I like to read biographies. All different sorts. Everything from John Adams to Rupert Murdock. I’m fascinated with how successful people got that way.
Back a couple of years ago I had the opportunity to interview Les Wexner (founder of Limited Brands and retailing legend). I asked him about whether he observed any common traits among those who had achieved high levels of success. He responded that most of the people he considered successful displayed what he called “Courageous Optimism”. He said that it was a particularly important trait since it enables leaders to move forward with a new idea that breaks with the conventions about how people have done things in the past.
“And the ability to do that is ultimately what separates those who build businesses that stand out and are unique from their copycat competitors.”
The challenge then becomes, how does one develop or maintain an appropriate level of Courageous Optimism? From Mr. Wexner’s perspective, part of the ability to do so is to have “Systems” in place that one can rely on. For example in his retailing empire very little is left to chance. Stores are designed to draw visitors in and engage them. (Much as a good website does.) Promotions to attract customers are specifically crafted to appeal to specific needs or wants of highly targeted groups of people. (Similar to any highly effective lead generation program.)
As Mr. Wexner told me, “By having a system one can avoid the natural tendency to second guess oneself or place too much negative emphasis on an isolated set of circumstances.”
Obviously this has implications for marketing your business regardless of your field. Speaking from personal experience and the experiences of my clients, having a marketing system in place that consistently attracts brand new prospects and then converts large percentages of them into paying clients enables one to face these difficult economic times with Courageous Optimism. Mr. Wexner’s advice is certainly worth thinking more about.
One other thought.
We are so barraged with negative news these days that it’s sometimes difficult to draw from our own personal well of courageous optimism. I consider myself an extremely positive individual but I’d be less than honest if I said that the unrelenting drumbeat of depressing economic news didn't have an effect. That’s why I’ve found the services of clinical hypnotherapist Marian Massie (http://www.Marianmassie.com) to be so valuable. I don't know how familiar you are with the process of hypnotherapy, and Marian would explain it better than I, but it basically revolves around planting at the subconscious level the visualization of what you want to accomplish.
I’ve found it to be an extremely powerful tool that’s helped me avoid getting in a downward mental spiral. Her sessions have enabled me to keep focused on doing the things I know I need to be doing in order to grow my business. Marian works with people both nationwide and internationally so I encourage you to visit her website and arrange for a free consultation. Again you can learn more at http://www.MarianMassie.com
Finally, let me leave you with a reminder that as my 87-year-old father says, “This too shall pass.” Those business owners who approach these challenging times with Courageous Optimism and develop Systems that they can rely on to grow their businesses, will both ride out the current difficult times and be extremely well positioned for the future.
That’s all for now. If I can ever be of assistance to you please let me know, by emailing me at mark@GentleRainMarketing.com or calling 770-643-8566
Speak with you soon.
Mark
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Marketing In Tough Times
OK let’s talk about marketing your business in these tough economic times. But be warned, I’m in a very frank mood today so what I’m about to communicate will probably offend some of you. (Especially those of you who are struggling and still clinging onto the belief that word of mouth and referrals will somehow save you during these recessionary times.)
First it’s clear that the “economic boom-times” are over for at least the next 18 months. So just hunkering-down and hoping that you can ride out this tsunami of bad times clearly isn’t going to work. The fact of the matter is that lots of small businesses and consultants will go out of business in the next year.
I’ve been in this business since 1977, run Gentle Rain since ’92, and the one lesson that I’ve learned after going through a number of these “economic events” is that, Yes you can survive this (even prosper) if you implement Smart marketing strategies.
So what do I mean by Smart Marketing? It’s using a STYSTEM that doesn’t cost a lot, is trackable and gives you RETURNS on your marketing investment. (And that’s what good marketing should do…make you Money.)
But here’s the reality. You do need to have some money with which to play this game. Not a lot, but you do need some. If $2000 represents a HUGE investment for you, you really should consider shutting down whatever you do and try to find a job where you can collect a paycheck. Especially if you’ve been in business for 2 years or more. I don’t mean to be rude, but if your business hasn’t gotten to the point that you can tap into that small amount of cash, it’s a clear signal that entrepreneurship is not for you.
No shame in that. No matter how much I might try I’ll never be a successful violinist. But it’s time to face reality. Owning your own business isn’t for everyone. Just because you have a skill doesn’t mean you should own a business that provides that skill. Especially if all you really want to do is what your expertise is, (put on training programs, coach clients, drill teeth, ect.).
If you’re serious about being a business owner then you have to be serious about one of the primary missions of your business…getting more new clients into the pipeline. Unless you have a system to do that, you might as well stop kidding yourself that you really are an entrepreneur.
So let me tell you what you need to do. These are the two steps.
1) Build a website that focuses on getting your prospects to tell you who they are so you can follow up directly with them.
2) Use a variety of lead-generation methods to get people to visit that site.
If you do those two things you will never lack for customers and clients. It’s that simple.
OK let’s talk about this in more detail.
First the website. Let’s not make this complicated. This website isn’t your corporate website. It’s not the one with the standard “About Us”, “Home Page” “FAQ” and all the other typical stuff.
What I’m talking about is a website that is solely designed to get prospects to identify themselves so you can follow up with them and turn them into clients. That’s all it does.
This type of website has two-pages to it. The objective of the first page is to get readers so interested and curious about how you can help them solve their problems that they will give you their contact information in order to get to page 2.
That’s the only option. “Give me your contact information in order to get to page 2 or go away.” This is what’s referred to as a squeeze page. You’re “squeezing” the reader in one (and only one) direction. And for those of you with weak sensibilities, let me remind you that if someone isn’t interested enough to give you their information in order to get to the second page, the chances of them actually becoming a Paying-Client is virtually zero.
But, in order for this strategy to work the first page of this website has to do a couple of things successfully.
First, you have to correctly identify a PROBLEM that your prospects are facing. Get the PROBLEM right and they rest falls in place. But make sure you avoid this mistake.
Don’t have the focus of these pages be on you. I’m not saying that who you are and what you do isn’t important. Of course it is. But the question is WHEN is it important? And in the beginning, when your prospects are looking for resources that can help them, they are most interested in whether you understand the problems they face. That’s what is communicated on Page 1 of this website.
On Page 2, that’s where you start to explain your system and HOW you help clients. So Page 1 focuses on PROBLEMS. Page 2 focuses on SOLUTIONS. And to get from page 1 to page 2 the reader has to let us know who they are.
Simple but very, very effective.
Now, here’s the second element that you need to have in order for this strategy to work.
THE COPY ON THE PAGE NEEDS TO BE COMPELLING. It needs to engage the reader. It needs to get them so excited that they’re willing to give you their contact information in order to read what’s on the next page.
However most people can’t write like that. Which is the reason that you need to hire someone who can. There’s a saying among us copywriters that “Just because you know how to boil water doesn’t make you a chef.” Which translates into, “Just because you can write an email doesn’t make you a compelling writer who can use the power of words to motivate people to take action.” So you need to go beyond what the site looks like and make sure that the copy is sp compelling that it will motivate people to go to that second page.
But this is all you really need. A simple two-page website. And once it’s set up, it will generate consistent streams of new leads for you month in a month out, during good times and bad.
And yes we create these sites for our clients which you can find out more about by going HERE.
Which leads to the second part of the equation…driving people to that website. Actually it’s pretty easy. Lots of different lead-generation methods you can use. If you can budget $500 per month you can get a lot of people to visit your website. (Heck if you can budget $200 per month you can do OK with a local marketing effort.)
But I’m giving too much away. And after all I’m in the business of helping my clients grow their businesses. So if you want to learn about how to drive traffic to your site you’re going to have to actually talk with me.
Because here’s the deal. I’ll custom create a two page websites for you, write all the copy, hook it up to an email stay in touch system and personally advise you on how to promote it for $1500. I’ll even manage the most effective way to get more leads for you as well as write a monthly message that you can send out to all the people in your contact list for under $200. The details are HERE
Want to talk about this in more detail? Send an email to mark@gentlerainmarketing.com and I’ll be in touch.
Talk with you soon.
Mark
First it’s clear that the “economic boom-times” are over for at least the next 18 months. So just hunkering-down and hoping that you can ride out this tsunami of bad times clearly isn’t going to work. The fact of the matter is that lots of small businesses and consultants will go out of business in the next year.
I’ve been in this business since 1977, run Gentle Rain since ’92, and the one lesson that I’ve learned after going through a number of these “economic events” is that, Yes you can survive this (even prosper) if you implement Smart marketing strategies.
So what do I mean by Smart Marketing? It’s using a STYSTEM that doesn’t cost a lot, is trackable and gives you RETURNS on your marketing investment. (And that’s what good marketing should do…make you Money.)
But here’s the reality. You do need to have some money with which to play this game. Not a lot, but you do need some. If $2000 represents a HUGE investment for you, you really should consider shutting down whatever you do and try to find a job where you can collect a paycheck. Especially if you’ve been in business for 2 years or more. I don’t mean to be rude, but if your business hasn’t gotten to the point that you can tap into that small amount of cash, it’s a clear signal that entrepreneurship is not for you.
No shame in that. No matter how much I might try I’ll never be a successful violinist. But it’s time to face reality. Owning your own business isn’t for everyone. Just because you have a skill doesn’t mean you should own a business that provides that skill. Especially if all you really want to do is what your expertise is, (put on training programs, coach clients, drill teeth, ect.).
If you’re serious about being a business owner then you have to be serious about one of the primary missions of your business…getting more new clients into the pipeline. Unless you have a system to do that, you might as well stop kidding yourself that you really are an entrepreneur.
So let me tell you what you need to do. These are the two steps.
1) Build a website that focuses on getting your prospects to tell you who they are so you can follow up directly with them.
2) Use a variety of lead-generation methods to get people to visit that site.
If you do those two things you will never lack for customers and clients. It’s that simple.
OK let’s talk about this in more detail.
First the website. Let’s not make this complicated. This website isn’t your corporate website. It’s not the one with the standard “About Us”, “Home Page” “FAQ” and all the other typical stuff.
What I’m talking about is a website that is solely designed to get prospects to identify themselves so you can follow up with them and turn them into clients. That’s all it does.
This type of website has two-pages to it. The objective of the first page is to get readers so interested and curious about how you can help them solve their problems that they will give you their contact information in order to get to page 2.
That’s the only option. “Give me your contact information in order to get to page 2 or go away.” This is what’s referred to as a squeeze page. You’re “squeezing” the reader in one (and only one) direction. And for those of you with weak sensibilities, let me remind you that if someone isn’t interested enough to give you their information in order to get to the second page, the chances of them actually becoming a Paying-Client is virtually zero.
But, in order for this strategy to work the first page of this website has to do a couple of things successfully.
First, you have to correctly identify a PROBLEM that your prospects are facing. Get the PROBLEM right and they rest falls in place. But make sure you avoid this mistake.
Don’t have the focus of these pages be on you. I’m not saying that who you are and what you do isn’t important. Of course it is. But the question is WHEN is it important? And in the beginning, when your prospects are looking for resources that can help them, they are most interested in whether you understand the problems they face. That’s what is communicated on Page 1 of this website.
On Page 2, that’s where you start to explain your system and HOW you help clients. So Page 1 focuses on PROBLEMS. Page 2 focuses on SOLUTIONS. And to get from page 1 to page 2 the reader has to let us know who they are.
Simple but very, very effective.
Now, here’s the second element that you need to have in order for this strategy to work.
THE COPY ON THE PAGE NEEDS TO BE COMPELLING. It needs to engage the reader. It needs to get them so excited that they’re willing to give you their contact information in order to read what’s on the next page.
However most people can’t write like that. Which is the reason that you need to hire someone who can. There’s a saying among us copywriters that “Just because you know how to boil water doesn’t make you a chef.” Which translates into, “Just because you can write an email doesn’t make you a compelling writer who can use the power of words to motivate people to take action.” So you need to go beyond what the site looks like and make sure that the copy is sp compelling that it will motivate people to go to that second page.
But this is all you really need. A simple two-page website. And once it’s set up, it will generate consistent streams of new leads for you month in a month out, during good times and bad.
And yes we create these sites for our clients which you can find out more about by going HERE.
Which leads to the second part of the equation…driving people to that website. Actually it’s pretty easy. Lots of different lead-generation methods you can use. If you can budget $500 per month you can get a lot of people to visit your website. (Heck if you can budget $200 per month you can do OK with a local marketing effort.)
But I’m giving too much away. And after all I’m in the business of helping my clients grow their businesses. So if you want to learn about how to drive traffic to your site you’re going to have to actually talk with me.
Because here’s the deal. I’ll custom create a two page websites for you, write all the copy, hook it up to an email stay in touch system and personally advise you on how to promote it for $1500. I’ll even manage the most effective way to get more leads for you as well as write a monthly message that you can send out to all the people in your contact list for under $200. The details are HERE
Want to talk about this in more detail? Send an email to mark@gentlerainmarketing.com and I’ll be in touch.
Talk with you soon.
Mark
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