make this happen?

Let me know how you get on.

Marketing 101: Greed, need or deed?

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marketing tips 2021

Today, I’m going to show you how to avoid creating an incorrect, damaging impression of your business. This is critically important, so let’s dive in.

You’re a professional. You have a superb business. You offer an excellent service. And you care passionately about your clients.

My question for you today my friend, is this: How clearly does that message come across in your marketing?

Greed, need or deed?

Think for a moment about the marketing messages you receive, from emails and social media updates, to advertisements, cold calls and direct mail, etc. Every marketing message is based on one of the following three motivations.

  1. Greed motivated: I want your money. Buy my stuff.
  2. Need motivated: I need you to buy from me. Please, please buy my stuff.
  3. Deed motivated: There’s something that I believe will help you, so I created it for you.

Greedy marketing repels people. Greed is one of those universally disliked attributes. It’s ugly. It’s selfish. We avoid greedy people and greedy businesses.

Needy marketing also repels people. As soon as the marketplace thinks a provider desperately needs sales or needs money urgently, it sets alarm bells ringing. “What if they’re going broke!?!” These alarm bells make people way less likely to buy from them.

Deed driven marketing attracts people. It makes us feel positive toward the person or brand behind it. It’s an easy message to connect with. Deed driven marketing is about sincerely wanting to help the people in your marketplace with the products or services you provide. It attracts their attention, makes them feel good about you and creates a powerful connection between you.

IMPORTANT: Here’s where the challenge comes in. Many small and medium-sized business owners who are deed focused, have no idea how greedy or needy their marketing looks. And it’s seriously hurting their business.

A couple of very common examples

One common example is the use of freebies, such as free initial consultations. These are widely used by service providers, who dabble with their marketing and have no idea how much damage they’re doing to their reputation.

When you attach zero value to your time, you send a damaging, toxic message to prospective clients. The marketplace knows that the best service providers are busy professionals, who have no need to give their time away for free. So, if they see a provider offering freebies, it tells them that the service provider is under-employed, getting too few referrals, in need (needy) or all three! This keeps the service provider in a negative loop, as the best clients are repelled and freebie hunters (who grab anything that’s free), are attracted to the free consultation like moths to a flame.

Another common example is special offers.

These can also come across as needy or greedy when handled incorrectly. And that’s exactly how the vast majority of small and medium-sized business owners handle special offers. They put their offers together, outside of a professional marketing strategy. In doing so, they can cause the marketplace to think there’s a so-called fire sale going on. Equally, the use of special offers can train your marketplace to wait for the next special offer, which makes it hard to sell anything at the regular price. This eats profits and it’s totally avoidable.

In short, it pays to be highly intentional regarding how you market your business. Always look at the bigger picture from an outside perspective. Make sure you’re projecting yourself as eager to help, not greedy or needy.

You don’t have any clients or customers

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Exceed expectations

Image: Juli Moreira

You don’t have any clients (or customers).

You also don’t have any subscribers, contacts or followers.

And neither do I.

We don’t have them. That’s to say, they’re not our possession. Instead, we borrow them.

We need to earn and then re-earn whatever connection / relationship they have with us.

Client retention planning

That’s why a client retention plan is critically important. Yes, delivering the best service possible is essential, but that’s what our clients expect. We retain our clients by exceeding expectations in key areas.

For example.

  • We need to engage out clients regularly. Many providers only engage with their clients when they’re working together on something or when they invoice a client. But very, very few will maintain regular contact with their clients at other times, such as sharing useful resources with them; articles, event invitations, newsletters, ideas, etc.
  • We can also connect them with useful people. Very, very few providers will proactively introduce their clients to valuable contacts.
  • And we can look for opportunities to help our clients develop their businesses. Very, very few providers will proactively recommend their clients to potentially suitable prospects.

Those are just a few examples from what I do with my clients. Obviously, you’ll need to adapt, adjust and develop your own ways to exceed expectations, depending on the services or products you provide. The key is to exceed in an appropriate, valuable way.

The solution?

I recommend you consider developing a simple, client retention plan. I’ve used them for years and they’re invaluable. Start simple. Set reminders for each client; to collect and share useful, helpful and insightful resources and connections with them. This is a powerful and proven way to go far BEYOND what’s expected, so you get the opportunity to re-earn the privilege of serving your clients.

I’ve spoken to countless hard working business owners, who have lost clients purely because of unintentional complacency. They worked hard to do everything the client expected. They genuinely believed that would be enough. They then discovered it wasn’t.

In short, without a deliberate plan to retain our clients, even the best businesses and brands can become a little complacent. And as they say, a casual approach causes casualties.

Bring me your problems

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bring me your problems, marketing

There’s real power in the following 4 words: Bring me your problems.

Why?

Because everyone has problems. And nobody wants them. That includes your prospective clients. What they want (and need) are answers. They want to get unstuck. They want to free themselves from frustration. They want reliable service providers, who they can trust. And this is extremely important to them.

In short, your prospective clients are highly motivated to get their problems solved.

Okay. Hold that thought for a moment.

Now let’s look at the service you provide

Your service is the answer to a problem. Or a series of problems. How do I know this? Simple. Every service provider is a problem solver.

So, I’d like you to answer a question: When was the last time you asked people to bring you their problems?

Sure, every service provider markets the services they provide. They have them listed on their websites, they mention them when they speak with prospective clients, they may even mention them in a newsletter, blog, vlog, podcast or on social networks, etc.

But that wasn’t what I was asking.

My question was a lot more literal than that.

In very literal terms, when was the last time you used these four words [bring me your problems] in your marketing?

Bring me your problems is a powerful, direct request. It bypasses all the fluff. It cuts right to the chase. It strikes at the core of what your prospective clients want and need. And this is especially the case when those 4 words feature prominently, in the right place.

Here’s how it works

It looks a lot like this.

  1. Your prospective client has a problem.
  2. She finds your website (or any of your marketing assets).
  3. She can see that the services you provide are related to her problem.
  4. She then sees a direct request, asking her to bring you her problems.
  5. Boom! Your message has engaged with her needs like a laser.
  6. You’re now massively more likely to have motivated her to contact you and hire you.

Is it really that easy?

Absolutely.

Something important just happened

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comfort zones, what if

Something important just happened. Today, you and you’re business crossed the 2021 half way mark.

You now have 6-months of 2021 data to review and learn from. Data that when acted on correctly, will help you finish the year massively stronger.

For example.

  • You know what the new needs and wants of your marketplace are.
  • You know how your clients, your team, your competitors and your suppliers act in times of great uncertainty.
  • You know the real commercial value of your trusted advisers; those who were there for you with rock solid advice and those who were not.
  • You know whether your business growth strategy needs to be adjusted a little or radically improved.

So, what if?

What if you were to determine the improvements you need to make; how to adapt, who to replace, who to reward and how gently or rigorously to adjust your strategy… and than make all the changes? Even the uncomfortable, scary changes?

What if you were to use this as an opportunity to radically improve your business, so that it’s set to absolutely thrive before the end of the year?

I’m just asking you. What if?

Why?

Because of the thousands of business owners and C-suite leaders reading this, some will never have given themselves the opportunity to see just how high they can fly.

They will often have wondered what they’re truly capable of. But they won’t yet have ripped the lid off their potential, by examining the data around them and doing what they believe is required, for them to achieve the biggest rewards. I’m talking about the tough decisions. The decisions that ruffle feathers… the decisions that force them out of their comfort zones.

If you’re not that person, I’m sorry to have just wasted 5 minutes of your time.

But if you are that person, please take a moment today to ponder on this: What if?

Seriously. What if?

The marketing power of ‘why?’. Includes 15 examples you can use today

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Marketing power why

Image: Emily Morter

My first business mentor shared something with me, which I will never forget. I think you’ll find it useful. He explained that the most successful business owners think in a similar way to young children.

I asked him what it was.

He said:

“Like children, they’re always asking why?. But unlike children, their why questions are focused. They’re specifically seeking ways to improve their business”.

The marketing power of “why?” questions

With that in mind, here are some marketing ‘why?’ questions you might find useful. They’re in no particular order.

  1. Why do too few people know how amazing my business is?
  2. Why isn’t my business a lot more fun?
  3. Why doesn’t someone from the top media outlets come to me, when they need expert opinion for a news story?
  4. Why am I still working for some clients, even though they’re assholes?
  5. Why are some of my competitors doing so much better than I am?
  6. Why isn’t my website a sales generating machine (or super effective lead magnet for my services)?
  7. Why haven’t I created a premium version of my service, so I have something great to offer the most valuable clients in my marketplace?
  8. Why have I settled for (whatever you’ve settled for)?
  9. Why do I rely on an expert to repair my car or style my hair, but rely on DIY when it comes to growing my business?
  10. Why do I charge my current prices or fees?
  11. Why do I leave my best ideas unused?
  12. Why do I let (whoever) influence my business decisions?  
  13. Why aren’t more people talking about my business? Try this.
  14. Why don’t more of my clients recommend me?
  15. Why am I using a  similar marketing strategy during this economic crisis, to what I used when the economy was a lot more stable?

Your questions will obviously depend on your unique situation, but hopefully something there got you thinking.

If it did, don’t just brush it off. Take some time today to answer the question. Then, take at least one step to putting your answer into play.

Remember, it isn’t what we know that determines our success, but what we do with what we know. That’s why in business, the winners get moving.