Jim Connolly Marketing

Video – Does brainstorming work?

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For years, I have seen people use brainstorming as a way to generate ideas and solve challenges.

For years, I have found traditional brainstorming sessions to be of very little value.

It seems I am not alone.

In this RSA video (see below), journalist and author, Jonah Lehrer, argues that traditional brainstorming just doesn’t work. It produces fewer original ideas than people achieve when working by themselves. He explains why and also recommends an alternative approach, which I hope you find useful.

If you can’t see the video correctly or are reading this post via email, click here.

Education makes it possible. Action makes it happen

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He’s a nice enough guy. He works hard. He’s read the leadership books. He’s following all the success gurus on Facebook and he watches their videos too.

He isn’t achieving much

He’s still struggling. Still unknown. Still spinning his wheels.

Why?

Because he’s avoiding the changes he needs to make.

He’s still following, rather than leading. He’s still doing predictable work, rather than work that matters. He’s still playing it safe, rather than playing to win.

Study. For sure. Just remember that your results are based on what you decide to do, with what you decide to learn.

Education makes it possible. But action makes it happen.

Does your work have your signature?

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Does your work have your signature?

Wouldn’t it be useful, if you were able to make your business, product or service stand out?

If you know the work of any famous painter, it’s easy to identify their art. Great artists stand out because their style is almost like a signature. It’s something unique to them.

They may use the same type of paint, brushes and canvas as thousands of others, but what they do with those materials is uniquely them.

Interestingly, we find when studying the work of any successful business person, that his or her work is just as individual as a famous painter. They may use the same business tools as thousands of others, but what they do with those tools is uniquely ‘them’. It’s their signature.

What are you focusing on?

That’s an important question. For example, millions of business owners use email marketing, yet their message is predictable and lacks their unique signature. Millions of business owners use social networks, mostly in a very predictable way, with no unique signature.

Success comes from stepping away from the masses and doing things your way. For example.

  • If you want more followers, do something worth following. Don’t copy what everyone else is saying.
  • If you want more word of mouth referrals, do something worth talking about. Don’t copy what everyone else is doing.
  • If you want to attract higher fees, do something worth paying more for. Don’t copy what everyone else is offering.

Dr. Seuss was right when he said, “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” Your uniqueness is your greatest asset. Be yourself. That’s all you need to be.

How to build a remarkable enterprise

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Marketing blogs, marketing help

Today, I’m giving you a super-effective strategy to help you build a truly remarkable business.

Its all about seeking inspiration from the very best companies in the world.

Business owners tend to measure their business, products or services against whatever their competitors are doing. That sets a low ceiling on their potential.

Here’s a better strategy

Think how much higher your business could fly, if you decided to:

This strategy will inspire you to think on a far higher level. It will motivate you to expect more from your business. It will set you apart from all your competitors.

And that’s a powerful way to build a remarkable enterprise.

Stop using buzzwords in your marketing. Seriously. Stop it

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stop, buzzwords, bullshit

There is no shortage of buzzwords or people who feel the need to use them.

Intersection.

Growth-hacking.

Ruckus.

Pragmatic.

Disrupt.

Paradigm.

… these buzzwords and many others, are used by people in an effort to appear informed or relevant. Interestingly, buzzwords do neither. They have the exact opposite effect when people read them or hear them.

Here’s how buzzwords work against you.

  • They make informed people cringe. Not a great idea, if you want your peers to take you seriously or recommend you.
  • They confuse the uninformed. A bad choice, if you want people to understand your message. And you do. Right?

In either case, buzzwords work against you. When it comes to marketing, write your copy in a way that your ideal client will find easy to understand.

Always aim for clarity.

Why?

Because clarity sells.

Here’s what to do, when they say you’re too expensive!

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marketing, too expensive

If you are sick of talking to fee sensitive prospective clients, you are making 1 or more of 3 marketing mistakes, which I am going to share with you right now — along with the solution.

Let’s get started!

A quick look at value

I want to start by looking at the way your prospective clients think about value:

  • It’s always too expensive, when the price or fee is considerably greater than the value.
  • It’s always great value, when the price or fee is considerably lower than the value.

To get that price / value balance right, we have 2 options:

  1. We can pump more value into the product or service.
  2. We can lower the price.

The race to the bottom

Most small business owners focus on lowering prices or fees, in order to make themselves appear better value. This is why we often see competing businesses in that dreaded race to the bottom. The race to the bottom is where business owners race to out-discount one another. It’s a low leverage, low profit and totally unnecessary way to run a business.

  • Here’s the thing about slashing your prices: Your prospective customers will still be able to go to Google and find 20 lower priced alternatives to you, in minutes.
    • Note: The bargain-shopping clients who put “cheap” before everything else are the worst clients to work for. They’re the least profitable, plus they dump providers as soon as a cheaper alternative comes along.
  • Here’s the thing about increasing your value: High value providers are rare. Rare value comes at a premium, which the right clients are happy to pay for.

3 questions you need to answer

Firstly: Have you put so much value into your product or service, that the price or fee represents great value? As every quality brand will confirm, we can always sell a superb product or service for a great price. However, we are fooling ourselves if we expect prospective customers to pay a premium, for something that’s average or close to average.

Secondly: If you have created a product or service that represents outstanding value, is that value clear from your marketing? In other words, when a prospective customer reads your marketing or talks with you, can they easily see a clear reason why your services are of great value? Use the best copywriter you can afford, to make the value obvious, attractive and crystal clear. I find the vast majority of small business owners get this wrong and use DIY copywriting, thinking they are saving money. In reality, it’s losing them a fortune… every day!

Finally: Is your marketing attracting the right type of leads or enquiries? You can provide an amazing service, offered at a wonderful price, but if the people responding to your marketing can’t afford it, you’re wasting your time.

For example: A diamond ring that’s worth a million dollars, would be amazing value if offered for sale at $10,000. However, if you’re trying to sell it to someone, who knows the value, but is broke, they can’t buy it.

Getting your value balance right

Lowering a price is easy. It can be done in seconds. However, it locks you into a race to the bottom. It also acts like a magnet to fee sensitive clients and customers.

Instead, look for inconsistencies between what you charge, what you offer, how you market it and who you are marketing to.