Ready to have fun, get smart marketing ideas, and put money in your pocket?
Welcome to another edition of...
The Do It! Marketing podcast
In this episode, my guest is author, podcaster extraordinaire and professional speaker Craig Price. (Follow @Price_Points and @RealityCheckPod on Twitter.)
Craig talks with me about the power of podcasting AND how conferences and conventions can use podcasting to build buzz, excitement, and grow attendance - even on a shoestring budget.
Listen in and then share YOUR advice, insights and recommendations in the COMMENTS area below...
You've probably heard or seen things like this in the business media -
And similarly, you've seen the pundits and journalists wax poetic about:
Questions for you:
1. Are you and your business a copy or an original?
2. How are you tangibly and specifically faster, smarter, better?
3. Would competitors position themselves as a "YOU killer"?
4. Would competitors want to be the "Next YOU"?
5. How could you articulate your value more clearly?
6. How could you frame your distinctions more sharply?
7. What would it mean to you and your bottom line if you truly became a Category of One? (Thank you, Joe!)
What do YOU think? Please leave a comment below...
p.s. If you'd like some personalized help to become the next killer phenomenon - and get your very own
customized marketing and sales toolkit PLUS an easy-to-implement
marketing game plan with
1-on-1 guidance for 90 days, get all the details
here.
Two quick links for you: 
1. Replay of my friend Mike Brooks' webinar on "How to Overcome the Stall in Sales"
Click here to access the replay. This will only be online for the next 72 hours, so please grab it while you can.
2. Replay of my teleseminar interview with Judy Weintraub of Skillbites about "Top 10 Tips for Successful Book Authors."
Click here to access the replay. Judy's special offer and the discount code you'll find at the link above expire Friday 6/14, so again, grab this while you can.
Listen in to these two smart cookies, apply the strategies and tactics they share during these two content-rich programs -- and watch your business grow.
As you may know, a wonderful team of small business experts and I are organizing the inaugural America Talks Business Conference coming up on July 25. (Conference info is here and you can still register with early bird savings here.)
One of our media partners is Entrepreneur Magazine. When I shared this news with my friend Dan Janal of PRLeads and PressReleaseSender.com, his first comment was, "Looks good. Congrats on getting Entrepreneur magazine. You are one well-connected guy!"
I sent Dan back a note that said, "Not well-connected. Just fearless in asking."
And he closed out our email conversation with this brilliant observation: "Same thing, I guess!"
YES!!!
It is the same thing indeed.
So here are some questions for YOU:
1. Who do YOU need to be well-connected to?
2. Who do you need to fearlessly ask for help?
3. What's stopping you from asking?
4. What's the worst that could happen?
5. What's the best that could happen?
6. How much do you care about #4?
7. How much do you want #5?
8. Is it time for YOU to do some fearless asking?
p.s. The June 17 deadline is coming up for Entrepreneur Magazine's Entrepreneur of 2013 competition. You can't win if you don't enter. They are accepting applications for Entrepreneur of 2013, Emerging Entrepreneur of 2013 and College Entrepreneur of 2013. See if you qualify to join the ranks of other inspiring entrepreneurs: http://www.entrepreneur.com/e2013
Watch this and apply the lessons to YOU and YOUR business...
(Feel free to skip the inane introduction and jump ahead to 01:10 where Guy starts speaking)
What do YOU think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on these ideas and join the conversation...
Guest post by DJ Waldow
Are you wondering how to add social media to your email communications?
Email and social media marketing go together like Batman and Robin.
They both can be effective on their own; however, when combined, their (super) powers can save the city and exceed your marketing goals.
Is Email Dead?
In this article I’ll show you how to combine email marketing with your social media efforts.
In a recent StrongMail survey, ”More than two-thirds of business leaders (68%) say they plan to integrate social media with their email marketing efforts."
As a guy who lives, breathes, eats and sometimes dreams email marketing, I was thrilled to see email getting some mainstream love.
You may be thinking, “Hey, isn’t email dead?”
Think again. I mean, sure, there are certainly case studies of companies forgoing email and replacing it with social media. I’d argue that these are exceptions, certainly not the norm.
This blog post and infographic on the value of email by SmarterTools will quickly dispel the “email is dead” myth.
Need one more proof point that email is not dead? How many times have you checked your email this week? Today? Since you started reading this blog post? Okay. Now that we are all in agreement, let’s continue...
Read the rest of this article here...
Do you know an entrepreneur with a U.S.-based business who's inspiring and worthy of national attention?
Share this contest with them: Entrepreneur Magazine and The UPS Store Corp. are looking for Entrepreneur of 2013, Emerging Entrepreneur and College Entrepreneur of 2013.
Act quickly -- deadline for applications is June 17th!
Details here: http://www.entrepreneur.com/e2013
May the best entrepreneur win!
Guest post by Mark S A Smith
When you’re an expert on a topic, people want to learn from you, and if they can, they want it for free.
They’ll say, “I want to pick your brain. Let me buy you lunch.”
Worst case, they’ll take you to a fast food restaurant and buy you a $5 meal and get thousands worth of advice.
Best case, they’ll take you to a great restaurant, spend $100 and get thousands worth of advice.
While it’s great to meet new people, here’s how can you say, “No, I won’t have lunch with you just so you can get an hour of free consulting” without sounding like a jerk.
1. Just Say, “No”
If you don’t want to discuss your expertise with them, reply with “Sure, but I have ‘no talking about work’ policy at lunch.”
2. Just Say, “Yes, but…”
Or say, “I’d love to have lunch with you. But, if you are looking for input on your project, I charge a consultation fee even if we’re dining. Otherwise, I never discuss work over food. What day works for you?”
3. I Will, If You First…
Get them to do something that shows commitment and shortcuts the process before you accept their invitation.
Say, “Sure! I’m happy to meet with you if you’ll first…” Have them send you an email describing their biggest challenge. Or have them fill out your assessment form. Or, if you’re a content creator, have them first take one of your mini courses.
Guess how many people call to follow up? Very few. Those that do are serious. Those that don’t, aren’t. Do this, and you don’t waste your time on those who aren’t committed.
4. Send Them to Your Website or Blog
Say, “I’ve got a really full schedule for the next month, so why not check out my blog (or website) that answers many of the questions that I get when people invite me to lunch. So, take a look, and send me a list of questions, and we can then schedule something next month.”
5. First, Buy My Book
If you’re an author, say, “I recommend that you first read my book. I specifically wrote it to answer the most common questions that I get. Whatever advice I have to give on [your topic], it’s in there. And it’s cheaper than lunch. So, jot down your questions as you read it, then call me and we can schedule lunch.”
6. Bring a $100 Bill
Say, “Brain picking isn’t free and I don’t eat cheap food. Bring a $100 bill and buy me lunch at a nice restaurant. If you’re not happy with the value of my advice, keep the hundred.”
One of my colleagues does this and he always keeps the hundred.
If they object, say, “I tell you what. I’ll give you three free pieces of advice right now that will make you more successful. Your first free success lesson: never do free consulting. Your second free lesson: free advice isn’t acted on like paid advice. Your third lesson: if you don’t get value in exchange, there is no real value generated.”
And I invite you to pick my brain with free instant access to the questions I get frequently asked when people invite me to lunch. Go to http://CompetitionProof.com now to learn great ideas to sell more, keep more margin, and keep your competitors out of you accounts.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_S_A_Smith
What do YOU think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on this topic and join the conversation...
I asked one of my favorite marketing coaching clients, "How's your DIP?"
She responded, "Dip? We're talking party recipes now?"
"No, no - remember the acronym I shared with you last time? DIP stands for Dollars In Play." She remembered.
Then she asked me to hang on as she shuffled through some notes and papers.
"Where are you looking for these numbers?" And she said that she keeps a scratch pad by her keyboard and has a more detailed tracking document that she updates every couple of weeks on her computer.
"Oh my goodness, there's your problem right there. You have to keep this info right in front of your face all day long."
REALLY in front of your face. My suggestion - make a poster using something as simple as a piece of flipchart paper and two different size Post-It notes: the Jumbo size and the smaller 3x3 square size.
Here's what a DIP (Dollars in Play) wall chart looks like:
Here's how it works:
1. Two categories: one called "In Play" and the other one for less serious prospects ("Jokers") You can see in the photo above, I've had a little fun and made a silly cartoon joker card. These are folks who are in my pipeline but (in my estimation) less serious, less committed, and less capable of making the financial commitment to hire me.
2. Post your prospects' full names, the service/product/program you discussed with them, the dollar value, and the source. For example, Jane Doe came from a referral from Frank. We have not talked yet, so there's no dollar value. Nat Cole came from Linkedin and we talked about a $1500 1-on-1 marketing consulting package. Sam Smith is hiring me for a $6500 speech in October. (All prospect names have been changed for the purposes of this blog post and photo - could you tell?)
3. Real time updates. Sometimes I'll even grab my pad of 3x3 Post-Its and write someone's name down WHILE I'm on the phone with them, walk over to the wall chart and stick their name on it. Can't tell you how satisfying this physical act can be.
4. Fluid movement. Don't be afraid to upgrade a joker to the serious column and don't be afraid to take a (formerly) serious prospect and move them into the Joker column. The factors to consider are their commitment level based on email and phone communication, their level of responsiveness, and how rapidly you are moving them from point to point in your sales process.
5. Reminders rule. If you see someone on your chart whom you have not spoken with or heard from in a few weeks, you probably need to get back in touch. Ideally, you never have a prospect who is just "floating" out there without a firm decision call on their calendar. But it happens. The chart reminds you to close those loops and corral your prospecting mustangs back onto your sales ranch.
6. Relentless removal. Remember the old sales adage, "Some will. Some won't. Who cares? Next!" That's the point of the chart. Up or out. If you're not going to buy, I'm going to cut you loose and throw you back in the ocean. The SECOND most fun you'll have with this chart (after slapping a brand new prospect's name onto the chart) is grabbing a prospect who said no - or who has disappeared on you despite your best efforts to hold them to their commitments - and RIP their name off the chart and tear it into tiny little pieces and chuck it in the trash.
7. Do the math. Feel the power. The point of tracking your sales pipeline in this manner is so that you have a real-time sense of "Dollars in Play." Every so often, you should glance over at your chart and add up the numbers that you see in the "In Play" column ONLY. (Don't add the jokers because that's why they're in the joker column - instead, do everything you can to move your jokers into the "In play" column or remove them altogether!)
In the photo above, you would have a "Dollars in Play" number of $21,000. For prospects who are considering mutliple options (for example, Mindy Kaling is holding a proposal with a $7500 option and a $2500 option), you should count the higher number.
Two reasons: 1.) It sets your internal expectation in that direction which will enhance your confidence in your subsequent conversations with Mindy. A confident seller creates confident buyers. So it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. 2.) It builds your capacity for marketing optimism, which every entrepreneur needs. Plus if you're going to be relentless in removing people (See Rule #6 above), you might as well be relentlessly optimistic about the folks who earn and keep a place in your active sales pipeline.
Now, are YOU ready for some DIP?
What do YOU think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on this topic and join the conversation...