Gail asked me, Do you remember how you used to start that speech sitting on top a step ladder?”

“Sure”, I said, “Every business owner has a place they want
to get to. For some it is a simple thing but for others it is a full blown Technicolor
dream of a castle way up there in the air…

How are you going to get there?”

“Do you still do that speech?”

“Yes,” I replied, “but a little differently in terms of the
advice. Here’s the way it continues today:

What tool do you need to build you business?

If you had to reach the ceiling or get up on your roof or
rescue a kitten from a tree you would get a ladder, right?

In business in today’s world that ladder is a mystifying
array of ways to connect to potential customers. There’s all that advertising
and PR stuff and now all the new internet possibilities.

But, some things never change.

You will always have to introduce yourself

You will always have to get people to listen to you

You will always have to tell them what you do

You will always have to ask them for their business

You will always have to get to trust to get their business

Customer Relationship Management software is how to get to
the top rung of your ladder…updated. It won’t take the place of branding and
networking and generating referrals or turning contacts to contracts but it
sure can help.

It is proven and infinitely practical. And now there are
integrated systems anyone familiar with a computer can learn to use to build
automated marketing campaigns that capture leads and nurture them into sales.

Everyone that wants to get to their castle way up there in
the air needs a ladder and some Customer Relationship Magic! TM .

Get integrated Contact Relationship Management software and
start building your business today.

Learn about Jerry’s consulting at www.JerryFletcher.com

Need a speaker? Jerry speaks professionally (so far on three continents).
Find out more at www.NetworkingNInja.com

The phone rings. I answer, “This is Jerry Fletcher, how can
I help you?”

It sounds pretty normal, right?

Two young professionals each remarked on that simple phrase
yesterday.

Brenda said, “I thought you were just being gracious, but now
that you’ve met with me I know you meant it. How can I help you?”

Josh told me after about an hour of helping him sort out his
ideas about ideal customers where to find them and how to stand out from the
crowd, “I really want to find a way to repay you for the advice.”

This is the gem at the heart of relational networking. It is
the pearl I wrote of in an article first published a generation ago entitled
Pearl Diving. (You’ll find a copy on the resources page of my consulting web
site if that link doesn’t get you there.)

Each person you meet has been formed by years of rolling
around in a life filled with experiences you have not been touched by.

They can tell you about times, places and things you’ve
not experienced.

Each person you bend an ear to and assist can provide you
with insight into paths you haven’t taken and visions you have not dreamed.

They will help you choose the better course and give
you foresight.

Each person you help with no expectation of return will,
almost inevitably provide you with assistance.

Each is a pearl.

Each gem of a contact will improve your life …if you help
them better theirs.

Every business deal begins with a single connection. That
relationship can only be built and sustained by true caring. Try it. Ask how
you can help. Then do it. Just do it.

Learn more about Jerry Fletcher’s approach at www.JerryFletcher.com

Looking for a speaker? Go to www.NetworkingNinja.com

I was on my way out the door of a networking meeting when
Steve and I got into the usual conversation.

Steve asked, “What do you do?”

I’m the originator of 30 Second Marketing TM so you might
figure I’d have an answer. I said, “I teach people to Market Without Money.”

That stopped him cold. He tilted his head to one side, read
my name tag, leaned in and replied, “What does that mean?”

I said, “You know how solopreneurs and small companies have
limited budgets but still have to make sales regularly?”

He told me, “Boy, do I. I’m
the sales and marketing director for my company and we’re doing pretty well but
everyday we have to go out there and knock down some sales.”

“What we do,” I replied, “Is supply folks like you and your
owners with the basic training you need to get prospects to know, like and
trust you so they will buy from you. The nifty thing is that most of what we recommend
can be done at little on no cost.”

Steve put a hand into his shirt pocket, pulled out a card,
passed it to me and said “Please call me. I would like to learn more.”

“Can do,“ I answered, handing him a card.

That is a demonstration of 30 Second Marketing TM. There are
only 4 parts to the Formula:

• Hook ‘em
• Hold ‘em
• Pitch ‘em
• Close ‘em

Did you notice that here was no “We provide an insidious
feature about a peripheral product I didn’t ask about” in there anywhere?

Instead of rattling on about me, I got his attention with
what I call a hook (“I teach people to market without money.”)

He asked me to tell him more.

I responded with a problem he knew and understood. (The
Hold)

He told me about his experience.

I dodged the commiseration bullet and made the point that we
have a solution for that familiar problem. (The Pitch)

He asked me to call him. (The Close)

Did I get a contract signed? No. I got a commitment to meet.
That is what 30 second marketing TM is all about.

30 Second Marketing is just one component of Marketing
Without Money TM.

Comment if you would like to learn more.

Jerry Fletcher speaks internationally: www.NetworkingNinja.com

His Consulting Practice information is at: www.JerryFletcher.com

“So what more info should I have about somebody other than
their Contact data? That should be enough for a good salesman like me,” said
Tom.
 

Barbara sent me an article that had been published in a prominent journal that talked about the demise of “Old Media” as an instrument of persuasion.

I have a standard answer to the question, “How are you?’

“Sweet, lovable kind, thrifty, brave, clean and all that
other boy scout stuff… would you like to buy a bridge?”

It is silly but I’ve been doing it so long that friends get concerned
when I don’t respond that way.

But there is a kernel there that all of us need to consider.
The boy scout motto is Be Prepared.

That is not a bad piece of advice.

Are you ready? Are you prepared to market yourself and your
business?

If you are you should be able to check off these items. If
you can’t check them off, call me.

__  I know the vision
of my company.

__  I can state the
mission of my company

__  I can sum up how
my company is unique in 7 words or less

__  My initial answer
to the question, “What do you do?” is 7 words or less

__  I can sort out if my products/services can help you in 30 seconds or less.

__  I use a contact
management system to help me turn contacts into contracts.

__  Most of my business
comes from referrals

__ I regularly get business from my social media connections

__  I do business with
people I know, like and trust

__  I know that sooner
or later I must connect with people in person to really power up the
relationship.

How did you do?

If you run a business you need to be ready with the answers
to these questions. They are the heart of your marketing. All but one of them
can be done without spending a cent…if you know how.

Knowing how is what Marketing Without Money TM is all about.
If you would like to know more about this product I’m developing e-mail me
here.

Jerry Fletcher
speaks: www.NetworkingNinja.com

Learn more about his
Marketing viewpoint at:
www.JerryFletcher.com

Bill got right to the point. He asked, “You’re the expert at
CRM how can I put my half of the seminar attendees in their seats?”

 “Back up,” I said. “Your half?”

 Bill explained, “I’ve worked out a deal with a client to
host a seminar and they will put 10 people in the room and I have to provide
the other 10. I’ll present and they will host the room and the lunch. It’s a
win-win if I can get those other seats filled without having to buy the room.”

He explained, “Buying the room is a theater expression for
providing free tickets to an event to fill the room so it looks like it is a
hit.”

“So,” I asked, “Why are you buying me coffee?”

He reviewed his plan to send out e-mails to his list of connections
that had opted into his newsletter and even showed me the rough outline of his
message.

He got a blank expression when I asked him, “What is the
subject line?”

He was so wrapped up in the message that he forgot that you
have to get it opened. There are two things people look at before opening an
e-mail:

1. Who it
   is from
2. The
   subject line

The more personal the message appears, the more often it is
opened and the easier it is to accomplish your objectives.

I told Bill, “If you have to put 10 people in the room the
process they are going to go through is:

• Open
  the e-mail (Open rates from a Newsletter list are good, up to 50% but don’t
  count on more than 20%)
• Read
  the offer, reject you, look for more information or register (Rejections—80%
  at least. The measure here is click-throughs)
• If
  they look for more their options are to reject or register. (About 20%,
  with luck will register).”

Bill, who is a numbers guy said, “So if I hear you
correctly, if I went out to 100 people only 20 would open the message. A best 4
would look for more information. Of those maybe 1 would register.”

“Right, “I said, “so the number you go out to is critical.
With those numbers you need to go out to 1000 to get your ten. BUT I can
increase our odds. Put their name in the subject line and you get a 15%
to 25% increase in opens.

Do the math. That gets you 40 opens, 8 click-throughs and 2
registrations per 100 e-mails sent.”

Bill said, “Thanks, with the personal touch it now seems
possible.”

Jerry Fletcher
speaks: www.NetworkingNinja.com

Learn more about his
Marketing viewpoint at:
www.JerryFletcher.com

I’m a professional speaker. I’ve been an NSA Member since
1993. I’m also a consultant. Before that I was CEO of an ad agency.

When people are looking to get into speaking, they get
referred to me so they can pick my brain.”

Here’s what I tell them:

1.This ain’t no picnic. When you see a great platform
performance it looks so easy. You just stand up and “let ‘er rip.”

It’s not that way Bunkie. What you don’t see is the
years of preparation to get to the level of expertise needed to really craft
winning remarks. What you don’t see  is
the hours spent rehearsing and the days spent marketing to get those few brief
shining moments.

2. Go with your passion. Every Successful speaker I know is
not only an expert in some area, they are passionate about it. Most have been
known  to speak on the topic even when
they are not being paid.

Their zeal comes through in a simple conversation or in a
packed auditorium. It is the reason a meeting planner or program chair selects
one speaker over another. It is obvious in a video a webinar or a phone call.

3. Practice shameless self promotion. This is the hardest
for most beginners and even some of the old pros. Until your speaking business
(Yes it is a business) reaches as sustainable level you will probably be on
your own. You won’t have an office manager to handle booking phone calls. You
won’t have a full time marketing person. You will be the manager of sales, PR,
Advertising and the Grand Poobah of all promotions.

So you have to suck it up and do it yourself, The best advice
I can offer is to emulate as much of the form of promotion used by successful
speakers as you can. And never be afraid to ask them what works for them
now as well as how they did it getting started.

4. Maintain your expertise. Each day I check a full array of
marketing information resources to see what is new, what is being commented on
and what, if anything, is being injected into the conversation from the
periphery.

I look for hard data—-surveys, analytic summaries, data
compilations, analyses, research reports and any non-statistical data cited as
“proof of process” or standard practice.

Then I step back to see how the new data fits with what I
know. If a contrarian approach is warranted, I may blog about it or fit it into
a speech.

5. Never stop believing. Today a young man (an Army Officer)
who wants to be a speaker was looking for advice. He noted that in the military
he had been training people from the time he started as a private. He trained
people at every rank he held as he rose from the ranks to be selected for Officer Candidate School.

I told him his abilities would stand him in good stead as he
moved toward a speaking career. In addition, I pointed out that the leadership
skills he had developed and demonstrated would give him first hand knowledge
and experience he could draw on in speaking about his passion: the impressive
capabilities and practical skills that vets have to bring to industry.

And I told him to never stop believing in himself, his
comrades in arms, and the men and women of the companies and associations he
will serve with pride as he has served his country.

Jerry Fletcher’s speaking web site is www.NetworkingNInja.com

HIs consulting site is: www.JerryFletcher.com

Look.” said Jean,” I can think of at least three relatively low-cost ways to do e-mail marketing that aren’t part of a CRM Contact Relationship Management system.”

“True, I agreed, “But how do you update your list from one system to the other and vice-versa?”

“I hadn’t thought about that,” Jean replied, “That could be a problem what with bounces and opt outs and using purchased lists…it could get to be real hassle.”

“That’s why I liked integrated systems,” I said. “Over the years I’ve dealt with the back and forth so often that I developed a log for clients to keep which records n each of the databases is most current as well as notes on peculiarities in each of them. Keeping things in sync is much easier with a single database.”

“Okay, I can see that,” she conceded. “But how many companies need that kind of tight coordination?”

“All of them. Every single one because e-mail marketing can double your business in no time and you don’t want the headache of that manual database wrangling. That gets in the way of making more sales.

“Double your business?” she asked.

“I didn’t stutter,” I said. “And you don’t have to be big company for it to work. A study that MIT analyzed shows that 93% of companies that use e-mail marketing generate more leads than those that use other means. On top of that, companies that have under 10 employees generate leads at rates higher than those with over 25 people.

The best solution for the little guy is e-mail marketing integrated with your contact manager.”

Learn another way to double our business here.

Jerry Fletcher Consults on Marketing: www.JerryFletcher.com

And Speaks on Networking, CRM and Trust: www.NetworkingNinja.com

Dan told me, “I want to launch my consulting business by a
having a series of seminars or workshops to give people a taste of what we can
do.”

I agreed and then offered this advice, “There are five
things you have to do to get the bodies into the room:

1. Work a list

2. Leverage Social Media

3. Understand the numbers

4. Make it easy to RSVP

5. Make it hard to not show up”

 “Just what exactly do you mean,” he asked.

 “Okay, I’ll deal with them one at a time.

Work a list Tell me,
is your list just an amalgam of all the folks you’ve met over time? Or is it
those people you have special connection with…your tribe? Then, too, you may
have purchased a list or one was supplied by an organization.

You need a list to even begin thinking about putting on an
event. Email marketing out of an integrated CRM system makes this easy.

Leverage Social Media
You can announce an event on all the social media. Those that come immediately
to mind are Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, Pinterest, Meet Up and a host of
others

Make sure the benefit of coming is emphasized in each.
Provide a link to more information and to sign up. And do it more than once.

Understand the
Numbers. Using postal mail? Assume that the best return you’ll get from a
purchased list (dependent on the quality of the list, the offer and how it
is presented) is between 1/2 of 1% and 2%. That makes sheer quantity
important.

But if you are promoting to your tribe, fewer numbers will
do. You can expect anywhere from 8 to 18% to sign up. However, don’t expect
these folks to turn out week after week. Be sure your behavior warrants their
trust.

Make It easy to RSVP If
you’re doing a free or very exclusive event include a postage paid return in
your mailing. If you let them know via e-mail a simple click to respond could
be sufficient.

Or use a registration site like Meet Up or EventBrite to
simplify things for both you and your guest.

Charging for the event? Either link to your store/shopping
cart or to PayPal via one of the registration sites.

Make it hard to not
show up. Charge for it. Once their card has been charged, they tend to show
up. Another way is to make an offer they find hard to refuse. People will show
up for a chance at a great gift especially if the odds are in their favor.

You can also make them aware of a great offer that will be
available only at the event. If they believe it will go away, they will show
up.

Of course, you can mix it up and use postal mail and e-mail plus
social media as well as personal announcements. An integrated CRM System can
help you manage it all.”

Pass this advice along and get additional resources at www.JerryFletcher.com

Need a speaker that can show you how o double your business through Trust-based Marketing like Networking and CRM look into www,NetworkingNinja.com