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Saturday, March 21, 2009
Sunday, December 28, 2008
What's Blocking Your First Million?
By Kudirat - © 2008
As a newbie on the Internet twelve years ago, I was full of ambition and bursting with energy. I was going to find the perfect program that sold the perfect product so I could retire to a perfect lifestyle with plenty of income. I had been fed so many motivational videos I was addicted… which led me to my greatest failures and most profound lessons. Fortunately, a reality check halted my financial freefall. After years of frustration and nothing to show for my efforts except a debt approaching thousands of dollars, I began to realize that there is no such thing as the marketing success formula. But there was a clue -- something called USP, or Unique Selling Proposition/Point. The difficult thing to understand about USP is that no one can hand it to you; not even me. Nobody can direct you to it; you have to discover it for yourself. USP is about making your offer different from and more valuable than, your competitors’ offer, and then, planting that idea in the minds of a targeted group of prospects. The population in general is on advertising overload. They hold on to an idea of their own until some slogan or headline breaks through and persuades them to change. Position reflects your unique selling proposition, and that’s what makes your offer more valuable than what’s being offered by your competition. Let me use FedEx for an example. They were competing with United Parcel Service and postal Priority Mail, but their slogan had two very important words that magnetized customers: “When your package absolutely, positively has to get there tomorrow”. Ahh, absolutely, positively -- used alone, neither one has the same punch as both used together! While you can’t be all things to all people, your business should be perceived as different from your competition in the minds of your prospects. It’s like answering their question: “… so what?” Make it short, simple, compelling, memorable, credible. Make it absolutely, positively better than your competition. Domino’s Pizza doesn’t advertise a better pizza. They don’t advertise more toppings, crispier crust or even a better price. Can you recall their USP? Was it memorable? Sure you do --- “… hot pizza delivered in 30 minutes or less -- or it’s free”. Why call anyone else? Answer the door, it’s Domino’s. You get USP right, everything is easy. You get USP wrong, everything is hard. The business world is fierce and only the strongest survive. But supposing you found a perfect company in business for more than ten years. Supposing their product was on the cutting edge of a billion dollar market. And supposing their compensation plan had a 75% payout; do you still need USP? You better believe it. Your competition now is your fellow teammates. You are all working for the same company, selling the same product, for the same price, and most are using the same scripts, the same ads posted in the same places. You are using the company’s replicated website that gives identical information. You look at your very large ID number and realize how vast your competition really is. And they’re all close at hand; at your heels, their breath on the back of your neck. How can your offer differ from theirs? You can’t adjust the price or alter company policy. But you do need something grand, something powerful and competitively crushing that will set you apart from the rest. This will cause sleepless nights and mental agony until you fall on the solution. But it sure is a great feeling. Like some genie has popped out of a bottle and your wish has been granted. When you find your USP, plate it in 14ct gold and offer only a smile when people ask, “…how do you do it?”
Easy Marketing Communications Planning Steps...
By Kudirat
‘This the season to be planning. Most business people are familiar with strategic planning. But what about your marketing communications program? Do you have a plan for that?
For those of you with marketing communications anxiety, here’s a step-by-step guide to follow to create a plan.
1. Begin with the basics. Marketing communications involves what you say about your business (message) and who you say it to (audience). Start your plan with this information.
2. Solidify your identity. Define your logo and colors and use them consistently. Make sure they’re on your signage, business cards, web site – anywhere you’re seen by your audience. Invest in a professionally-produced logo. It will reflect positively on your entire operation.
3. Provide basic information. Every business needs a brochure and web site -- professionally-done materials that cover the basics, like products, services, people, facilities, etc.
4. Be visible. Most businesses need to attract new customers. Advertising, direct mail, publicity, trade shows, even the right promotional items are ways to stay visible.
5. Strengthen your ties with current customers. Keeping the customers you’ve got is often as important as attracting new ones. A regular newsletter, a client-specific section of your web site, and relevant information sheets can strengthen customer relationships.
6. Keep your sales force informed. Be sure sales reps and distributors know how you’re promoting your products. A newsletter or IntraNet work well.
7. Set a budget. Establish a timetable. These will keep you on track throughout the year.
‘This the season to be planning. Most business people are familiar with strategic planning. But what about your marketing communications program? Do you have a plan for that?
For those of you with marketing communications anxiety, here’s a step-by-step guide to follow to create a plan.
1. Begin with the basics. Marketing communications involves what you say about your business (message) and who you say it to (audience). Start your plan with this information.
2. Solidify your identity. Define your logo and colors and use them consistently. Make sure they’re on your signage, business cards, web site – anywhere you’re seen by your audience. Invest in a professionally-produced logo. It will reflect positively on your entire operation.
3. Provide basic information. Every business needs a brochure and web site -- professionally-done materials that cover the basics, like products, services, people, facilities, etc.
4. Be visible. Most businesses need to attract new customers. Advertising, direct mail, publicity, trade shows, even the right promotional items are ways to stay visible.
5. Strengthen your ties with current customers. Keeping the customers you’ve got is often as important as attracting new ones. A regular newsletter, a client-specific section of your web site, and relevant information sheets can strengthen customer relationships.
6. Keep your sales force informed. Be sure sales reps and distributors know how you’re promoting your products. A newsletter or IntraNet work well.
7. Set a budget. Establish a timetable. These will keep you on track throughout the year.
Are You Marketing and Selling What People Buy?
By Kudirat
Do you ever wonder if you’re speaking a different language than your prospects? You may have recently launched a business, designed an innovative process or purchased state of the art equipment that leaves the competition in the dust, but no matter what you say or do, you aren't attracting as many prospects as you need. Lauren called me from Michigan with just such a concern. She and another friend had opened a fitness salon about a year ago. After a careful analysis of the local chain's facilities, they had invested in next-generation equipment that provided many added features. Yet, a year after opening, and doing every marketing activity they could think of, they still weren't attracting enough clients to pay the rent. The problem wasn't lack of effort. The problem was that prospects didn't understand the benefits or higher value of Lauren's fitness facility. Remember the best selling book "Men Are From Mars, Women Are from Venus"? A key point of the book is that men and women see many things differently, and express themselves differently. If you have children, you know that the same is true of parents and teenagers. What's important to you is often unimportant to your seventeen-year-old, and vice-a versa. Sometimes you wonder if the two of you are speaking the same language. You've probably learned to get your child's attention by talking about their needs and interests. These may include sports, movies and access to the family car. Prospects and business owners have different perspectives as well. You may be focused on the costly and state-of-the-art equipment that enables your enterprise to function. Your prospects primary concern, on the other hand, is that you solve their problem or get the job done, and your equipment and processes are of secondary interest. Lauren's marketing focused to a high degree on the higher quality equipment her salon provided. She was talking hydraulics and variable resistance. This approach wasn't pulling in new clients. Due to shoulder surgery, my exercising has been recently relegated to a local fitness salon. My objective is to stay as fit possible so when my shoulder heals I’ll be able to get back to the sports activities I enjoy. Do I relish exercising on a recumbent bike or treadmill? Of course not. When I mentioned this to Lauren she replied, "Everyone hates the machines." People work out regularly because they want to achieve a particular goal. They want to get fit or lose those extra pounds. People go to a fitness center like Lauren's because they want to look and feel better. If you own a fitness salon, don't talk equipment, talk about what it does. Talk about calories burned, weight lost, muscle tone, strength, feeling healthy, improving at tennis or on the ski slope, looks and self-image. If you want to attract more clients to your business, whether it's a fitness salon or your accounting practice, make sure you're speaking the same language as your prospects. Your concerns in getting the work done may be different than your prospects' and clients'. They are concerned with the problem you solve for them. Whether it's in your ads, your marketing brochure, your web site or in your sales conversations, speak in your prospects' language. Speak in terms of their concerns, problems and goals. When you communicate to prospects in terms of their priorities, you'll get their attention and their business.
Winning at Business With Your Marketing Game Plan
By Kudirat
Stuart from Colorado had talked to a number of marketing firms and gotten estimates for designing and printing his marketing materials and building a web site for his business producing promotional cds. One firm quoted $100,000 to build his web site alone. He sensed something was missing or wrong, but couldn't put his finger on it, so he called me.
I asked Stuart how the various marketing pieces and activities were going to work together to help him generate leads. I asked him what his marketing strategy was. He drew a blank. The marketing firms he had talked to had provided detailed information on what they were going to produce for him, but none had discussed a coordinated plan to generate leads and sales.
Marketing without an integrated strategy is like playing poker, tennis or football without knowing the rules, keeping score or having a game plan. You could put in a lot of time, energy, and capital, and still end up losing the game. Has this happened to you?
Winning at business is the same as any other game, whether your objective is to beat the competition or just to be the best in your industry. To be successful, you need to know the rules of the game, have a clear strategy and track your progress.
The Rules for Winning at Marketing and Sales
Here are some of the most essential rules to follow to succeed at marketing your business.
1. Written goals are motivating and can help you succeed. Define your objectives for revenue, lead generation and conversion rates for the year and then break those down for each quarter. Commit them to writing. Next list the weekly and daily tasks you and/or your employees need to accomplish in order to reach your goals.
2. The more qualified prospects you can attract, the more clients you'll have. A clearly defined lead generation strategy will bring in the new prospects you need to be profitable.
3. It's easier to convert prospects to clients when they are looking to solve a problem. It's much harder to convert people who don't have a current need or concern, even if they are members of your target market. Instead of seeking prospects, prompt prospects to look for you.
4. You'll get a better response from marketing messages that are focused on client problems and concerns, not on your credentials or descriptions of products and processes. If you're not getting the response you'd like from your mailings, ads or web site, take a second look at your marketing message. A few changes in your marketing copy can increase response by factors of ten or more.
5. Integrate your tactics and message across your marketing materials, ads, and web site to prompt people to seek you out and contact you. Trying to generate leads without an integrated strategy is like playing football without a set of plays for the quarterback to use with the team. He'd end up throwing the ball only to find the receiver had gone the other direction or go for a field goal on the first down.
6. The purpose of having a web site is to generate leads. Once you have a lead you can use it to generate sales. Once you get prospects to your web site or reading your marketing materials, make sure you prompt them to contact you.
7. Most sales are the result of a relationship based on your credibility and the value of your products or services. Developing these relationships can take weeks or months to build. Your marketing strategy should facilitate this process of building relationships over time, with multiple opportunities for contacting prospects.
8. The easiest people to sell to are past customers. Prompt first time clients to buy from you again and again.
Keeping Score
In order to know if your marketing is working you need ways of keeping score. Which marketing results are you tracking? Which additional ones should you define each month and quarter to track?
Keep track of these important 'scores' to evaluate your marketing:
1. How many prospects seek your firm out each month? Is this number growing each month by five to ten percent?
2. What percentage of people who are exposed to your ads, your web site and other marketing materials give you their contact information so you can stay in touch with them?
3. How many people are on your house list of qualified prospects? How fast is this list growing each month?
4. How many people buy from you each week? What is the dollar volume of each sale?
5. How many sales come from repeat customers?
Whether we're talking poker, tennis, or marketing your small business, the objective is to improve your performance and succeed more often. When you have a game plan, know the rules and track your scores, you can continually find ways to improve your marketing and be more successful.
Stuart from Colorado had talked to a number of marketing firms and gotten estimates for designing and printing his marketing materials and building a web site for his business producing promotional cds. One firm quoted $100,000 to build his web site alone. He sensed something was missing or wrong, but couldn't put his finger on it, so he called me.
I asked Stuart how the various marketing pieces and activities were going to work together to help him generate leads. I asked him what his marketing strategy was. He drew a blank. The marketing firms he had talked to had provided detailed information on what they were going to produce for him, but none had discussed a coordinated plan to generate leads and sales.
Marketing without an integrated strategy is like playing poker, tennis or football without knowing the rules, keeping score or having a game plan. You could put in a lot of time, energy, and capital, and still end up losing the game. Has this happened to you?
Winning at business is the same as any other game, whether your objective is to beat the competition or just to be the best in your industry. To be successful, you need to know the rules of the game, have a clear strategy and track your progress.
The Rules for Winning at Marketing and Sales
Here are some of the most essential rules to follow to succeed at marketing your business.
1. Written goals are motivating and can help you succeed. Define your objectives for revenue, lead generation and conversion rates for the year and then break those down for each quarter. Commit them to writing. Next list the weekly and daily tasks you and/or your employees need to accomplish in order to reach your goals.
2. The more qualified prospects you can attract, the more clients you'll have. A clearly defined lead generation strategy will bring in the new prospects you need to be profitable.
3. It's easier to convert prospects to clients when they are looking to solve a problem. It's much harder to convert people who don't have a current need or concern, even if they are members of your target market. Instead of seeking prospects, prompt prospects to look for you.
4. You'll get a better response from marketing messages that are focused on client problems and concerns, not on your credentials or descriptions of products and processes. If you're not getting the response you'd like from your mailings, ads or web site, take a second look at your marketing message. A few changes in your marketing copy can increase response by factors of ten or more.
5. Integrate your tactics and message across your marketing materials, ads, and web site to prompt people to seek you out and contact you. Trying to generate leads without an integrated strategy is like playing football without a set of plays for the quarterback to use with the team. He'd end up throwing the ball only to find the receiver had gone the other direction or go for a field goal on the first down.
6. The purpose of having a web site is to generate leads. Once you have a lead you can use it to generate sales. Once you get prospects to your web site or reading your marketing materials, make sure you prompt them to contact you.
7. Most sales are the result of a relationship based on your credibility and the value of your products or services. Developing these relationships can take weeks or months to build. Your marketing strategy should facilitate this process of building relationships over time, with multiple opportunities for contacting prospects.
8. The easiest people to sell to are past customers. Prompt first time clients to buy from you again and again.
Keeping Score
In order to know if your marketing is working you need ways of keeping score. Which marketing results are you tracking? Which additional ones should you define each month and quarter to track?
Keep track of these important 'scores' to evaluate your marketing:
1. How many prospects seek your firm out each month? Is this number growing each month by five to ten percent?
2. What percentage of people who are exposed to your ads, your web site and other marketing materials give you their contact information so you can stay in touch with them?
3. How many people are on your house list of qualified prospects? How fast is this list growing each month?
4. How many people buy from you each week? What is the dollar volume of each sale?
5. How many sales come from repeat customers?
Whether we're talking poker, tennis, or marketing your small business, the objective is to improve your performance and succeed more often. When you have a game plan, know the rules and track your scores, you can continually find ways to improve your marketing and be more successful.
Ten Steps To Manage Your Time And Get Things Done
By Kudirat
Price In today's busy world, many people have difficulty managing their time and getting everything done. Some people are very busy, but they never manage to achieve the things they really want. Others never get anything done. Some people are late for everything in their lives and don't know why. Have you ever noticed that people who are late are always late – there is a pattern. The same is true for punctual people – they are nearly always punctual – they too have a pattern There are some basic steps that people can take to improve their chances of getting done what they want and need to get done.
Here are 10 steps.
1. Stop talking time - talk priorities. Time is finite – everyone has the same amount so there is no point in saying you don't have time – you do. What differs from one person to the next, is their priorities and how they allocate their time.
2. Make sure that you know the top 3 things you must get done today - work on them first! If nothing else gets done, make sure these top 3 do get done. Work on them first.
3. Stop procrastinating. Adopt this mantra - Just do it - and do it now! Procrastination is defined as putting off what needs to be done. There is only one way to stop procrastinating – just stop!
4. Make sure you work to live, not live to work! Get a life! Make sure that your life and well-being comes before your work. A cast iron guarantee is that at your funeral, no-one will thank you for spending more time at work. Be balanced!
5. Studies have shown that many workaholics die early! Don't be one of them. If you are working 7 days a week or if you are working 55 – 60 hours or more each week then you are a high risk workaholic. If you work seven days and more than 60 hours then you better have a good insurance policy and have told your family about the funeral you want! The most common reason which causes workaholics to stop working is their first heart attack. Sadly only 50% wake up from it to have the chance to make a decision to change. Having made the change, without exception people say "I should have done this years ago!"
6. Remove the clutter from your life. Get rid of everything – stuff, responsibilities, even people – that do not contribute positively or enrich your life. Start by clearing your workspace.
7. Work on effectiveness first, then worry about efficiency. Effectiveness is doing the right things. Efficiency is doing things right. It doesn't matter how efficient you are if you are working on the wrong thing! Be effective first, then worry about efficiency and you'll find that it will fall into place. Remember just because you are busy, doesn't make you effective or successful.
8. Be prepared to change. The one thing that is certain is that change will only increase, not decrease. If you are going to be more productive, then remember the definition of insanity – doing the same thing in the same way and expecting a different result! Take an honest look at your attitude to change and if you rate yourself lower than 5 out of 10 then work hard at – wait for it – changing your attitude about change. No-one does things the same today as they did 5 or 10 years ago. Use change to your advantage – don't fight it - you'll lose!
9. Become a list writer. Keep a list of everything you need to do and then constantly prioritise and re-prioritise it. Use technology to your advantage. If you are using Microsoft Outlook (different from Outlook Express), then learn and use the "Task" tools. Outlook will increase your effectiveness more than you can imagine – if you use it seriously!
10. Be willing to say "no". Put yourself, family and friendships/relationships as the highest priority. Make sure you re-charge your batteries regularly, not run them to empty. Say "yes" to the people who really matter, and spread yourself sensibly among everyone and everything else. In spite of what you may think – you are not indispensable!
13 Tips to Maintaining and Growing an RSS Feed Subscriber Base
By Kudirat - Copyright 2008
You have an RSS feed and you have worked hard to get the word out. According to your logs you have subscribers! Now the hard part: how to retain the subscribers to your RSS feed. Follow these simple steps to insure that your subscriber base will grow.
1. Original Content
A consistent stream of original content will do well to earn subscribers loyalty. The best RSS feeds provide content that is compelling and unique. Do not rehash existing content, look for a unique angle or spin if you wish to cover something that is hot in the blogosphere.
2. Quality Over Frequency
A posts quality is far more important than a post's frequency. Readers will tire of rambling or nonsensical posts that contain no real value. Time is precious and there are plenty of feeds and blogs, in order to retain readers provide quality not quantity.
3. Get it Right
Syndication has the power to do damage; misquoting or just plain getting it wrong can affect your reputation and perpetuate incorrect information. Be sure to verify all your RSS feed and blogs information prior to posting.
4. Literate
Blog posts are not instant messages: you should always use proper grammar, correct spelling and punctuation. Your posts are a reflection of your knowledge; content presentation matters and will affect how you are viewed.
5. Griping
Do not constantly gripe, no one likes a whiner. If you are going to complain it is not enough to point out problems, you should offer a suggestion for improvement or specifics on how to solve a problem.
6. Balance
Titles of RSS Feed Items and Headlines of blog posts should relate to the contents of the actual post. There is nothing worse than just tempting readers with information and not following through. Use catchy titles but be sure to follow it with related content. In your actual posts, strike a balance be sure to provide enough information without overwhelming readers.
7. Focus
Regardless of your RSS feeds focus' stay on topic! Your feed or blog posts will generally revolve around a specific theme, don't stray too far or you might lose readers. If your RSS feed has a specific theme, stay true to that theme.
8. Matters
Not too long, not too short it is a difficult balance, but your post length does matter! If a post is excessively long consider breaking it up or partitioning it into easy to digest paragraphs or break it up into multiple posts. Post length should be consistent throughout your blog and feed. Try not to vary it too much.
9. Credibility
As a publisher, you want to be viewed as a credible source. Posting or reposting inaccurate information will reduce if not nullify any credibility that you have. Provide credentials when offering an opinion and be sure any factual information is accurate before posting.
10. Link
Include links to any related information in the description field of your RSS feed, this is a great way to supplement content. Outgoing links will also often result in links back to your blog or website.
11. Consistency
It is important to remain consistent, try not to vary too much in your daily posts. Stay true to your formula for content if it is working .
12. Listen to Your Audience
Readers will often communicate what they like and what they dislike about your content. It is important that you stay in tune with what your subscribers like and don't like and make the appropriate accommodations.
13. Advertisements
Do not clutter your RSS feed with advertisements. If you choose to include advertisements in your RSS feed be sure to strike a balance between advertisements and quality content.
Starting an RSS feed or is not difficult to attract readers, it is however difficult to retain readers. By following a few simple unwritten rules you will find your subscriber base swell.
You have an RSS feed and you have worked hard to get the word out. According to your logs you have subscribers! Now the hard part: how to retain the subscribers to your RSS feed. Follow these simple steps to insure that your subscriber base will grow.
1. Original Content
A consistent stream of original content will do well to earn subscribers loyalty. The best RSS feeds provide content that is compelling and unique. Do not rehash existing content, look for a unique angle or spin if you wish to cover something that is hot in the blogosphere.
2. Quality Over Frequency
A posts quality is far more important than a post's frequency. Readers will tire of rambling or nonsensical posts that contain no real value. Time is precious and there are plenty of feeds and blogs, in order to retain readers provide quality not quantity.
3. Get it Right
Syndication has the power to do damage; misquoting or just plain getting it wrong can affect your reputation and perpetuate incorrect information. Be sure to verify all your RSS feed and blogs information prior to posting.
4. Literate
Blog posts are not instant messages: you should always use proper grammar, correct spelling and punctuation. Your posts are a reflection of your knowledge; content presentation matters and will affect how you are viewed.
5. Griping
Do not constantly gripe, no one likes a whiner. If you are going to complain it is not enough to point out problems, you should offer a suggestion for improvement or specifics on how to solve a problem.
6. Balance
Titles of RSS Feed Items and Headlines of blog posts should relate to the contents of the actual post. There is nothing worse than just tempting readers with information and not following through. Use catchy titles but be sure to follow it with related content. In your actual posts, strike a balance be sure to provide enough information without overwhelming readers.
7. Focus
Regardless of your RSS feeds focus' stay on topic! Your feed or blog posts will generally revolve around a specific theme, don't stray too far or you might lose readers. If your RSS feed has a specific theme, stay true to that theme.
8. Matters
Not too long, not too short it is a difficult balance, but your post length does matter! If a post is excessively long consider breaking it up or partitioning it into easy to digest paragraphs or break it up into multiple posts. Post length should be consistent throughout your blog and feed. Try not to vary it too much.
9. Credibility
As a publisher, you want to be viewed as a credible source. Posting or reposting inaccurate information will reduce if not nullify any credibility that you have. Provide credentials when offering an opinion and be sure any factual information is accurate before posting.
10. Link
Include links to any related information in the description field of your RSS feed, this is a great way to supplement content. Outgoing links will also often result in links back to your blog or website.
11. Consistency
It is important to remain consistent, try not to vary too much in your daily posts. Stay true to your formula for content if it is working .
12. Listen to Your Audience
Readers will often communicate what they like and what they dislike about your content. It is important that you stay in tune with what your subscribers like and don't like and make the appropriate accommodations.
13. Advertisements
Do not clutter your RSS feed with advertisements. If you choose to include advertisements in your RSS feed be sure to strike a balance between advertisements and quality content.
Starting an RSS feed or is not difficult to attract readers, it is however difficult to retain readers. By following a few simple unwritten rules you will find your subscriber base swell.
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