“Folks, “I said, “This is Ben. He’s setting up a
non-profit. I told him you might have some ideas for him. Ben, meet my brain
trust:

Kathy, our sales
consultant

Gail, the
writer

Rick our
resident Direct Marketing expert

 Chris, who
deals with all the on-line stuff

And Rob,
our southern fried branding Bubba

Tell them what you’re looking for Ben.”

“Like Fletch said, I’m starting this non-profit to help
folks get through a couple of tough spots in their lives. I’m going to bring in
experts to meet with them in small groups several times a month. I’ll charge
$10 a month so they’ve got some skin in the game and they can come to as many
workshops a month as they want and they’ll have access to all the web site information,
too. And I’d like to do it all with minimal staff”

Gail asked for clarification saying, “So you need a web
site and an on-line store that can handle subscriptions and a way for people to
register for events, right?”

Chris waded in, “you’ll need landing pages to build a database
of contacts and a secure database to keep their subscription information which
should be linked to the store.

Rick said, “It might be wise to have some way to capture telephone
inquiries as well.”

Ben said, “And Fletch said something about auto responders?”

Kathy said, “That’s like having a smart assistant that
automatically sends out stuff to the right people as they let you know they are
interested. It makes you look like a hero. But before you can do anything you
have to have a way to build the list of possible subscribers. How are you going
to do that?

Ben replied, “I didn’t tell you that the services are for
women that are divorced or widowed or find themselves having to go back to work
for whatever reason. I have a lot of ministers, lawyers and CPAs and others
that provide services for these women that are going to send them to me. I’ve
even had some companies volunteer scholarships.”

Rob drawled, “Yall need to careful as a long tailed cat ‘round
Grannies rocker. Tha’s some tender moments they’re goin’ through so you got to
be sensitive. And you got to be sure none of the women, the senders or the
sponsors see this as just a way to get in their pocket.  You have to build this brand on trust from the
git-go.

I said, “That’s why I told him he needs a little Contact
Relationship Magic TM. He has to maintain contact
with all his list development resources plus the subscribers and the companies
that have talked to him about providing scholarships. And all of it has to be
easy to manage and the more it deals with individuals in a thoughtful honest
way the better it is going to be.

So I told him the only way I can see to do what he wants
to do is with an integrated CRM system, one that can handle all the different
groups of names and easily sort them out for notifications on an individual
basis even in groups. In addition, he needs to be able to automate the entry of
new prospects into that database and provide them with his e-mail nurturing
campaigns and invitations to attend. An integrated CRM system. with the right
messaging and scheduling becomes auto-magic marketing. “

What system would you recommend for Ben?

Jerry Fletcher and the lunch bunch will be coming your
way again next week. Invite a friend to the repast at
blog.JerryFletcher.com 

Jerry’s Trust-based Marketing strategies for “little guys”
from solopreneurs to small businesses, allows them to compete with Enterprise
level organizations

Jerry speaks professionally about Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic on three continents . Learn more at www.NetworkingNinja.com

“So they told her she could put an ad in the bag given to
the first 500 people that show up at the trade show,” I said.

“Yeah,” Kathy snarled, “And a lot of good that would do
her!”

I agree,” said Gail. “The
first rule of trade shows is don’t get into one late. If you’re going to do
it make sure it is planned well in advance so you can take advantage of the
personal networking opportunities.”

Chris asked, “What do you mean?”

Rick told him, “The booths aren’t where the business is done
at trade shows, Bunkie. Never buy a
booth and hope they will come. Try to arrange meetings for breakfast,
lunch, coffee, dinner and cocktails to get the business and whatever you do
don’t waste money on show promoter last minute opportunities.”

“He’s right,” I said. “Ask the maids at the show hotel how
many of those bags wind up in the trash cans. It is nearly all of them. We’ve tracked
it by calling down all the companies that put stuff in bags at multiple shows and
less than 1/10 of 1% of the offers were exploited.”

Gail said, “So the Solopreneur needs to get noticed and get
some business, what do you guys recommend?”

Kathy: Talk to
prospects you think will be there and set a meeting with them well before the
show.

Rick: “Put
together a private little sweepstakes for a really good prize that the only way
show attendees can get a ticket for is by talking to you. Make sure that a few
well-known blabber mouths know about it and then make yourself available. I
guarantee you will be sought out.”

Fletch: “After
the show be sure to send thank you notes to the folks that talked to you. One of
my clients added $1.2 Million dollars in sales in one quarter by simply doing
that.”

Rob: “Talk to the
show promoter. If it is a publication, suggest an affiliate relationship. I
knew a good ol’ boy with some software that did that and got a year’s worth of
ads. He got a gobbet of sales and a great pipeline on what was being planned in the
market.”

Chris: You mean
you can set up a deal like on clickbank?”

Gail wrapped it
up, “Yes Chris, affiliates were around before the internet. To me the single
biggest thing you can do at a trade show is Network. After you’ve met with your targets, ask for intros to others. Many times senior executives you would have
difficulty getting to are available at a trade show. Talk to them. Connect. And
then stay in touch.

Jerry Fletcher and his merry band of marketing rainmakers
will be back next week. What trade show tricks would you suggest?

Learn more about Jerry’ consulting services at www.JerryFletcher.com

Jerry speaks locally, nationally and internationally. You’ll
find video, audio and rate information at www.NetworkingNinja.com

Have you ever been mistaken for a clerk in a store? Perhaps
you’ve been asked to show someone a car when you, too, were shopping for one?

My friend Shawna Schuh was speaking at SignalCon, a
conference hosted by NSA Oregon in Portland
last week.

Shauna is one of the small percentage of professional
speakers that is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP). She garners frequent
flier miles like a rock star gathering twitter followers.  Like most of us that fly to make a living she
works on airplanes and dresses comfortably so she can.

She opened with a story about boarding an airplane in her working
attire: black slacks, button front work shirt with shoulder epaulets and comfortable
flats with her hair pulled back into a pony tail.

As she entered the plane a cabin attendant berated her
saying, “Where have you been? We’ve been looking all over for you!”

Shawna turned, looked behind her, saw there was no one there
and then turned to really see the cabin attendant who was dressed in black
slacks, flats and a button front shirt with shoulder epaulets. Shauna explained
that she was actually the last frequent flier passenger to board and took her
seat.

The take away from her presentation is:

“People don’t see us.
They see the brand first.”

Kathy, my Sales Consultant friend was there as well. Later,
I asked her what she thought about that idea.

Fletch, she said, “Shauna is dead on. One of my areas of
expertise is the staffing business. People jump to conclusions so fast you
can’t keep up with it. The thing is that men and women do it differently and
the conclusions they jump to are different depending on a lot of things but
being male or female is the biggest one.”

I cocked my head to one side, squinted at her and muttered,
“Huh?”

She said, “You know that story you old me about your PhD
daughter about to chair a funding meeting at the Pentagon being mistaken for an
assistant and given a coffee order?”

“Yes,” I replied.

Kathy continued, “Would that general have assumed that a young
man was there to take a coffee order? 
I’ve had the same sort of thing happen to me for as long as I can
remember. You know I work with folks from the C-suite down but whether I’m
presenting to a CEO or doing a ride along with a new sales person I have learned
that I have to dress in tailored business suits and wear heels. Successful men
tend to be tall so the heels give me an edge. I’m close to six feet tall so I
can look them in the eye.

When people look at me dressed for a business meeting or
consulting gig they see a successful business woman. But if I run into someone
in a hotel that I met in my traveling clothes on an airplane they seldom
recognize me.

I know you cover this stuff in the No Budget Branding TM
segment of Marketing Without Money TM but Shauna’s point is something everyone
needs to understand.

How you dress is part of your personal brand. What you say
enhances your personal brand. Your behavior can boost or belie your personal
brand. Everything you do is matched against people’s expectations.

You can’t afford to
confuse clients and prospects. Don’t wear anything that could get you
mistaken. Use the terminology that fits your brand. Walk your talk. Make sure
they see you. Be the personal brand they look forward to.”

What are you doing to assure your personal brand meets their expectations? Just
as importantly, what are you doing to remove your own brand blinders?

Jerry Fletcher is a 20 year professional member of the NSA
(National Speakers Association) He keynotes on three continents (so far). Learn
more at www.NetworkingNinja.com

Jerry is a Marketing Rainmaker and a Contact
Relationship Magician. He consults in the US
and Canada.
Learn more at: www.JerryFletcher.com

I was taken aback by a quote I heard at a conference last
week hosted by the local chapter of the National Speakers Association.

In the middle of her presentation, Erin Donley quoted an old
acquaintance of mine, Yasmin Nyugen , CEO of Vibrance Global.

The Quote?

“You can’t see the label from inside the bottle.”

That’s why it is so difficult for individuals to craft our
own marketing. If you are a professional of any kind you know how difficult
this can be for you to pull off by yourself.

Rob, my branding buddy, said when I phoned him to tell him
about this revelation, “You just figurin’ that out ol’ son? Y’all find it easy
to work through what a product should be all about when you’re marketing it but
even the pros need help when it comes to their own Persona.

Yup, I used your word for personal branding ‘cause when it
is a professional of any kind it gets personal in a hurry. You know that. Y’all
been doin’ it for years with your consulting clients. That’s really what your
30 Second Marketing program is all about.

Most people go blank when you ask them what their brand is
and how they make sure people understand it.  

All the emphasis these days on social media makes it harder
than it has ever been.

A whole lot of what you know about persuasion is based on gettin’
to people one on one but the game has changed. Now, br’er rabbit were tryin’ to
get folks to join us in the briar patch even when we know we have to build each
relationship one on one.

You, me–all of us have to understand social media is a conversation with a crowd.

Think about your aunt Hattie and the ladies in the parlor
quiltin’. The word ‘I’ never gets said. If you listen you’ll notice that most
of the questions are directed to the group not to individuals. Like you’re old
auntie said, It’s just good manners.

So when you’re tryin’ to get likes and followers you have to
picture yourself out in the pasture talkin’ to a herd ‘stead of sittin’ down
for coffee with a prospect.”

How do you cope with personal branding?  

Jerry Fletcher consults on marketing, including personal
branding, with professionals, consultants and small companies that want to take
it up a notch. Learn more at www.JerryFletcher.com

Jerry Speaks about building businesses based on Trust on
three continents. See him in action at www.NetworkingNinja.com