Jim's Marketing Blog

Marketing tips and ideas to help you grow your business

10 leadership habits of highly successful business owners

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attract sales leads, attract clients, leadership

Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to work with some incredible leaders. These people have achieved at the very highest levels, in their industries and professions.

Today, I’d like to share 10 habits, which are common to all of them.

Here they are in no particular order:

  1. They encourage others. They leave people better than they find them.
  2. They show, rather than tell. They know that talk is cheap and that anyone can say anything. So they lead by example, unlike these guys who are total fakes!
  3. They don’t compare themselves to their competitors. They compare themselves to the work they did yesterday, and then commit to do better today.
  4. They turn up, even when it’s easier not to. This commitment to being reliable is both rare and highly valued.
  5. They are self-starters. They don’t seek external motivation. They just do what needs doing.
  6. They are eager to take responsibility. They step up, when others step back.
  7. They are intentional decision makers. Once they have the information required, they make a decision. Leaders know that there’s nothing to be gained by inaction.
  8. They keep their promises. They know that making promises, then delivering on those promises, is a powerful way to develop loyalty and trust.
  9. They spend their prime-time with family, friends or learning…not watching TV. Leaders are educated consumers of information. In other words, they are extremely careful about how they feed their mind.
  10. They never gossip. Period.

Bonus: Here are 21 Powerful habits behind highly successful business owners!

Are you making a noise or making a difference?

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stand out, get noticed, attract sales leads, attract clients

All marketing fits into one of the following two groups. It’s either making a noise or it’s making a difference.

Here are examples of both and how they impact your marketing results. You’ll identify them instantly.

Making a noise

Most marketing is noise. Irritating attempts to grab our attention.

  • Spam emails.
  • Cold calls.
  • Banner advertising.
  • Pre-roll videos.
  • Junk mail.
  • Social network spam, etc.

Those tactics are unwelcome. They don’t command our attention. They selfishly demand our attention.

What do we do? We block them!

We either use software to block them or we mentally block them. But we block them.

This means business owners using those pestering tactics, are seeing worse and worse results. So they then spend even more time and money, to push their message ever harder. And even more people learn to block them. That’s why there’s so much noise out there.

Here’s a much better alternative.

Making a difference

We pay attention to the marketing that makes a difference. It doesn’t demand our attention. It commands our attention. It stands out for all the right reasons.

  • Valuable tips and ideas from a YouTube channel, podcast, blog or newsletter we subscribe to.
  • Useful updates from our service providers.
  • Trusted recommendations from our friends.
  • Targeted, valuable offers from vendors we trust, who know what we enjoy.
  • Eagerly anticipated communications from groups we’re members of.
  • Amazing service, which motivates us to return to a vendor again and again.

These tactics make a positive difference. So we value them. We pay attention because they’re useful. They don’t even feel like marketing. They’re focused on helping us rather than pestering us.

The big question is…

Which group are you in?

We know the good intentions behind our marketing. We know we’re professional and that people would love us, if only they knew how great our service is. So when we add them to our email list or call them at work when they’re busy – we think that it’s okay.

But it isn’t. The same rules apply to us. If it’s unwanted, it’s noise and if it’s noise, it’s working against us.

Everything you do to market your business is either training the marketplace to ignore you or training them to embrace you. It’s working against your business or working for your business.

So whenever possible, instead of making a noise, make a difference. And it’s always possible to make a difference.

Salt looks a lot like sugar

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marketing advice, marketing help

Even close up, salt and sugar look very similar.

So, how come we don’t accidentally add salt to our coffee or tea? How come we don’t continuously have salt and sugar-related accidents?

And what does this have to do with the way you market your business?

It’s all about packaging, marketing and expectation

A salt cellar looks very different from a sugar bowl. We never select a salt cellar and expect sugar. The external packaging is what we use to form our decision. Of course, we use this same strategy all day every day.

  • We choose the vegetables at the market that have the best symmetry. We do this, even though the oddly-shaped ones will taste just as good.
  • We are drawn to books that have attractive covers, even though we tell ourselves we can’t judge a book by the cover.

Here’s the thing… no matter how great your service is, prospective clients will judge you based on the effectiveness of your marketing and the image it creates. If you place your sugar in a salt cellar, people will expect salt. You need to be smarter than that.

Your prospects will form an impression of you regardless of what you do. It’s your job to ensure that the image you project, your brand, creates the right impression. A powerful impression that builds trust, credibility and confidence.

Why this is critical to the success of your business

If a prospective client had never heard of you, what impression would they have, based on the way you package your business? Does your business look like it’s the best and safest option for what they need, when compared to your competitors?

If it does, then you’re already attracting sales leads every day.

If it doesn’t, fix your marketing. And fast.

Why?

Because business has never been more competitive than it is today. Think about it. Google lets your prospective clients (and your current clients) find 10 alternative providers to you, in seconds.

If your marketing doesn’t create a better impression than these competitors, you lose. They get the sales leads and the new clients. Not you.

As a result, marketing has never been more important than it is today.

Now, I haven’t had the pleasure of speaking with you yet. So I have no idea whether you dabble with marketing or have expert marketing help. What I do know, is that today’s digital landscape allows those with expert marketing to see their message spread.

They claim a massively disproportionate slice of their marketplace.

They reach more people.

They attract more enquiries.

They make more sales.

Whilst those who dabble, at best, stand still.

This is great news for you

That’s because in 2018, it’s still a minority of small and medium-sized businesses, which are marketed correctly. This presents you, for now, with an excellent opportunity.

An opportunity to surge ahead, whilst the majority of your competitors dabble.

As the clock ticks, more and more of your competitors are investing in their marketing. This means the opportunity becomes smaller, the longer you delay. The best time to have invested in expert marketing help, was the year you started your business. The second best time is now.

How to have the business and lifestyle you’ve always wanted

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marketing motivation, marketing blogs

What do you really want from your business?

Every working day, I help people answer that question. I then help them build the business they have always wanted. Today, I’m going to share a part of the process with you. I’m also going to share my own personal story with you.

Let’s begin

A great way to start, is to answer some ‘ideal world’ questions. This will show you what you really want to achieve, professionally and personally. It provides you with clarity. And clarity is essential if you want to map out what your ideal business will look like.

For example: In an ideal world…

  • How many hours would you work each week?
  • How much would you earn?
  • What type of clients would you work with?
  • What type of home would you live in?
  • Where would you live?
  • What school would your children or grandchildren attend?
  • How many weeks would you spend travelling the world each year?
  • Which charities or causes would you support?

When working on this with clients, I sculpt the questions around what matters most to them. So, feel free to add your own questions to that list.

What type of business supports YOUR ideal lifestyle?

It’s important to understand the unbreakable connection between your business and your lifestyle or quality of life.

  • Your business determines how many hours you have available to spend with those you love.
  • Your business determines how much money you have and thus the choices that are open to you.
  • Your business determines where you live, both in location and the type of home you can afford.
  • Your business always has a direct impact on your stress levels and therefore your health.

Now, take a fresh look at your current business. Is it providing you with everything on your list?

If not, change your direction.

How it worked for me

Will this process set you on the right path, to live an exceptional lifestyle and grow a great business?

Yes! So long as you do it correctly, with the right support from someone who’s already achieved it.

I went through this process myself and created my ideal business. Here’s a VERY brief overview of some of the things I needed to change and how I did it:

I made the decision 12 years ago, when my wife became pregnant, that I wanted to be there for her and our child. No more crazy hours. No more travelling around the country working. This meant completely changing my business model, which consisted of endless travel and minimum 12 hour work days.

So, I took my business and made it 100% digital. I stayed in the same profession. I used the same skills. I simply created a proven strategy, which allowed me to work in a far more effective, enjoyable and rewarding way.

I moved all my face-to-face client work to teleconferencing and video conferencing. I did the same for all of my meetings. I set boundaries on how many hours I would work and when those hours would be. So, I’ve been around every morning to have breakfast with my family and also every evening for dinner.

Pretty much everyone told me that none of that could be done. Not only were they wrong, I soon started earning more money than ever before. That’s because I was now able to work with clients worldwide. From my home in a beautiful, small rural village, I work with clients all over the USA, Europe and Australia. And they all benefit from the same service and the same reduced fees, as I have almost zero overheads and pass the savings on to my clients. Win win.

All this was only possible, by mapping out my ideal business and creating a strategy that would support what’s most important to me.

And today I get to help other business owners do the same.

I help my clients get clear on what they want to achieve, then show them how to make the improvements required. For the past 12 years, I’ve shown business owners, step-by-step, exactly what to do to escape the limitations of their current business, so they too can build a great business and live the life they deserve. A life that lets them enjoy financial security. A life that inspires and energizes them.

Hard work alone is not the key to success. If it was, our grandparents would all have been millionaires.

Working long hours is not the key to success either. If you row your boat in the wrong direction, the longer you’re rowing, the further off course you will end up.

If you’d like me to show you exactly what to do, read this. I look forward to hearing from you.

The marketing power of curiosity

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marketing curious, marketing blogs

You’re going to love this!

Today, I’m going to share the single most important thing you need to know, if you want to attract regular sales leads and business enquiries.

To begin, I need to ask you a question:

Why do prospective clients call you, email you or ask you questions?

It’s because they’re curious!

They need to know something and their curiosity motivates them to get in touch. So, you get a sales lead or business enquiry. This creates a dialogue between you and them. And a chance to convert them into a new client or customer.

  • Ineffective marketing tries to explain everything. To answer every possible question. To eliminate as much curiosity as possible. And as a direct result, it attracts very few sales leads.
  • Effective marketing provides just enough information. Enough information to inform the prospect and ignite their curiosity. And as a direct result, it regularly attracts high quality sales leads.

Think about it. Every enquiry you have ever had or will ever receive, is because the other person needs to know something. So, if you want your marketing to attract more sales enquiries, it needs to create more curiosity and answer fewer questions.

A heartbreaking story, which every business owner should read

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marketing, marketing blogs, failure

Lynda was clearly upset and angry when she emailed me. It’s easy to see why. Here’s what happened, shared with Lynda’s permission. It contains 2 extremely valuable lessons for every business owner.

In her email, Lynda explained that until recently, she was the owner of a chiropractic practice. Just over a year ago, a new competitor arrived on the scene. The feedback she received regarding them was that they weren’t very good. So, she didn’t take much notice. When she saw her monthly turnover slowly drop, she assumed it was the economy.

Then things got progressively worse.

In total, Lynda’s business lost 68% of its revenue over the following 14 months. It was an unsustainable loss. Last week she closed the doors on her 7 year old business for the last time. And because she wasted thousands on advertising in a final attempt to save her business, she’s now heavily in debt. It’s heartbreaking.

Lynda said: “Ever since the beginning I used Facebook and Instagram to promote the business but looking back I wasn’t taking it seriously. I was posting photos and doing some special offers, all the things everyone says you need to do. They [her competitor] always seemed a lot more polished but all I heard from people was that they were crap so I didn’t think people would fall for it. It turns out they did.”

There are 2 lessons from Lynda’s experience, which I’d like to share with you. Because whilst her story is extremely sad, it’s totally avoidable.

  1. An average service that’s expertly marketed will crush a great service, which isn’t. It doesn’t matter how good you are, if too few new people know. An expertly marketed business will reach the right people, with the right message. They will motivate people to hire them or buy from them, attracting a huge slice of the marketplace. The typical small business struggles to get attention. They rely on word of mouth, which dries up, when an expertly marketed competitor becomes the talk of the town.
  2. People tell you what they think you want to hear, rather than what they believe. This is especially the case when it comes to friends, family and existing clients. It’s why Steve Jobs famously refused to use focus groups. Lynda’s feedback was from people who thought they were saying the right things, to support her.

Here’s what we know

The vast majority of small business owners rely on ineffective marketing or no structured marketing whatsoever. They all look and sound just like their competitors. That’s how a business can survive for years, on hard work and great service alone.

The challenge comes, when a savvy competitor captures the attention, the interest and then the business of your clients and future clients. As Lynda discovered, hard work and a great service are no match for expert marketing.

Every business owner is presented with 2 choices.

  1. They can wait for a professionally marketed competitor to destroy their business.
  2. They can become a professionally marketed competitor and build a massively valuable slice of the marketplace.

It’s no choice at all, really.

Don’t let greedy amateurs get you down

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marketing , help, advice

Martin (not his real name) emailed me with a great question. I promised to answer it here, as it’s a marketing problem that a lot of people struggle with.

He wanted to know why only a tiny fraction of his newsletter subscribers ever hire him. Martin’s an experienced, professional copywriter. It’s important to point out that I looked at Martin’s newsletter and it’s superb. His range of services look compelling too.

He explained: “They grab all my free advice Jim, but lack the decency to even say thanks for the hours I put in. I’m just about ready to quit.”

Martin wanted to know if I have the same problem and how I deal with it. Here’s my answer. I hope you find it useful.

This is exactly as it should be

First things first. This happens to everyone who uses content marketing. And the more successful you become, the more visible the issue becomes. I know the writers behind some of the world’s most successful newsletters and blogs. In every case, it’s only a tiny minority of their readers who hire them, buy from them or thank them.

And that’s EXACTLY as it should be.

Most people who read this message have zero intention of ever hiring me. A tiny percentage will even bother to thank me for the free information I provide to them. The vast majority just grab it. They have no interest in the thousands of dollars I spend every year, to get the “free” advice out there. No thought is given to the fact I help their business. They just take.

And that’s EXACTLY as it should be.

Why? Because it’s what they’re supposed to do! Remember, these people are not the prospective clients I write for.

No.

These are the amateurs. The freebie crowd. Those who lack the entrepreneurial sense to invest in expert help. So they’re attracted to “free stuff” like moths to a flame. (read this)

You can’t use content marketing and not expect to attract them. You can’t ask people to subscribe to a free newsletter (or free anything) and not be inundated with freebie hunters. To think otherwise is naive.

Expect the freebie crowd to arrive. BUT never write for them. I don’t write for the freebie crowd. Neither should Martin. And neither should you.

  • I write for people who take their business seriously.
  • I write for people who are commercially intelligent enough to invest in their businesses.
  • I write for people who have respect for themselves and for others.

To put it another way, I write for professionals. Professionals are the people who show appreciation for your work. They’re the people who hire you. They totally get it.

Where it gets tricky is this: Professionals are ALSO attracted by free stuff. That’s why content marketing is extremely effective, when used correctly.

Content marketing and intent

The key difference between the 2 types of people who consume your content can be summed up in one word. Intent.

  1. When a professional consumes your content, they do so with an open mind to hiring you or buying from you. If they see enough value, they’ll get in touch or make a purchase. These amazing people contact me throughout the day, every day. Sometimes to ask about hiring me. Sometimes to say thanks. Sometimes to tell me how my ideas have helped them overcome a problem.
  2. When an amateur consumes your content, they don’t have that same intent. The amateur sees the free stuff as the end result. It’s the much mentioned entitlement mindset. That’s why they never bother to thank Martin, me or any other content marketer. They believe they’re entitled to it.

Once you understand the intent behind the 2 groups of people who consume your content, everything makes sense. It also frees your mind to focus on generously contributing to the marketplace.

4 Powerful words that attract clients like a magnet!

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content marketing, powerful words, attract, words attract

I have an idea to share with you today, which is one of the most powerful I have covered on Jim’s Marketing Blog. If you want to attract more clients, I’m sure you’ll find it extremely useful.

When I speak with a prospective client, I have a 4 word phrase that always captures their attention.

It’s simply this: “Bring me your problems”.

Bring me your problems

The moment a small business owner hears those words, I can almost feel the stress leave their body. Many have wrestled with their business development problems for years. Now, they finally have the help they need, from a renowned marketing expert.

They’re no longer guessing. They’re no longer alone. They’re free again, to really enjoy their business and to look ahead with total confidence.

Note: That same 4 word phrase is also exceptionally powerful, when used within a marketing message.

What this means for you and your business

If you’re a service provider, you are a professional problem solver. This is true regardless of the kind of services you offer. With that in mind, I have a question for you.

Do you clearly ask your clients (and prospective clients) to bring you their problems? If those 4 words do not appear in your marketing, you’re missing an amazing opportunity.

It’s hard to overstate how powerful those 4 words are and how attractive they are. Why? Because it’s what everyone wants to hear.

No one wants to struggle with a problem. However, when was the last time someone explicitly asked you to bring them your problems? When was the last time a piece of marketing grabbed your attention, not by trying to sell you something, but by asking you to bring them your problems? It almost never happens in business, yet everyone wants to hear it.

And that’s why those 4 words have such a massive, immediate, positive impact.

5 Extremely powerful questions to help your business thrive

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marketing, marketing help

Today, I have 5 powerful questions to help you and your business thrive. Each question comes with a suggestion, to point you in the right direction.

1. Are you earning trust by setting self-imposed deadlines?

A great way to build trust is to deliver on a promise.

Think about it: Telling a client that their project will be ready “by the end of the week”, is way less powerful, than telling them it will be ready, “by 9am Thursday”.

Tip: Set deadlines and then deliver. When a client trusts you to deliver on your promises, they are extremely unlikely to seek out another provider. They are also massively more likely to recommend you to their friends. I wrote about this here.

2. Are you taking business advice from a proven expert?

Never take business advice from someone, who hasn’t already achieved what you want to achieve.

For example, avoid marketing consultants who have to attend networking groups, because their own marketing doesn’t generate enough leads. There’s a powerful signal there. Avoid SEO companies, who sell their services via email. It’s a sure sign THEIR OWN SEO isn’t generating enough inbound sales leads. They’re hardly the people to help you.

Tip: Before you take advice from anyone, check their credentials. Unless they can demonstrate that they’ve achieved what you need to achieve, avoid them. This includes free advice online. Incorrect, free advice can prove extremely expensive.

3. Are you attracting daily sales or client enquiries from your website?

If not, you’re needlessly missing out on a wonderful opportunity. My blog generates client enquiries multiple times every day. Your site can be a business generating machine too. However, it needs to have the right strategy behind it. Invest in getting this right or you’re leaving money on the table every day.

Tip: Don’t copy what you see other sites doing. Almost every small and medium sized business blog or website I see, is failing miserably.

4. Are you associating with the right people?

We tend to grow in the same direction as those we associate with. Mix with the wrong people and one day, everything they have will be yours.

Think about that for a moment.

Tip: Get intentional regarding the network of people around you. Choose to associate with those who have either achieved what you want to achieve, or who are committed to the same goals and aspirations as you.

5. Are you learning from past mistakes or repeating them?

For a lot of people reading this, 2017 is already looking a lot like 2016. You deserve better than that!

Tip: If you are facing the same old frustrations, it’s because you’re repeating the same old errors. For better results, you need a better strategy. Find someone with the skills to help you move your business forward. And remember point number 2; only take advice from someone who’s achieved what you want to achieve.

I hope you find these ideas useful. More importantly, I hope something here inspires you to take positive action.

Can you guess what’s inside the box?

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marketing blogs, marketing tricks

Today’s post is a little different. However, it will explain how to create a cycle of ongoing, repeat sales.

Let’s begin.

I want you to imagine you have a very special box, which you place on a table in front of a prospective client or customer.

  • You explain that the contents of this sealed box are of great value.
  • You tell them that once they have it, they will wonder how they ever managed without it.
  • You then tell them that other people are using it, and they love it so much that they recommend it to their friends.
  • You finally blow them away, when you explain that the price for what’s in the box, is way below what it’s worth.

You then ask them, “Would you like to see what’s in the box?”

Their eyes widen as they lean forward and say, “Yes please!”

So, what’s inside the box?

As a business owner, your job is to develop a product or service that fits inside that amazing box.

In order for it to fit, your product needs to be able to deliver on those promises you just made. So when a prospective client sees it, they want it. Really want it!

The most successful business owners constantly look for ways to add value. To exceed expectations. To give their clients something they want to buy and their marketplace something they want to talk about.

Get this right and you will create a cycle of ongoing, repeat sales.

Why?

It will give you 2 vital things your business needs.

  1. It will massively increase the number of sales you make, because of all that added value.
  2. It will simultaneously generate ongoing word-of-mouth publicity.

The word-of-mouth publicity then creates even more sales leads (or client enquiries), which results in even more sales. The cycle continues.