Kick-ass Case History

Posted on 2016/02/13 by Jerry Fletcher

“For starters,” I said to Nina, “don’t call it that.”

Gail, the wordsmith in our midst agreed. She said, “I like your term Success Story a lot better.” (Video: How to get the data you need for a Kick-ass Case History https://youtu.be/UcvpMkBynYk)

“But, sometimes things aren’t successful,” said Chris. “In my digital retail marketing operation we often try things that just don’t work at all.”

“But that, young pup, is just findin’ out that you’re barkin’ up the wrong tree,” said Rob our southern fried Brand Guru. “Indeed,” he went on, “in my book that is a success.”(Get the PDF of the Kick-ass Case History form)

Rick raised his voice to be heard over a crash of dishes from the kitchen and said, “Most people think that a case history has to be only about what works but I’ve always found the most valuable experiences are the ones that teach you what doesn’t. Selling direct, like I do, has always been a laboratory. That’s why we test before putting up big bucks. What I’m trying to say is that keeping good solid info every time out of the chute is the only way to really know.”

“If you’re selling, like I do every day, the marketing and sales train wrecks are sometimes the best to convince a buyer,” said Kate. “Being able to give somebody hard data on an approach that didn’t work makes it a lot easier to get them to sign off on one that does. The other thing it does is it gives you a reason to walk away from a prospect if you know they are going to fail or to suggest a test that could make both you and them look good.”

Nina, our luncheon guest, looked around the table wide-eyed and said, “All I really wanted was to put some information on my website that tells people what I’ve been able to accomplish with my clients. It seems like there is a whole lot more to this than I thought. “

“You betcha, sweet pea,” drawled Rob. Most of us have been advising professionals and particularly consultants long enough to know that you need to look at keepin’ track of every engagement and assignment in a way that allows you to use all the information later.” (Video: How to present a Kick-ass Success Story in print) https://youtu.be/KM_lH2Eqrqo )

“All assignments and engagements,” I emphasized. Here’s a rough list of the ones I think you should keep track of:

Client Prospecting
Referral Approaches
Proposal based engagements
Assignments based on a retainer agreement
Projects awarded for previous experience
Engagements that require training or retraining of client staff
Situations that require you, the client or both to stretch

“So you’re saying to keep track of it whether it is business development, business as usual or business with a twist,” said Kate.

“Well put,” I responded. “Early on having a simple form that you fill out helps get you organized to do it. Later, you may pick and choose which of the jobs you take on to do a full write up on but it never hurts to have the information.” Kick Ass Case History Capture Form

Nina asked, “So what is on the form?” (PDF of form)

“All the usual client ID stuff, the kind of project, start and end date, situation, objective, starting data, ending data,” I said.

Rob said, “I like to keep a file with the form. You don’t want to forget any branding data that you might want when you report on it. That could be things like a logo or photos of the client and the client’s business or products. And if graphics are important it is a good idea to have before and after stuff.”

“Words, too,” added Gail. “When you change Mission or Position or Value Proposition it is a good idea to have both the before and after. Other word oriented items I like to include are testimonials. If I’m working with multiple levels than I try to get them from each. And I always like to get them to include the numeric changes in their statements.”

“Don’t overlook video,” said Chris. “If you can get a video that demonstrates what you do or just the client talking about what you’ve done for them you have a winner. What our studies show is that video seems to be the most convincing way to get a point across these days. “Video: One way to do a Kick-ass Video Success Story https://youtu.be/KPCU79FgXvE)

Kate looked over her glasses at Nina and said, “All that hard data is good. But remember we’re dealing with human beings here. There is a great deal of emotion wrapped up in what we do. Change isn’t easy. Transformation is what we are really doing. People are scared of it. They shy away from it. And then when the work we do kicks in they become proud of it. Don’t forget to capture that emotional content and the newfound strength you help provide. “

“You keep a file like that and you’ll be able to build a powerful Success Story to publish on the ones that work. You keep the data on the ones that don’t and make that into a Case History by adding one thing: your investigations in to why the anticipated results didn’t happen.”

The Takeaway

To build a Kick-ass Success Story you need to capture the information on every major project or engagement or assignment. Keep a file that doesn’t rely on memory to help you gather the data and materials you need. Then express it in a way that lets people “get it” in whatever medium you are using to present it .

Jerry Fletcher’s blog recaps conversations with clients, prospects and the unruly mob of business development professionals he consorts with. They discuss marketing that works from solopreneur to enterprise level. Jerry Fletcher is the ringleader and “Watson” of the dialogue. Sign up for the blog and other publications at: www.JerryFletcher.com/Profit.html

Jerry has been researching and implementing small business marketing that builds businesses, careers and lives of joy for 25 years as President of Z-axis Marketing, Inc. Learn more at www.JerryFletcher.com

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

Selling Consulting: 5 Questions Rainmakers Listen For

Posted on 2016/01/16 by Jerry Fletcher

Ken contacted me through Linked In and arranged a phone call.

It started out with him pitching me his publishing services and ended with two questions:

Would I have time for him in my schedule?
What would it cost?

Kate, our sales doyen said, “Like I always say—Never Stop Selling!”

“You’re right,” I agreed. “And I usually just sort of stumble into it.”

“That,” she said, “can be fixed. Think back on the conversation. When did it switch from him pitching you to the other way around? Was there a question that either of you asked that caused things to put you in the seller’s seat? If you’re listening you’ll hear one of these which will make it easy for you to shift the conversation:

How do you work? This one is sometimes a general interest question but if it comes after you’ve mentioned some accomplishment for a client means they want a taste of that for themselves.
Why do you consult? At a cocktail party it can be an opening gambit but if it comes after you’ve revealed your years in practice or how you acquired your expertise to someone you’ve identified as a prospect… Remember, a prospect is someone that has a problem you can solve, is willing to talk to you and can sign the check to pay you.
How many clients do you work with at a time? The clue phone should be ringing if you hear this. Always answer truthfully noting that although you are busy, you have room for another now depending on the time commitment required.
What is your hourly rate? They are looking for a way to figure out what it would cost to put you to work for them. Do not answer directly. Yes, a lot of consultants and professionals work on an hourly fee basis and that is what the world expects. My recommendation is to work on a value based or retainer basis with all your clients. Value based means you agree to put together a plan just for the prospect based on the value they assign to solving the problem they have. Normally you will want to give them three options and let them choose. Option 1 solves their problem for an amount that is 10% to 20% of the value they assigned to solving the problem. Option 2 includes option 1 and adds a desirable add-on that will make the solution more effective. Option 3 includes options 1 and 2 and provides additional access to you for more complex and longer term fixes. Frequently, option 3 generates long term retainer agreements that allow you to provide your expertise on an on-call basis. That eliminates the requirement of developing huge proposals and all the time that entails. You still may have to map out how you’re going to handle something but it less of a pitch and more of jointly determined approach.
Have you ever worked in my industry? Again, tell the truth. If you have, give them information on successes. Never get into industry politics. Always speak of former clients positively—even if you fired them or vice-versa. The real reason they are asking is their belief that their industry is different. People believe that their industry, state, profession etc. can’t be understood if you don’t work in it. Don’t argue. Instead tell them how you were a total newbie in some industry you have had success in. Explain how part of your approach is to first understand how the industry works and then solve the problem by bringing to bear all the people knowledge and processes you have come to understand working in a spectrum of industries. Or, if you are truly knowledgeable in a specialized area, give them facts, figures and success stories.

All those questions just start the conversation. It’s up to you to take it to a profitable conclusion.

If it is in a networking situation either personal or business get agreement to meet at their office.
If someone is pitching you, Then decide when you want to schedule a follow-up based on the interest they show. Always follow up. Top sales professionals estimate that beginning and even experienced sales people miss out on 20% to 30% of potential sales just through not following up. Plan to meet with them face to face if possible.
If a referral source is asking questions, carefully determine if they will tell you who they are asking for. If they will, orient your answers and questions to that prospect. If not, answer and question and suggest that it might be wise to introduce you to the prospect over lunch, on you, of course. Then, try to get that face to face meeting in their office.

The Takeaway:

Never stop selling! Listen for the questions that suggest more than casual interest in your consulting capabilities. Pay attention to indications that there is real interest in what you do.

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

The Gift of Memory

Posted on 2016/01/09 by Jerry Fletcher

Welcome back! It is good to see all of you again. How were the holidays?

Gail said, “We had a wonderful time. My son managed to get back for a few days and his kids connected at our place so it was quiet but filled with warm memories.”

Chris jumped in saying, “I finally had some time to work on my house and I’m now ready for the new year.”

Rob said, I ‘member how the holidays were such a big thing at home when I was growing up and how y’all just kicked back and got into Granny’s pies and the gatherings with cousins and aunts and uncles and everybody. Wasn’t so much that way this year. Getting everybody to fly back home gets harder and harder.”

“I know what you mean,” I said. “My daughter and her husband came for Thanksgiving but for Christmas they took their annual sunshine vacation and went diving in Central America.”

“We went to Phoenix’” said Kate, “and I only made two sales calls.”

“New York for us,” put in Rick our Direct marketing master.

“I got back to work with a bang. A client who will remain nameless was having a heck of a time uploading some videos we had put together for her blog and other purposes. I was so frustrated by trying to solve the problem via telephone that I made a house call. She’s a Mac user and does everything from her desktop, doesn’t use the filing system on the computer and doesn’t know how to access it.”

I suggested to her that she should learn how to access the filing system and keep everything there. She told me she wouldn’t be able to find it if she did. The simple answer I gave her was to date every file to take advantage of how the computer reads file names. It reads from left to right, numbers first then alphabetical. So to be able to find a file I date it with 2 digits for the year, 2 for the month and two for the day. So the file for this blog will be 160109 Gift of Memory. The visual will be 160109 Gift of Memory Visual. I can always find a file if I know when I was working on it.”

Rick, our Digital Director said, “You know that the computer puts a date and time stamp on each time you open a file, right?”

“Yup, but it doesn’t keep the original date just the most recent time the file was modified, I replied.

Kate said, “Knowing that saved me a bundle of time in organizing my files. For years I kept them based on the kind of program like Power Point and Word with no client information except in the titles. Had to hire an intern to sort everything out by client. That made one heck of a difference. Now I can find stuff. I’m still figuring out how to find my desk.”

Laughing, Rick said, One of the most difficult lessons I learned early on was that you need to not only put dates on things but you also need to organize by client and project. When we opened we had no idea of how to keep track of things so we just had one list of project numbers. Client A Project 1 would get a number and then Client B’s project would get the next number and so on. Imagine what it was like trying to find anything in the real world much less on a computer. The way we solved it was to designate each client with a three letter code, each project with a number that was assigned serially that included the year and a letter for each version. You wind up with a file name like ABC 16-001 A. Works like a charm.

“You just made my day,” said Chris. “We’re at the point where we have so many projects we’re having difficulty keeping track of them. We can put that in place right now and I can put the new intern to work sorting out last year’s stuff that we may want to access for this year.”

Gail cleared her throat and said, I’m old fashioned. I like paper. I used to have a tough time finding my desk, too. Then I discovered colored file folders. You can get them in a bunch of colors. The key is to designate a color for each major part of your business. Like you guys I speak and consult so I color code this way:

Outreach Purple

Speaking Green

Travel Blue

Business
Development Yellow

Prospect Orange

Client Red

Personal Blue Green

Use your own code to make it work for you.”

Kate said, “Now I have to stop at Office Depot!”

“And don’t forget to put a CRM system in place in your business,” I said. That will save you more time than you can imagine. You simply can’t maintain good files without it…there is a reasonably priced system that will work for you. As you know, I recommend integrated systems so you have the capability to use digital marketing.”

Rick injected, “And it is good idea to make sure you can sync all your devices. That, and the security it provides is a good reason to look into Office 365 from Microsoft even if you use Apple products.”

I replied, “Good addition. That will also get you more cloud storage than you can imagine for a small consultancy and new capabilities to connect with others on your team and clients.

Bubba, our Buddha of Brand clapped his chubby hands drawing everyone’s attention. He said, “Y’all are talkin’ about all this inside stuff. H.G. Wells understood that is only part of your business. What he said was:

We all have our Time Machines. Some take us back, they’re called memories. Some take us forward, they’re called dreams.

Don’t forget about branding. Build on the memory of your brand. Make your dream memorable in 2016.

The Takeaway: The better organized you are the easier it is going to be to serve clients with imagination and innovation to make your brand memorable. Always find a way to be able to recover documents, graphics, presentations, etc. a year or two from now.

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

Pick A Card, Any Card

Posted on 2015/12/05 by Jerry Fletcher

“I just finished my beginning test of a software program that can digitally capture a full variety of brainstorming, planning and project tracking approaches with both words and pictures” I said to the assembled crew.

Chris, the Digital Director in our midst said, “You must have liked it or hated it or we wouldn’t be hearing about it!”

I agreed saying, “I liked it. It is not as fast as sticky notes and white boards but it has the advantage of being saved in a form that a group can work with even if they are geographically and time separated.”

Rick asked, “What is it called?”

“Cardsmith,” I replied to our direct marketing expert. I told my friend Ron about it. He speaks on planning and project management all over the country. His e-mail said:

I love my sticky notes and this adds to the usefulness.

One thing it does better is making the sticky-note planning accessible to remote locations… and thus the one thing it does worse is removing the in-room collaborative MESSY brainstorming benefits. I think it might limit what people are willing to “post” as a “good-enough-to-see-daylight” idea.

But it has a solid use and I think it offers some great opportunities for delivering and controlling shared work items.

Thanks for calling my attention to it. I’m going to play with it a little.

Kate our resident sales doyen asked, “So how does it work?”

“The best analogy I can give you is if you had a deck of 3 x 5 cards and you were trying to figure out how to organize something whether it’s a sales meeting, a book, a team building a product or even how to structure a complex web site. You’d jot something on a card and put it on the table, do the same for the next major step and put that on the table in relation to the first.”

Gail, our writer and editor said, “this sounds like a piece of software that was part of an offering to Mac users that were writers I once looked at. I was set up so you could structure a story arc for a book or a TV show and add cards to fill in plot data and character sketches. The whole system was based on a manual system that used 3 x 5 cards!”

“Exactly,” I said. “But this product is more flexible even in its fresh-baked version. For instance, you can put the cards in relation to one another side by side or above and below one another or even arrange them in a spiral if that floats your boat. The best part, as Ron said is the ability to keep everyone in a team on the same page. One consultant I know claims it has improved his productivity by several orders of magnitude!”

The Takeaway:

Cardsmith is worth a look if you ever get involved in planning or process management of any kind that requires keeping track of lots of connecting information. It adds productivity at low cost with a minimal learning curve.

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

With Two You Get Trust

Posted on 2015/10/17 by Jerry Fletcher

“Our clients forget too quickly that they can’t do it alone,” I said as Gail and Rick pulled up chairs.

“Do what?” asked Rick.

Success is built on trust and you must dance to the same music as the customer. Learn more at www.jerryFletcher.com

“Get to Trust,” I responded. “Just like It takes two to Tango or Salsa or whatever dance the stars are doing it takes two to get to Trust.”

Gail coaxed, “And this is important because….”

I’ve said it before, “Who you know is important and what you know makes a difference but the single most important thing to be successful in business is who trusts you.”

“So what you’re saying is that to sell anything you have to get to trust, and if you don’t, you won’t,” said Rick.

“Right, “I replied. I’m a little frustrated by a business to business client that is bouncing all over the place, full of piling up lists of features and benefits and unwilling to let me talk to some prospects to understand their wants and needs and desires or let me get a handle on their objections.

“Is he afraid they might not like his product or service?” asked Gail.

Rick suggested, “He could be so in love with this thing he’s developed that he can’t see the forest for the trees. I’ve seen that happen so many times in high tech that I expect it now.”

“So,” I said, “How do you guys get around it?

“Some times you have to do it the hard way,” Gail said. “I’ve warned clients that the path they are following will not, in my opinion, work and that they should change but if they are hard over on doing it I will give them the best copy I can based on that direction. Sometimes it gets them to change but very infrequently.”

“I tried that,” Rick agreed. But I try to make it the last resort because it can get very expensive in Direct Marketing. One thing I’ve found is that I can push them pretty hard in list selection. Because of the expansion of selects we can go deeper into prospects habits and media usage and a host of other factors. What I find is that they really don’t know their prospects all that well so we push them into doing some simple testing that reveals where the best product fit is.

“Brilliant,” Gail burst out, “That is sort of what I did once. I got them to have the prospect respond by phone and had the client and I actually take some of the calls. Talk about change an opinion in a heartbeat!”

“So what you’re saying is the first step is to get the client into a conversation with the prospect or customer so they are talking with them rather than at them.

They agreed, saying it was only the first step but perhaps the most important.

The Takeaway:

In today’s world to get to trust you need to listen to your customers. That means in person and on line. After all, that is what your prospects are doing.

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

Crossing the Divide.

Posted on 2015/10/03 by Jerry Fletcher

Rick asked, “Have you been across the new bridge, yet?”

“No,” I said, “but I hear it is beautifully lit at night.”

“I’ve seen pictures.” said Gail, “but knowing you, I doubt you will ever cross on it as it is limited to walking, bicycles and light rail and since you don’t do any of those…”

“Pardon me for being a child of the automotive age, I sneered. What they’ve done is used modern bridge technology in support of old time transportation. That’s just what is going on with sales and marketing. Suddenly sales and marketing are being forced to cross the divide that has separated them since forever.”

“Step back from the technology Mr. Marketing,” said Kate. What do you mean ‘cross the divide?’ There is a difference between sales and marketing. Like you say, marketing is one to many but sales is one to one. That is a chasm. How is technology changing that?”

“You’ve heard about big data, right?”

“Slow down theah, Fletch,” said Rob our Georgia-born brand guru. Y’all are fixin’ to pounce like duck on a june bug. I know that tone in your voice.”

“Okay, Bubba, I replied. “The thing that is so nifty about this is that the enterprise level folks are just starting to figure out what consultants and professionals, at least the smart ones, have known for years. There’s a Forrester Report that just came out on the CMOs new role in sales enablement. What it boils down to is that:

Marketing automation forces more communication between marketing and sales
Better understanding of the customer life cycle creates better customer engagement.
Marketing’s ability to probe customer concerns and interests via projections of big data analysis on individual accounts give sales deeper insights into how to more quickly build targeted trust-based relationships.

Kate jumped in, “so you’re saying that the age-old problem of Marketing not being able to figure out what a good lead is has been resolved. Is that right?”

“Only for a few companies at the enterprise level,” I said. “But as you well know from your own consulting business the divide between marketing and sales is, most of the time, not a big one. It is kind of hard for it to be when it is the same person. The only time it comes up is when a consultancy starts to grow and they add a sales person to the staff.

A consultant connects with a prospect, builds trust, reaches agreement, provides the service and maintains the relationship. There is no disconnect. Engagement flows freely from marketing activity into sales, delivery and, in the best operations, into a long term relationship.

Engagement is the key word. I believe mid-level companies can profit by building a closer relationship between marketing and sales particularly in the development of sales support materials that build trust and demonstrate real understanding of customer problems.

The Takeaway

Technology is paving the way for big companies to gather and analyze data to bridge the divide between marketing and sales. Consultants already routinely do this. Mid-level companies can move toward this new level of integration by giving sales people a starring role in helping develop communications that nurture the sale.

Jerry Fletcher’s blog recaps conversations with clients, prospects and the unruly mob of business development professionals he consorts with. They discuss marketing that works from solopreneur to enterprise level. Jerry Fletcher is the ringleader and “Watson” of the dialogue. Get all his publications at: www.JerryFletcher.com/Profit.html

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

It Ain’t All About Brand

Posted on 2015/09/19 by Jerry Fletcher

Kate looked like she was ready to blow a fuse. Normally, our sales strategist is as calm as a mountain lake at dawn. Today her dark brow was furrowed and her multi-hoop earrings sounded like castanets as she shook her head back and forth.

Bubba asked, “Wha’s stuck in your craw m’dear?”

“Don’t m’dear me,” Kate exploded.

Then, shamefaced she said, “I’m sorry I jumped you Bubba. You’re probably the one that can solve this conundrum.”

Rob, our branding Buddha perked up and responded, “How so?”

“I met with a prospect this morning. Let’s just say he was hard over on brand. When I told him how his untrained sales force was perceived he said it didn’t matter because his brand was so ‘in’ that nothing could stand in the way of success.”

Rick, who runs a world-class direct marketing operation sat down his drink and said, “Walk away.”

Kate shot a questioning look over her glasses.

“I mean just what I said,” he continued. “Don’t bother trying to change his mind. It doesn’t matter whether it is Brand or Sales or Margins or Promotions or something else. When an entrepreneur gets hung up on a single business element it is only a matter of time until that business is no more.”

Bubba blustered, “Mos’ folks think that brand is all about being a flamingo in a flock of pigeons. Believin’ you can control it is like a banty rooster thinkin’ the sun comes up to hear him crow! No way! No how! Brand is the sum total of all the interactions folks have with you or your product or service. You can’t let any part of the business fall behind and dependin’ on getting the business without having an up-to-scratch sales force is just dumb.

Too often folks hear all about the clever ideas and the thing that goes viral and they think that is all there is to it. That lasts about as long as a whiff in a whirlwind.”

“I’m with Bubba on this one,” I said. “The problem is that people think brand is logotypes and slug lines and clever ads but that stuff isn’t what sticks with customers and clients and prospects looking for your product or service.

A brand is deeper. It is capricious. It connects unpredictably. It is fickle. It bonds with one psyche yet not another. It is a capricious summary not a single statement. It is a total of random touches and not a trump card.”

Kate said, “I just figured out what to do. I’m going back at him and ask if he’d like to have lunch with you guys and share his expertise.

The Takeaway:

It ain’t all about brand as a singular way to build a business. It is all about brand if you understand that it is the joint perception of everything you say and do.

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

Put Your Mouth Where The Money Is [Free Takeaway]

Posted on 2015/09/12 by Jerry Fletcher

The temperature was in the 90’s again so we decided to dine alfresco. We trooped outside, pushed a couple of tables together and became observers of the passing scene until Chris dropped a verbal hand grenade in the middle of things.

He asked, “have you guys heard the latest research on headlines and click Through Rate (CTR)?”

Gail, our writer/editor snorted, “now what!”

Rick just covered his face with his hands, moaned and said, “In direct marketing there is only one measure of what works and what doesn’t and it is not based on Click Through Rate!”

“That’s why I brought it up,” said Chris. “All of us are going to catch flack on this so we need to be ready when clients and managers start trying to push us around.”

“Anyone who has ever written a headline that got people to make a buy is going to love some of these findings,” Chris began. “The report says the words easy, how to, credit, cure, magic and free decrease CTR. But wait, there’s more” he continued. Using You or your or you are also reduces the CTR. And don’t try giving me tips or tricks or telling me it’s simple or amazing. I don’t want to know the secret. And don’t think you can get me to take action quickly I’m not about to act Now.”

“I may be a country boy.” said Rob our branding Guru that hails from Georgia, “but I can tell you somebody’s been sippin’ grannie’s hard cider when she ain’t lookin’ if y’all believe that nonsense. I been getting paid to write for a lotta years and click throughs don’t hold a candle to conversions. Y’all don’t need to go preachin to all them folks outside the tent. The ones that are inside is where the action is. And that is what works across all the media I know.”

Kate snorted and said, “Hear, hear. Bubba. It’s the same in sales. We do a little cold calling but most of the time we are talking to people that want to be talking to us. I figure a prospect is someone that has a problem I can solve, can pay me to do it and is willing to talk to me. I don’t need to convince them to talk to me. I just need to understand their problem so I can help solve it. I’d rather work with folks that want to see me any day!”

“That’s the thing about this report,” Chris said. It’s 28 pages and it took 17 before they started talking about conversions.”

“Then, what did they say?” I asked.

“Suddenly, all those low CTR performers became more important. Being new and meeting a need Now paid off. Suddenly Amazing had power to open wallets. And funny thing, FREE managed to get more orders when used in headlines directed to real prospects and especially when it became part of the close.

The one thing that came out of this study that appears to work across the board is putting brackets in the headline. What helps close the sale in brackets? Here are their top five examples: Template, Quick Tip, Free Download, Infographic, FAQ.”

The Takeaway:

Add a bracketed item to your headline while using the words that have proven useful since promotion began to convince, persuade and generate sales. Conversions are always more important than Click Throughs.

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

The Expert Content Formula

Posted on 2015/08/22 by Jerry Fletcher

“I’ve been thinking about last week’s guest, “I said.

Chris, our Digital Marketing expert, asked, “Why’s that? Jennifer was delighted with our help.”

“All of us gave her good advice I think,” said Gail. “Each time we have a guest it seems like all of us learn as well. It makes the session a little more focused and each of us tries to be more concise. I try to concentrate on writing and editing advice and each of you dive into your individual expertise.”

“Thas true,” said Rob with a dollop of southern syrup. “Y’all expect me to concentrate on Brand at those times so that’s what I do.”

Rick, Mr. Direct Marketing, as usual, direct in every way said, “So why were you thinking about Jennifer and content?

I responded, “She’s an expert, right?”

There were nod’s and sounds of agreement around the table.

“So if you’re an expert, my research suggests that the way you market depends on the phase your business is in: Startup, Growth or Established. We didn’t take the time to figure that out. Early on the critical elements are Networking and Direct Contacts. When consultants get to the Growth Phase there’s more of a balance. Referrals become dominant but are closely followed by Direct Sales, Prior Experience and Networking. In the established firm Referrals and prior experience account for about 65% of the business.”

Kate, our sales doyen who knows how to listen asked, “So are you saying we somehow let Jennifer down? I think there’s another way we could have been more cogent for her. There’s research from Hinge that shows the impact of most of the content techniques used by experts are separated by less than two percentage points. She pulled a whitepaper from her oversize bag and read:

Books 8.1%
Speaking (non-keynotes) 7.3%
Keynote 7.2%
Company Website 7.1%
Blogs 8%
Articles 6.4%
E-mail Marketing 6.3%
SEO 6.3%
Regular Column 6.1%
Personal Website 6.0%

There all pretty much the same. And notice there is no social media in that list.”

“True,” Rick said, “In addition, I can guarantee you that speaking is the most powerful if you can do it well.”

“I think you’re right,” I said. “In both my personal and consulting experience speaking is the single most powerful way to reach a large audience with a personal touch. If you do it well it is the one activity that creates Referrals and Word of Mouth for you in a way none of the other possibilities can.

Kate nodded and added, “there’s one more thing I read in the research that Jennifer should know:

When buyers were asked what convinced them someone was an expert over a third of them answered,

The ability to make complex topics simple.”

The Takeaway

To stand out as an expert make complex topics simple and do it in front of large numbers of people via speaking, a book and regularly released materials.

Jerry has been researching and implementing small business marketing that builds businesses, careers and lives of joy for 25 years as President of Z-axis Marketing, Inc. Learn more at www.JerryFletcher.com

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

Act Your Age!

Posted on 2015/07/25 by Jerry Fletcher

Kate, our sales doyen, sniffed, “Sometimes I think clients are like unruly kids!”

Gail asked, “How so?”

Kate responded, “Jonathan, a client who has been in business forever and over the years volunteered to advise start-ups is going through a life change. He’s retiring from his old business and about to start a new one. He’s so fired up he is overlooking all the basics that need to be done before a launch.”

Rick, Mr. Direct Marketing, asked, “What kind of business is he starting?”

“Consulting,” Kate said. She went on, “He just doesn’t want to do the work he needs to do to increase his chances of success.”

“Could it be an age thing?” I asked. “I don’t mean his age although that is important for consultants but rather a company’s age. Is he thinking like an ‘old-timer” when he is actually a newbie in the new business?”

You’ve updated your Company Phase research again, haven’t you brer’ fox?” said Rob, the Georgia born branding expert.

Chris looked puzzled so Rob continued, “He’s been surveying successful B to B businesses for more years than you’ve been alive. As I recall there are three phases:

Start up
Growth
Established

He’s figured out what marketing works in each phase and because he’s done so much work with consultants he can streamline recommendations and jus’ plain put a jack under your ROI.”

Kate jumped back in asking, “What should I tell Jonathan other than to come talk to you, Fletch?”

“He’s pretty definitely a start up from what you said, so maybe the thing to do is take him for a trip down memory lane. Every business starts the same way whether we want to remember it or not. The differences over time can be put into a 3D matrix. All that changes is Time, Money and Staff. In part, those variables control what you can do to market a firm. But they don’t really change what is effective.”

Chris asked, “So different things are more effective in each phase?”

“You got it. When anyone starts out, especially consultants, they have to get to Trust. There are three ways to get enough trust to get a contract:

Sell a previous employer
Sell someone referred by a previous employer
Network to a previous contact familiar with your work and sell ‘em

Over time, every successful consulting organization, comes to rely on referrals.

Every successful organization.

The Takeaway:

Here are the key ways consultants get business in each phase in order of importance:

Start Up Growth Established

Direct Sales Referrals Referrals

Networking Direct sales Prior experience

Referral Networking Direct Sales

Prior experience Prior experience Direct Marketing

Direct Marketing Direct Marketing Everything Else

Everything else Everything else Networking

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

Jerry Fletcher's Secrets of Small Business Marketing

How to build your business, your brand and a life of joy…on and off-line.

Category Archives: Consulting

Kick-ass Case History

Selling Consulting: 5 Questions Rainmakers Listen For

The Gift of Memory

Pick A Card, Any Card

With Two You Get Trust

Crossing the Divide.

It Ain’t All About Brand

Put Your Mouth Where The Money Is [Free Takeaway]

The Expert Content Formula

Act Your Age!