Archive for Marketing Your Business
FREE Training – Learn How to Craft a Speech So You Can Market and Sell Your Services
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Join me on May 9th for this FREE Teleseminar at 7:00 PM Eastern/ 4:00 PM Pacific. How to Craft Your “Personal Keynote” so you can market and sell your services seamlessly from opening to offer.
I’ll show you the exact Speak Serve Prosper Blueprint I use with my students–now I reveal it to you!
You’ll learn the techniques and strategies you’ll need create your talk…a talk you’ll love to give and your audience will love to hear.
Don’t miss it. Join me by registering now at Speak Serve Prosper now and I’ll send you all the details.
Promoting Your Services or What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Say
Posted by: | CommentsIf you’re an entrepreneur, coach, consultant, healing professional or service provider who wants to market your services but you’re still stumped at what to say to promote your services (expo or otherwise) then read on.
So here’s what I learned about promoting your services after exhibiting at a recent expo that I would like to pass along to you:
1. Get the best table you can you get. I knew exactly where wanted to be and why. The key to getting what you want is to ask and then shut-up. So why did I want this particular table?
a . When you walk into the room and looked straight ahead you can’t miss my banner.
b. It had an electrical outlet close by. I always bring a light to shine up at my banner and I have videos (of me) running to demonstrate what I do for prospective clients.
c. I could hang my banner with ticky tack and still be trade-show compliant.
d. It was in a corner - giving me a bit more real estate.
e. Bonus – there was a tall (albeit artificial) tree in that corner that enhanced my display and was a perfect backdrop for my easel.
2. Get out from behind your table and start talking (and listening) to people.
Don’t attack, don’t make an immediate offer, just ask a friendly non-salesy question, listen and engage.
I met a home inspector who clearly knew his business and after some dialogue he asked me why he would need my program. I told him he wouldn’t need it…but that maybe someone he knew did. He nodded his head and acknowledged that he hadn’t considered that. We were simply engaged in meaningful and fun conversation.
3. If you have something to demonstrate–then demonstrate it. I can’t tell you how many tables I went to where demonstrative products sat flat on a table with no engagement at all.
Here’s what I mean:
a. If you sell jewelry have a mannequin or better a live model actually wearing different pieces with different outfits. It’s one thing if you are wearing the pieces but imagine a live model moving through the crowd putting on and taking off pieces to show the versatility of mixing pieces, colors and styles together. I don’t know about you but that would catch my eye.
b. If you are promoting a dance studio then…do I have to say it…dance. Dump the table and just show me what you do!
c. If you sell an MLM online service then highlight the key result with an oversize graph, or provocative question.
4. Make sure that what you are promoting is understandable to anyone walking by your table should you be away from your table for a few minutes or engaged with someone else. I admit I had a bit of challenge with this at my first show.
In the past I confused people by putting more emphasis on my books rather than on the seminar (the real service I was promoting.) This time the book was credibility support only.
I passed some tables a few times just to see if I could figure out what they were selling without asking questions…honestly, I still don’t know what a few of them were offering.
5. Do something fun.
I wrote about this in a previous article. I have a big white board on an easel and hand write in large letters, FREE KISSES!
You can bet that gets attention. The women go directly to the big bowl of kisses and the men stop, look around with an uncertain look wondering if I’m promoting the real deal. Either way I win. What’s a few kisses among friends!
6. Understand that your energy and your engaging conversation opener is more important than anything else.
You can ask if they are also promoting a business or just networking. Either way it’s an opportunity to learn about them. Contrary to popular belief not everyone is your client but everyone has a story.
Just have fun and be of service!
Want to learn more? Get your FREE Elevator Pitch Kit and check out Speak Serve Prosper.
Communicating at Work –Would You Do Business with You?
Posted by: | CommentsIf you are not regularly playing “mystery shopper” in your own business it just might be time to put on the dark glasses and experience your business from your consumer’s point-of-view.
Ask yourself the following questions before and during your evaluation:
1. What is your first impression–not just from a personal encounter but from all communication touch points online and offline? How does this first encounter make me feel? Was I uplifted, frustrated, neutral or apathetic?
2. If you receive your product in the mail or delivery service ask yourself if the delivery was prompt. Did the packaging hold up? Was it too easy or too difficult to open? Was there anything special about the packaging that caught my attention? Was the packaging excessive or lacking in protection?
3. What feelings came up when I open the product? Was it easy to use or complicated? Did the marketing/sales materials match the product and my expectations? How do I feel about the company as a result of this experience? Continuously rate your “feelings and perceptions” on a scale of 1-10. Is your rating continuously high Read More→
Business Communication – Customer Service – Intuition – What Counts?
Posted by: | CommentsI need to immediately replace my air conditioning unit–yes, the whole shebang. Why the urgency? I’m in Orlando–can you say 85 degrees plus humidity. Lucky for me I’m a warm weather gal but even I have my limits.
So I’m waiting for the second of the 3 AC services I’ve been in contact with to show up and give me a quote. Which, of course, got me thinking about how businesses communicate…you knew I was going there right?
The first contender, whom I called directly, shows up a few minutes late but he did call a few minutes prior to our appointment time to let me know he was running behind. No points off…he called promptly and I know how things go in labor service.
He explains everything and calls me to come downstairs Read More→
“THE BALANCING ACT” on Lifetime Television – Watch April 13th
Posted by: | Comments I talk about Workplace Communication and Reinvention Intervention with Beth Troutman from The Balancing Act, on April 13th. Watch Below!
Watch Below!!
Successful Communication Equals Business Success
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How successful you are at communicating determines the degree to which you will be successful in business. Giving instructions, conducting interviews, presentations or selling all involve communication. Where do you stand?
“The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives.”
Tony Robbins said that and he was right. The good news is that communication skills can always improved. Start by evaluating your current ability.
Here are a 5 ways to determine how successful you are at expressing yourself:
Ask for and listen to feedback. Most people are fearful of doing this. Few people like to hear the unvarnished truth about how well they come across to others. Yet, this may be the key to unlocking your business growth. Ask people you trust to give you an honest response. Ask a mix of family, friends and business associates to get a better profile. Then listen, really listen. Decide what might be true and choose to make some changes. Be open to the information and thank them for their honesty.
What kind of clients do you have? Are you working with people you enjoy and respect? Do they express themselves well? Do they recommend you to others?
Would you want to associate with you? What message do you send to others about the people you socialize and do business with? Do you have a variety of associations? “You can’t fly with eagles if you’re hanging out with turkeys,” is a saying that holds a lot of truth. Take a critical look at your relationships and ask yourself if you need to make some changes.
How careful are you about your written or viral communications? Have you gotten lax about grammar and spelling? Do you speak or write in “text?” Do your articles, reports or books have numerous errors that erode your credibility?
How well do you follow-up? This is a big one. Success in personal and business relationships has everything to do with how well you follow-up. I’m including the courtesy of responding to an RSVP on an invitation. Failure to respond affects business—it doesn’t matter if it’s a wedding or a business function—the consequence is far reaching. If this were the benchmark for successful communication most people would be in trouble. On the business side, customer dissatisfaction is overwhelmingly about the lack of follow-up.
Take an honest look at these questions. Choose one you know you can change immediately and implement it now.
Leave me you thoughts. What burning question do you have about communicating in business?
Marketing and Selling Your Product or Service with Stories
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Don’t underestimate the lure of a compelling story to sell your product or service. Everyone relates to stories. Stories create the emotional connection that inspires people to buy.
Use stories to market your brand. Consider the products that have been created around folk tales, lore, myth or desire. Paul Newman’s products support his desire to help kids with health challenges. Ben and Jerry were two young guys that loved fun and ice cream and created a business model around those passions.
If you want customers to connect with you don’t be shy about incorporating your story into your marketing. Describe the circumstances that propelled you to start your business. What problem did you have that needed solving? Was necessity the mother-of-invention for your product? Did you feel an intuitive pull you couldn’t ignore? Were you fulfilling a childhood dream? Did an unfortunate event spur you to create a service others needed?
Encourage your customers to tell their stories. People love to talk about their experiences so make it easy for them.
Here are a few ways to help your raving customers generate good stories:
- Hold a contest. Give a prize for the funniest, most inspirational, or unexpected good result that came from using your product or service.
- Give an instant discount or bonus for an original 7-word story praising your product. Use social networking sites to reach more people.
- Make story telling easy by creating a fill-in-the blanks form or supply the first sentence of a story to jump start your customer’s creative juices. Remind them to tell the truth—this is creative non-fiction not fantasy.
- Collect the stories and create a book featuring your customers. The book can be used to encourage new customers to contribute to the next edition.
Start collecting customer stories today–it’s the most effective marketing you can do and you can’t beat the price.
How to Use Communication Skills to Market Your Business
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If you’re a business owner or entrepreneur, who is looking for effective ways to market your business, you probably don’t think of your communication skills as a promotional tool.
All communication is a form of marketing or selling, no matter who you are speaking with. By sharpening your inter-personal skills you can increase the perceived value of your products and services.
Here are a few tips you can use to hone your soft skills for solid results:
1. Smile more frequently. Wait—you probably think this is silly but the truth is that smiling changes everything. If you’re working long hours, trying to overcome challenges and dealing with frustrations you probably aren’t smiling much.
If you answer the phone or worse greet a customer in person while you’re managing the business of business, it’s unlikely that you’ll greet them with a smile. If you do remember to smile, I’m betting it won’t be genuine. This is unacceptable. You have a business because of those customers. Treat them with respect. Smile.
Smiling sends a powerful message about you and your business. A stress-free, heartfelt smile invites clients or prospective customers to relax and trust you. That’s a potent marketing tool. Don’t forget to smile when answering the phone. The tone and pitch of your voice will be more inviting—and people can tell if you’re smiling or not.
The best salespeople keep a small mirror by their phones to remind them to smile when they make or answer a call. Another tip is to post a note that says “smile-you’re making money” by your phone.
Studies show that men smile less frequently than women. Perhaps they feel that smiling is sign of weakness, or they want to let you know who is in charge or they feel that an emotionless face helps to set boundaries. The truth is that grinning while saying “no” to someone helps to preserve a business relationship. Whatever the reason, let it go and smile more. It costs nothing and the returns are priceless.
2. Clean up your conversation. This isn’t a reminder to lose the four-letter words from your conversations (that should go without saying.) It is a reminder to eliminate rambling thoughts, garbled grammar, mumbling and jargon, from your communication. You don’t hear yourself as others do so record a few phone calls and casual conversations to see how you really sound to others. After listening to the play back, ask yourself if you would do business with you?
This doesn’t mean you need to speak with grammatical perfection or even in complete sentences–that’s not how people talk. It’s a nudge to take a moment to think about your purpose and intentions for what you are about to say in an effort to make it easier for others to follow you.
If your printed marketing materials send one message but your verbal communication sends another that’s a congruency problem. Get them aligned to increase your credibility!
3. Ask more questions. Listen more than talk. Your customers will tell you everything you need to know about what to market and what products they need. You’re in business to solve their problems so make sure you know what their problems are. Don’t assume you know. Ask questions. Do surveys. Invite suggestions. Don’t market a product you’re in love with but doesn’t serve the needs of your customer. Pay attention and ask clarifying questions. Your business depends on it.
These three essential communication skills don’t cost time or money but they can increase your value to your market. Smile.
Information Contact Allie at 407-313-4967
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