Posts Tagged ‘business development’

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What’s your competitive advantage?

Monday, November 21st, 2011


When it comes to attracting new clients, what’s your competitive advantage?

Is it that you’re using the latest social media?

Is it because you redesigned your website and made it SEO friendly?

Is it your sheer persistence and hard work?

I don’t think so.

While all of these are helpful, they aren’t what your true competitive advantage is.

Nope.

Your true competitive advantage is the message you communicate-the stories you tell.

So here’s an interesting exercise. Read over your message. Then Google the type of work that you do. Take a look at those websites. Is your message fresh, different and intriguing? If so, kudos. However, if yours sounds a lot like all the others, then you’re not taking advantage of your one true competitive advantage for attracting new clients.

And that’s a shame.

Learn more about creating great messages HERE

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The Illusion of Expertise

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011


Many successful consultants, advisors and small business owners are in enamored with the concept that they will achieve success merely by being good at what they do.

However, outside of academia, and for a few elite others who fate has shined a kind eye on, expecting the world to beat a path to your door is a losing proposition.

I recognize that in an ideal world, you’d just like clients to magically appear so that you could focus on the work you most enjoy. Which is why the marketing siren’s call of “we’ll do it all for you” is so alluring.

But here’s the reality.

As the CEO you also bought (perhaps unwittingly) the role of CMO (Chief Marketing Officer).

And the sad but true reality is that you can only delegate those responsibilities after you’ve mastered them.

So the question becomes…how are you going to get up to speed?

Here’s one option

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How To Be Unique

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011


Let’s face it, there are a lot of “you” out there.

Lots of advisors, consultants, HR experts, small business owners, butchers, bakers, candlestick makers…

Obviously, what we need to do is stand out amid the sea of competition-all of whom look pretty much like us. So here’s an idea.

*What if you became known as the financial advisor who specializes in ranchers? Or…

*The time management expert who specializes in helping insurance agents get more done during the day? Or…

*The HR consultant who works with software companies on helping them identify and develop high-potential employees.

And…suppose you wrote a relatively short (700-3000) word article that expressed your opinion about what ranchers or insurance agents or software companies were doing right & wrong when it comes to your area of expertise?

And suppose you created a simple one page website that promoted the availability of that article?

And then…you ran some inexpensive ads, did some publicity, used social media, created a YouTube video, spoke at the relevant association events, held some webinars or teleconferences…to promote your expertise.

Would you still be viewed as just another advisor, consultant, HR expert, butcher, baker, candlestick maker…?

I don’t think so.

In fact, I think you’d be perceived as an expert by your target market. (In fact you could then do the exact same exercise for a different niche market: ie the financial advisor who specializes in stamp collectors, the HR advisor who works with insurance companies, the time management expert who works with realtors…)

Certainly some good food for thought.
Mark
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What Myth Can You Debunk?

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011


Here’s a problem…

How do we get people to pay attention to us without doing anything silly or inconsistent with the professionalism of our services?

Here’s an idea.

What’s a myth you can debunk?

Let me share a quick example…

If you’ve picked up a copy of USA Today anytime over the past year, you’ve undoubtedly seen the ubiquitous ads run by Bill Bartman, former CEO of Commercial Financial Services. You may recall his story about how he went from dirt poor to billionaire, back to dirt poor, and now seems to be back on track to really-rich status. What’s interesting about his latest business iteration is his attention-getting hook about debunking the myths on how the dept collection business really works.

There’s no shortage of people offering debt reduction assistance, yet Bartman has vaulted into the front ranks largely by offering a free report that focuses on his perspective and opinion.

And that’s key.

If you want to break out of the pack, you need to have a philosophy. And it’s particularly attention-getting, if a part of that philosophy is why common held assumptions are wrong.

In my own case, Gentle Rain Marketing’s philosophy is that most marketing experts and gurus make implementing a system for attracting consistent streams of brand new clients way too hard and complicated. As you’ve undoubtedly heard me preach, “If you do what I tell you to do, there’s absolutely no reason why any company can’t have a highly effective marketing system up and running in less than 30 days for under $300.”

In fact, if you really focused your energies, you could have that same marketing system up in a week.

That’s my soapbox.

That’s the myth I debunk.

Sure it stirs controversy, but that’s OK. As Grandmother used to say, “You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.”

What myth can you debunk?

Food for thought
Mark
Do you belong to an association that is looking for a great speaker? If so, please pass this webpage along to them. Thanks!

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Making Boring Stuff Interesting

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011


Nothing glazes over the eyeballs quite like reading an article about Emergency Preparedness, but the folks at the CDC (Center for Disease Control) have figured out a way to turn oh-so-boring into I-want-to-read-that with over 1 million (and counting) page views already.

The secret? Link the boring “Here’s what you need to pack into a preparedness kit”, into a story about how to brace for disaster when the zombies attack. (And you know that’s going to happen any day now-so I’m packing my kit as soon as I’m done here.)

You hear me talk a lot about “mental heavy lifting” and how it’s the most important part of any marketing campaign. Well the CDC’s, Preparedness 101: Zombie Pandemic is a great example of some mental heaving lifting that results in a cool story around a dull topic.

Want to know what to pack to avoid zombies (as well as prepare for other natural disasters)? The article’s HERE.

Unfortunately most of us are in rather dry businesses. But as Zombie Pandemic illustrates, that doesn’t mean we have to be boring when it comes time to promote our message.

Food for thought
Mark
PS: Unique Sales Stories is now available on Kindle. (Currently at #1!) Get your copy HERE

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Marketing With Information

Friday, October 14th, 2011


Suppose with just a one hour-long effort you could…

*Create a kick-ass free offer that would get prospective clients interested in what you do. And…

*Provide the content for the squeeze page that promotes it. And…

*Create a great video that you could sell for $595? And…

*Create a MP3 audio you could add to the video package and raise the price to $695? And…

*Create a content-rich booklet, you could add to the video and audio package and now price your information product at $795.

Or…you could just give everything away for free and have a monstrously effective lead generation machine.

All with about an hour’s worth of work.

Here’s how.

Rent a room somewhere. Might be at a hotel, or even better, at one of those office suites that are in virtually every city.

Invite some clients or prospective clients to come to hear you speak about your topic. (Maybe you charge/Maybe you don’t.) Try to get at least a dozen people.

Video tape the presentation. (Personally, I’d spend a few bucks to get it done professionally. It doesn’t cost a lot of money.)

Edit down the raw footage. If you use a Mac you can do it yourself using iMovie. I’m sure there’s a comparable program for those still using PCs. This becomes the video component of your information product.

When you do your presentation start off with an overview of what you’re going to be covering. This is the segment that you use on your squeeze page to promote the program.

Pay some kid a few bucks to strip out the audio portion of the video which you can then offer as a separate bonus. A lot of people like to listen to content rather than watch video, so it’s nice option to offer.

Pay a few more bucks to get the audio transcribed and now you’ve got a nice content-rich booklet to offer along with the video and audio.

If you don’t want to create an information product to sell, then just use the video of you doing the introduction as a hook to a free mini-course that offers segments from the rest of the video you shot.

If you line your ducks up in a row, this can basically be done over a weekend. I did a version of this when I created my Gentle Rain Blueprint program. You can see the final result here.

Food for thought
Mark
This free mini-course teaches you how to write a great sales letter.

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Facebook For The Affluent?

Tuesday, October 4th, 2011


Social media has found a new resource for those targeting the ultra-affluent, and ten nationally ranked firms, catering to the wealthy, have jumped on board.

Equilar Atlas contains profiles of about 250,000 chief executive officers, board members and executive directors at almost 5,000 public companies and 5,000 nonprofits.

Similar to LinkedIn, once your contact information is loaded into the system, you’re provided with an extended graph that illustrates how you’re connected to this very exclusive network of individuals.

But, it’s not an inexpensive network to join. The cost is $10,000 annually for unlimited access to the database for the first three users and $2,400 for each additional person.

Is it worth the investment?

Since people marketing services to the affluent already know who the wealthiest CEOs are, the database may be most helpful in revealing names and compensation for CEOs of smaller public companies that may be below the radar.

What has been your experience with using social networks for developing relationships with the affluent? Tangible results or is it just more hype than substance?

Private Consultations For Those Seeking To Implement A Client Attraction System

What’s really working for marketing to the affluent? Invite author and marketing strategist Mark Satterfield to speak at your next conference. Email Barb@GentleRainMarketing.com for details.

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Gaining access to the inner circle

Wednesday, September 21st, 2011


I’m probably not telling you anything you don’t know when I say that most prospects don’t respond well to the direct head-on sales approach. If for no other reason, it’s almost impossible to get into the inner circle that way.

Although the following video was specifically developed for my Gentle Rain Affluent Marketing subscribers, I think you’ll find the strategy helpful regardless of the type of services you offer. It’s in today’s video:

Talk soon
Mark

PS: Would you benefit from some personal coaching on how to attract more affluent clients?

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How To Persuade Others

Monday, September 12th, 2011


The key to persuading others (and converting prospects into clients) is to understand their mindset.

Here are some basic questions you’ll want to make sure you know the answers to about your clients, that will dramatically help you be more effective in the sales and marketing process:

This video may take a few seconds to load:

The Mindset of your clients from Mark Satterfield on Vimeo.

If you’re ready to take the next step this will be of interest.

Good food for thought
Mark
PS: I’m looking for a small number of qualified individuals who can learn our marketing system to handle the overwhelming demand for our services. MORE INFO HERE

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An Alternative To Free Reports

Monday, August 29th, 2011


By now I’m sure you’re in agreement that the easiest way to start the relationship building process is to give your prospects something for free.

It’s rather hard to argue that this is not a good idea.

Although there are a number of different mediums you can use to disseminate your information, (I’m a big fan of video), reports are still the workhorse that most people use.

But, let me share with you an alternative that you may want to consider.

Instead of a single report, consider breaking your content into a series of communications and offering it as a “mini-course”. (You can see an example HERE.)

Why would you want to do that?

Remember that the primary reason we offer free information is to get people onto our subscriber list so we can send them ongoing messages. Those messages are what’s going to convert prospects into paying clients.

These messages are most typically going to be sent out as emails, so we want our prospects/subscribers to get in the habit of opening and reading our email messages.

An easy way to accomplish that goal is to have the first few messages you send them be the mini-course they just signed up for. This not only gets them in the habit of reading your emails but you can insert sneaky marketing messages into the text. Like this:
******************************************
I’m aggressively looking for a small number of qualified people who can learn our marketing system to handle the overwhelming demand for our services. Learn More Here.
********************************************
Food for thought.
Mark
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