sharon sapp sends me a marketing newsletter email every month and she uses my personal advantage; cost about $10/month for unlimited emails. they also offer direct mail pieces at a competitive price.
the other email contact program, constant contact, only offers email. their price starts at $15/month and their price goes way up depending on your volume. they do not offer direct mail..
just thought i'd let you know.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
volunteer peten
i've know matt peters for a while now, and i am continually impressed with his ability to get things done.
in malcome-gladwell-speak, he is smart enough, he has taken advantage of opportunities as they present themselves, and he has an excellent work ethic.
about 10 years ago, he went to the back country of guatamala with the peace corps. and when his term was up, he stayed on. in his small town, he has built a library, a school, and an ecological park; all with volunteer labor and volunteer donations.
and he has mondo marketing skills. his target market is people who want to make a difference in a third world country. he comes to the united states for about one week a year to do fundraising. here is an interview he did on a local tv station that is basically his fundraising pitch.
in malcome-gladwell-speak, he is smart enough, he has taken advantage of opportunities as they present themselves, and he has an excellent work ethic.
about 10 years ago, he went to the back country of guatamala with the peace corps. and when his term was up, he stayed on. in his small town, he has built a library, a school, and an ecological park; all with volunteer labor and volunteer donations.
and he has mondo marketing skills. his target market is people who want to make a difference in a third world country. he comes to the united states for about one week a year to do fundraising. here is an interview he did on a local tv station that is basically his fundraising pitch.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Guerilla Marketing
Jay Conrad Levinson has written 42 books, all with the words "Guerilla Marketing" in the title. I can't bring myself to read any of them. For some reason my eyes glaze over when I read advice like "Stay in touch with your customer base". He offers a thousand tips about obvious ways to get your message across but he never comes right out to say what is creative marketing. Not recommended.
Friday, January 9, 2009
book review - outliers
malcome gladwell is a staff writer for the new yorker. his style is pop psychology anthropology. he is a compelling storyteller. his gift is finding unusual people, like the guy with a 190 iq whose day job is a ranch hand raising horses. or this one, six degrees of lois weisberg about an anonymous grandmother in chicago who is also a kingmaker.
his book outliers is about people who have achieved extraordinary fame or wealth. his conclusion is that being smart helps, having the right opportunities helps, and that your cultural upbringing - your work ethic - helps. but it is really the matrix of all of the above that is the magic. it's almost worth reading the book just for the stories.
but i gotta tell you, his world view: "we are only a chaotic random collection of atoms - that just happens to write books and listen to mozart" [my words not his...] is sort of limiting. but that's a story for another time.
his book outliers is about people who have achieved extraordinary fame or wealth. his conclusion is that being smart helps, having the right opportunities helps, and that your cultural upbringing - your work ethic - helps. but it is really the matrix of all of the above that is the magic. it's almost worth reading the book just for the stories.
but i gotta tell you, his world view: "we are only a chaotic random collection of atoms - that just happens to write books and listen to mozart" [my words not his...] is sort of limiting. but that's a story for another time.
Friday, December 12, 2008
suzanne's mastermind question
this group of business people meets once a week to focus on sales and marketing issues.
every once in a while, one of us has a puzzling situation, and the group does a brainstorming session to offer solutions.
here's the question suzanne offered in our brainstorming session yesterday.
you are making a presentation - selling your services - to an group that you have met for the first time and that has had a bad experience with services like yours. the question is: how do you earn their trust?
from suzanne
The topic today was...How do you promote client service and convey trust. People do business with those they know, like and trust. In some cases, I am asking individuals and groups to trust me when we barely know each other and may have just met in person.
Highlights in no particular order:
Include testimonials from existing clients if possible.
Uncover the pain or reason why they are seeking your services.
Find a commonality and weave references into the conversation.
Do what you say you will do within the time frame promised. Be consistent.
Ask questions starting with How instead of What.
Offer some suggestions or solutions to the issue during your free consultation.
Ask what do I need to do to earn your trust.
Avoid making derrogatory comments about competitors.
from henriette
The most important piece from my end is being authentically representing myself and my work/service. That in itself rings true and allows others to tune into that invisible piece that makes people feel comfortable with each other. It's a mixture of know how and technical skill along with a personable and caring attitude. This is not to say that all meetings offered this way close the gap and bring us everyone's business, but the integrity of one's presentation is essential to gain those clients whom we can really assist and who will find value in our services. From this end we stop struggling and are not desperately seeking new clients 'no matter what' - we keep our heads and trust that even if there is no immediate deal or closing - the encounter has been of value for everyone and may bear fruit later in direct or indirect ways.
from vince
I was not at the meeting but through commercial insurance I deal with this often. Something that has worked many times for me is using references from current clients. I really think there is no better way of establishing yourself than through the experience of your clients. I have no problem putting a prospect in touch with someone I have done business with in the past to help build a sense of trust.
from christine
i just project love.
from peter
it's interesting that the responses are divided between "who you are" and "what you do"
and it's curious that the two responses from people whose everyday life is sales/ marketing were in the "what you do" category and the two responses from people whose everyday life is not sales/marketing were in the "who you are" category.
i wonder if this same difference would show up in a different group.
curious.
every once in a while, one of us has a puzzling situation, and the group does a brainstorming session to offer solutions.
here's the question suzanne offered in our brainstorming session yesterday.
you are making a presentation - selling your services - to an group that you have met for the first time and that has had a bad experience with services like yours. the question is: how do you earn their trust?
from suzanne
The topic today was...How do you promote client service and convey trust. People do business with those they know, like and trust. In some cases, I am asking individuals and groups to trust me when we barely know each other and may have just met in person.
Highlights in no particular order:
Include testimonials from existing clients if possible.
Uncover the pain or reason why they are seeking your services.
Find a commonality and weave references into the conversation.
Do what you say you will do within the time frame promised. Be consistent.
Ask questions starting with How instead of What.
Offer some suggestions or solutions to the issue during your free consultation.
Ask what do I need to do to earn your trust.
Avoid making derrogatory comments about competitors.
from henriette
The most important piece from my end is being authentically representing myself and my work/service. That in itself rings true and allows others to tune into that invisible piece that makes people feel comfortable with each other. It's a mixture of know how and technical skill along with a personable and caring attitude. This is not to say that all meetings offered this way close the gap and bring us everyone's business, but the integrity of one's presentation is essential to gain those clients whom we can really assist and who will find value in our services. From this end we stop struggling and are not desperately seeking new clients 'no matter what' - we keep our heads and trust that even if there is no immediate deal or closing - the encounter has been of value for everyone and may bear fruit later in direct or indirect ways.
from vince
I was not at the meeting but through commercial insurance I deal with this often. Something that has worked many times for me is using references from current clients. I really think there is no better way of establishing yourself than through the experience of your clients. I have no problem putting a prospect in touch with someone I have done business with in the past to help build a sense of trust.
from christine
i just project love.
from peter
it's interesting that the responses are divided between "who you are" and "what you do"
and it's curious that the two responses from people whose everyday life is sales/ marketing were in the "what you do" category and the two responses from people whose everyday life is not sales/marketing were in the "who you are" category.
i wonder if this same difference would show up in a different group.
curious.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
books are so.... last century
here's two websites that sell information
shootsmartertv is pure marketing.
this guy probably doesn't know anything about photography, but he knows how to sell other people's expertise.
he follows working photographers around with his video camera to show wannabe photographers professional photographers at work. and of course he wants your credit card to see the videos.
the socionomics institute sells books and videos bypassing the traditional publisher middlemen..
so here's the message.
if you have knowledge that other people would pay to see..
blog your knowledge one chapter at a time
make a video
get yourself a website.
trade your knowledge for your viewer's credit card number.
shootsmartertv is pure marketing.
this guy probably doesn't know anything about photography, but he knows how to sell other people's expertise.
he follows working photographers around with his video camera to show wannabe photographers professional photographers at work. and of course he wants your credit card to see the videos.
the socionomics institute sells books and videos bypassing the traditional publisher middlemen..
so here's the message.
if you have knowledge that other people would pay to see..
blog your knowledge one chapter at a time
make a video
get yourself a website.
trade your knowledge for your viewer's credit card number.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
book review: seven practices of enduring businesses
harvard university recommends that you budget $150,000 for their two year mba program. they are gracious enough to note that this does not include the cost of a personal computer.
i got my copy of "the commensense mba" by richard m. astle from amazon.com for one cent [plus shipping]. it's stuff you'll never learn at harvard, yet it is fundamental to running a successful business.
"don't let school get in the way of your education" - mark twain
the seven practices
put people first.
never forget that your business is for the benefit of your customers and your employees... every transaction with customers or employees should be a both-win transaction.
do what you say.
be on time. return phone phone calls. do what you say. you'll never keep reliable employees or good customers without it.
build trust.
everything you do should be open and aboveboard.. if you don't know what personal integrity is, or you hesitate when asked about your business ethics, you should make it a point to learn more....
put needs before wants
focus on prudence and restraint in finances. it's best you start your business small and grow it from the profits rather than borrow a lot of money up front. you don't 'need' a fancy office or car to impress clients with your success. being debt free and a savings account will help you survive lean times.
focus on quality and customer service.
plan, plan, plan
making a business plan will help you think through areas that you would otherwise ignore. things like a financial plan. a marketing plan. read through your plan every day.
sell, sell, sell
marketing is everything. spend 20% of your time networking, advertising, getting the word out.
summary: start small and grow by reinvesting your profits. focus on serving your customers and your employees. focus on quality and integrity. focus on marketing. focus. focus. focus.
i got my copy of "the commensense mba" by richard m. astle from amazon.com for one cent [plus shipping]. it's stuff you'll never learn at harvard, yet it is fundamental to running a successful business.
"don't let school get in the way of your education" - mark twain
the seven practices
put people first.
never forget that your business is for the benefit of your customers and your employees... every transaction with customers or employees should be a both-win transaction.
do what you say.
be on time. return phone phone calls. do what you say. you'll never keep reliable employees or good customers without it.
build trust.
everything you do should be open and aboveboard.. if you don't know what personal integrity is, or you hesitate when asked about your business ethics, you should make it a point to learn more....
put needs before wants
focus on prudence and restraint in finances. it's best you start your business small and grow it from the profits rather than borrow a lot of money up front. you don't 'need' a fancy office or car to impress clients with your success. being debt free and a savings account will help you survive lean times.
focus on quality and customer service.
plan, plan, plan
making a business plan will help you think through areas that you would otherwise ignore. things like a financial plan. a marketing plan. read through your plan every day.
sell, sell, sell
marketing is everything. spend 20% of your time networking, advertising, getting the word out.
summary: start small and grow by reinvesting your profits. focus on serving your customers and your employees. focus on quality and integrity. focus on marketing. focus. focus. focus.
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