She wrote columns on communications for a handful of local newspapers, Her articles roamed from advertising advice to speech writing to one-on-one selling. She wrote and self-published a book on basic PR for business which got her on local TV and in the feature article that got my attention.
“Tit for tat will just get you hurt” was something she said early on in our conversation. I let it pass without questioning it.
The second time she mentioned it I asked what she meant. She asked if I had ever had a referral in business. I told her the story of my start up letter that had generated 6 responses from the 60 guys in my Advertisng Golf Club. Two said, “Good luck.” Two suggested possible leads and two asked me to work on a consulting engagement.
She explained that I should send handwritten thank you notes to those 6 and then do the same thing to those that had not responded. She was ahead of her time. She was telling me to pay it forward, to find ways to help folks without expectation of return because over time they would come to trust me.
Because of her:
I became the new programs committee chair for the Portland Chamber for 10 years.
I became the librarian of Pacific Northwest Association of Book Publishers.
I was in the room when a handful of people agreed to start the Portland Chapter of the National Speakers Association
Networking enhances your net worth. Relational networking where you give tips, assistance and referrals without expectation of reward changed my life. It is a key element in Credibility to Cash TM.
And so it goes.
.
Jerry Fletcher is a sought-after International Speaker, founder and CEO of Z-axis Marketing, Inc. and a Certified WHYos Coach. See Jerry’s speaker demo reel.
His consulting practice, founded in 1990, is known for on and off-line Trust-based Consultant Marketing advice that builds businesses, brands and lives of joy.
Credibility to CashTM is his latest way to share experiences so you can take your business up a notch…or two. Get the Newslog at his consulting site.
A new member of IMC (Institute of Management Consultants)
A wannabe consultant
We’ll be Zooming next week because she has that innate need to find out how this business works and what it takes to be successful. She already operates on one of the basic principles she will need to be successful:
Trust but Verify
This simple statement which Ronald Reagan made popular comes from a Russian Proverb. It is an elegantly brief bit of advice that works well so long as the relationship is not the key element in question. For someone like Lindsay it is a way to gather a lot of information quickly without committing to any outcome based on that initial data gathering.
That is why it is so practical. The successful consultant is forever gathering data. They must, because of the nature of their calling reap the knowledge of a broad swath of sources. By joining an organization made up of people that do what she wants to do she quickly increases the number of sources easily available to her.
She can Trust in the interviews and based on comparing her analysis of the relative success of her contacts verify how much she should attend to their advice.
Impress but focus
When I was CEO of an ad agency I would do two or three informational interviews with youngsters, new to the trade, each week. It was a way to give back to all the people that helped me, a way to pay it forward. Early on I learned to employ a technique I picked up in a Xerox Selling Skills Class.
It is simple. Ask a question. When the person finishes, simply say Oh? Then wait. They will begin speaking again. Do it again. Do it as many times as the other person will continue speaking.
Employing this technique does two things:
You will learn a great deal more about that individual than you ever imagined.
You will find out just how capable they are of setting objectives and focusing on them.
They wanted to talk to you ostensibly to get some answers about the industry they want to enter yet they are afraid to say what is really on their mind, getting a job. So the real question each of them has is, “How can I take my education and my limited experience and convince someone to hire me?”
That is tough enough if you are just looking for a job. How do you take that resume out and convince someone to hire you as a consultant?
State a problem and your solution
One of the secrets of finding leaders is how they ask questions.
An individual may ask in one of these informational interviews, “How did you get to this position?” And in all likelihood they are truly interested.
Another might say, what positions did you have to go through to become CEO, President or whatever. They really want to know.
Leaders approach the person granting the interview as a resource that can advise them on the relative strength of their proposed solution.
Do you see the difference? The leader says, “I want to get started in consulting but I don’t think I have experience that business owners will think is enough. I’m thinking of offering my services at no cost unless we get results agreed to before we start work. Would that get me hired?”
Whatever you think of the solution you have had a demonstration of how someone thinks. More importantly you know how they will approach situations in the future.
There is no CEO worth her or his salt that doesn’t want that kind of thinking.
Be planned but present
You know you have a set amount of time for the interview. Don’t waste it. Come to the table with a list of questions. Work it. Ask them in order of importance to you.
But listen. Often a comment from that source will register with you and you will want to know more. Ask the unscripted follow up question and see where it goes. Listen. Pull that string that intrigued.
Often you will discover a creative way to solve a problem you have. Some that I’m aware of:
New college graduate writes a laudatory one-page letter as his wife to personnel directors of ad agencies across the Midwestern USA touting his New York experience with no resume attached. He took the job offered by the personnel director that called one evening and asked to speak to his wife.
A transgender woman encounters a meeting planner on an airplane looking for someone to do a keynote at an upcoming company meeting with diversity as the primary takeaway. She responded to the question, “What do you do?” with, “I take the fear out of being queer.” She got the gig.
The founder of a world class direct marketing agency diagrammed on a napkin the difference between Brand and Direct. It sat in his desk drawer for a couple years and then he convinced a client to try it keeping track of a full set of analytics. Then he wrote a book about it. He keynoted at the worldwide advertising convention held in Cannes the next year
That’s some simple advice for a newbie. If you like this kind of information about consulting or brand or networking or CRM or writing to persuade you need to sign up for my newslog. Click here to sign up.
And so it goes.
Jerry Fletcher is a sought-after International Speaker, a beBee ambassador, founder and CEO of Z-axis Marketing, Inc.
His consulting practice, founded in 1990, is known for on and off-line Trust-based Consultant Marketing advice that builds businesses, brands and lives of joy.
I had approached the interviewer because of a post she had
put in a group I’d been asked to join on Facebook. Usually I don’t engage on
that platform but there she was, right up front when I clicked a link to the
group.
We had chatted briefly on the phone, set a date for the
interview and she said she would send me all the particulars.
When she called a little after dinner she was
concerned that I had not responded to her e-mail.
I immediately searched my e-mail files and found zip, nada,
nothing. She did the same and discovered that it was in her draft folder and
had not been sent!
She asked if I could talk now to record her
blog.
I said, “Certainly.”
She clarified a few points and then proceeded with the
introduction.
Our connection is an event promoter who is launching a
nationwide tour in March. I’ll be one of two keynoters in San Diego in
November. He wanted me to keynote in multiple cities in the west but I no
longer get a kick out of being in an all-day event, flying at night to the next
city and doing it all again the next day. So I passed on Phoenix and Las Vegas.
Then I was asked to introduce myself.
Here’s what I said:
“My name is Jerry Fletcher, I’m a master of consultant marketing. You know how everybody tells you that you have to have to be memorable but nobody tells you how to do it? Well what I do is help consultants, coaches and entrepreneurs craft a unique trust-based marketing strategy to build a business, a brand and a life of joy.”
Memorable? She asked
“You have three seconds to use words face-to-face or on-line to get someone’s attention. Three seconds to say something or register or a strong headline to get through the armor we all have on our minds to open the way to further conversation. In the next ten seconds you must give them a reason to want to talk to you.
A commercial is not going to get it. People would rather have a conversation than listen to a commercial.”
Nobody is legendary right out of the box.
What you say in that first three seconds must give them a
way to recall you. It should include your name and a memorable hook. That is
the beginning of what I call 30-Second Marketing TM. Over time you will move
through a series of steps that bring you closer and closer to that client/customer.
Here’s the progression:
Memorable
Trusted
Branded
Employed
Unforgettable
And for a few elites: Legendary
For her, it is the beginning.
Her questions revealed that she is moving from a full-time
job in healthcare to coaching. She is fired up. She has taken the training and
is now certified but like all indpendent professionals, consultants, coaches
and solopreneurs she is having difficulties figuring out how to market her
services.
I explained that the marketing that works in the beginning is not the same as she will use as her business grows and will change yet again when she is established. Of course, I have the benefit of the consultant marketing research studies I’ve done over the last 16 years.
Companies are built one contact at a time.
One gem of a contact plus another and yet another until you
have a string of them like a lustrous string of pearls. In time, with trust some
become clients, some become referral sources and some become both. Networking
will always be a part of the successful firm’s marketing strategy. It will diminish
in relative importance over time but will always be there. Along with direct
sales activities, no matter what the business entails it is what the new
entrepreneur must count on in order to pay the bills.
Speaking puts more targets in your sights.
I didn’t discover this fact of life. L learned about it by
interviewing a consultant that had authored a book. Because of her I signed up
for a newly formed group that I helped become the local chapter of the National
Speakers Association. I’ve been a professional member of the National and the
Local since 1993
If you have a process or viewpoint that can help solve a problem
for individuals you can take that same information and build it into a speech
crafted with signature stories and incidents along with content that will
change the lives of those in the
audience. In doing so you will generate memorability, trust and brand. You will
bring a part of that audience to the point that they want to work with you. You
will be able to close the deal to work with them. And, assuming you deliver as
promised, you will make yourself unforgettable.
Walk away from the podium.
Get your first appearances in places like your local
Rotary. You won’t get paid by them or other small local groups that would like
to hear your message. That is okay. You will need the practice and to learn
what people really want to hear.
Slowly but surely you will develop the skill to speak without notes and to roam a stage finding positions that will help you make your point. Later when you are pursuing an appearance at a larger organization you will be asked, “What is your fee?” It will happen and from that day on you will be a professional speaker. Just remember, “It’s not about you. It’s about them.” Make sure your audiences always leave with information they can put to work immediately and that you have a way to continue the relationship.
Between those who come up to speak with you when you finish
and those that provide you with their contact information your business and
your referrals will continue to grow.
And so it goes.
Jerry Fletcher is a sought-after International
Speaker, a beBee ambassador, founder and CEO of Z-axis Marketing, Inc.
His consulting practice, founded in 1990, is
known for on and off-line Trust-based Consultant Marketing strategies that
build businesses, brands and lives of joy.
I had breakfast with an old friend the other day. He’s
about to embark on consulting full time having been a CFO who found software so
good he bought the North American rights. In that situation he had a safety net. He was
supported by his previous firm and the software developer. Now, he’s about to step
out onto the high wire with no net.
A walk
on the high wire
It takes courage, expertise and some luck to go from zero
to full engagement in the consulting business. I’ve been privy to this journey
for more young men and women than I care to count. Those that made it for the
long term put a check in the box next to these things:
Savings to last at least 6 months in the style to which they have grown accustomed.
An initial engagement for their previous company or a client of that company.
Corporate filing in the state they are setting up their business
Defined Product/Service that is desired by identified prospects
A name for the company.A Vision, Mission and Position
A Persona that establishes a brand based on a real value proposition.
Courage to network your way to new business
A door on their office.
Step by step
Savings are
the crunch element for folks that are married and/or have family. All the zeal
you feel for this new adventure may seem to have been accepted by your spouse
and the kids but I guarantee you that going backwards in terms of their socio-economic
status is not going to play out well. You need to, as quickly as possible regenerate
the “grouch bag funds” so that a set back occur in your business you can stick
to it.
Initial Engagement is
what keeps just about every successful consultant above water in year one
according to our annual Consultant Marketing Survey. It gives you a safety margin
where you are providing a service that is familiar but now performed at arm’s
length. Often, this connection with a previous employer is extended as it is
beneficial to both parties. But because you have control of when the work is done
you can engage in the activities necessary to develop your consulting business.
Corporate Filing is
essential if you are going to operate legally. It is a good idea to find your
corporate attorney now before you open the doors. I recommend looking for a
business attorney that operates from a small or home office nearby. I went to
an attorney in one of those downtown towers and realized what those paneled offices
cost me after few years. My current attorney has a home office but makes house
calls! Every person I’ve referred to him tells me he has kept all his high-end
litigator capability but shifted his personality from downtown to down home.
The primary options are C-Corporation,
S-Corporation or LLC. Your lawyer can help you select which is best for you. The
key is that you have a corporate shield to minimize the possibility of any suit
filed against you personally.
Defined Product/Service is
essential. Some of you may think that is obvious. It is and it isn’t. Some
people try to start a consulting business without having the expertise to solve
a problem that their prospects have. If you don’t know what your prospects want
or need, how can you present yourself? You need to define the problem you can
help solve in customer terms. More importantly you need to state the solution
in way they can understand it and see as advantageous to them.
That phrase “identified prospects”
was not just filler. Never assume that because your old company has a problem
that all other companies have the same problem. Never assume that the
same solution will work in every company. Never assume that this one
problem will last as long as you want to maintain your practice. Before you
step out on the wire make sure there is a market for what you have to sell.
A name is where a misstep
occurs most often. I made this mistake. We get so full of what we know everyone
needs and our different approach that we overlook the obvious:
People will identify
your name with your practice more than any made-up name. Lawyers know this. So
do CPAs. Plus a slew of consultants. You can tell the one’ that have learned
this lesson over time by the way they begin to incorporate their name into
their logotype.
Unless the name you
choose is based on something well-known in the industry you are working in the
probability of anyone understanding it is between slim and none.
If you base your
company name on your process or part of it or a numeric outcome you are asking
the prospect to make a leap which only you have made in understanding.
Vision, Mission and Position Your Vision is where you want the company to go in the future.Vision
statements often include superlatives and competitiveviewpoints. Generally
it is for those that work for the company.
Mission
is not your vision for the future of your company.
Mission
is not your goals or objectives.
Mission
is not something you are going toward or even something you are trying to
become.
Mission is what your company is. It is why your company exists.
A vision
statement is for the company and stake holders.
A mission
statement is for the company and general public.
A
positioning statement is for the targeted general public.
A brand is
the sum of perceptions about the company in the general public.
Persona Everything you
do has an impact on the people that become your clients. Don’t overlook the
basics as you go to market.
Your
Persona is a Core of Trust wrapped round by Product, Price and Passage encased
in your Name.
Initially,
the Core of Trust is you. If you operate solo it will always be. With a partner
or multiple partners (an ensemble) you all have to ascribe to the same central beliefs
about your business.
Because
you can’t fool customers for long.
Customers
see your company from the outside in. They rely on how your decisions impact
them to make judgements about you
Courage Stepping out on
your own is not easy. You are, in all likelihood, going to have to get out of
your comfort zone if you want your business to grow and prosper. Every business
is built on Networking. Every business. It will be up to you to go wherever
prospects gather to get to know them and how you can serve them. You will need
to find away to say something that makes you memorable. Weak statements don’t
work. You’ll need to understand 30-Second Marketing TM at a minimum. And buckle
up Bunkie stepping into the limelight and speaking about your expertise could
get you more leads in less time than all the social media campaigns.
A door on your office is needed because if you work from home you’ll find yourself working
well into the evening and on weekends. That is not good whether you are single
or married with or without children. Learn to close the door and get a life.
Isn’t that part of why you decided to do this?
And so it goes.
Jerry Fletcher is a sought-after International
Speaker, a beBee ambassador, founder and CEO of Z-axis Marketing, Inc.
His consulting practice, founded in 1990, is known for crafting on and off-line Trust-based Consultant Marketing advice that builds businesses, brands and lives of joy.
Start at the top, with hair or the lack of it. That works whether
you are male or female. Unruly hair that looks like a frightened rooster just
won’t get it. On the other hand being expertly coifed and looking like a model
may be a bit much. The key is to fit in to the comfort zone of the audience and
be just one notch above it.
You want to get to trust. Trusted advisors get
the contracts.
One
notch better
If there is a single piece of advice in this regard, that
is it. Recently, at a conference attended by top independent consultants from
across the country one topic that ran through the lunch room was that clients
were asking that the men not wear ties. The consensus was that was a
good idea until key players in a meeting showed up in cravats!
I’ve not worn a tie since 1990 when I opened my practice.
But I wear special shirts when I do a keynote that have a hidden placket and a
collar that buttons tight to the neck. I have them in both black and white. My
notch down is a turtle neck worn with a sport coat.
The women at the lunch table simple laughed and said the one notch above was a good idea but the way to do it was not power suits. Their advice was to have great high value accessories—scarves, purses, and most important, shoes. One noted that women knew expensive shoes the way guys know cars.
A
signature item
A few of my clients have considered trying to stand out by
linking themselves with key items of equipment. One was forever trading up his
laptop to the smallest, lightest and most advanced until one of his clients
asked how much time he spent after each upgrade learning to use it.
For awhile one client was over the moon about his expensive
fountain pen until a CEO told him that he never bought a pen in his life and
had no intention of doing so.
Cars, watches, airplanes, etc. Those don’t matter to most
of the folks that sign the checks. They are, at best, borrowed marks of
excellence. Only something that relates uniquely to you will generate the
memorability you are after.
One of my clients uses a tangled skein of purple wool to visualize
the money knots in all our minds when she’s speaking. The color is the same that
is used in her “Untangler” logo.
Graphic
consistency
I started with your appearance because the human face
recognition skills far surpass our visual cognition in every other area. We are
better at sensing when something is amiss then when all is okay. Other graphic
elements to consider:
Color The
color in your logotype needs to be the same wherever it is employed. If the
color plays a major part in identifying you. It needs to be consistent. Where?
Business cards
Letterhead
Website
Signage
Vehicles
White Papers
Brochures
Presentations
On-line Content
Typography The type
style you use for your logo may be so singular that it will prove too hard to
read if used for all the text in your materials. That is not always the case. The
critical decision here is the selection of a single type style for all the required
word elements—headlines, subheads, text, captions and even footnotes. Your mission,
should you choose to accept it is to make it all easily readable.
If you tend to produce a lot of your own content there are
a couple other tips you may want to employ:
Try to keep your line length under 50
characters. Tess show that the human eye tends to tire if the line length is
too long. Apparently, resetting to the next line “wakes up” the eye.
Use flush left ragged right. Do not use the other
options available in Word (Center, Flush right ragged left and Justified) All
of those are harder to read.
Multiple columns of information tends to be
perceived as for business purposes.
Eye traps (bolds, underlines, italics, bullets,
lists, indents, and initial caps) can enhance read through.
Use reverse (white type on black background) very
sparingly.
Process
Diagrams I never met a consultant that didn’t have a process. Like
most of us they like to have diagrams that help explain their unique approach. Too
often those diagrams are drawn anew each time. Again, consistency is the most
direct route to Trust.
.
The style of the diagram also needs to be constant. This
is particularly true if there is motion or implied motion in the process. That is
why I use a gyroscope as the primary overall illustration for the Z-axis
Process. You can use a photo or a graphic extracted from a photo or linear
graphics. Arrows can be hard-edged or brush strokes, open or filled in. Here’s a
hard edged example straight out of Word
Whether you use hard edged or loose design the key is to
keep it the same throughout and to use the same descriptors throughout.
Photography/Illustration Be careful
to assure that your photos are all the same level of quality. If you use color
photos, do so on everything (unless you have a historic black and white or
tinted photo that lends credence to your “About” story) Seldom if ever should
you swap back and forth between photography and illustration. Pick one and
stick with it.
Most importantly, be sure all your designs look like they
came from the same family. A good designer can give you a “look” that helps
brand you, make you memorable and get you one step closer to becoming a trusted
advisor.
Like
mama said, “Mind your Ps and Qs and use consistent Visual cues!”
Jerry Fletcher is a sought-after International
Speaker, a beBee ambassador, founder and CEO of Z-axis Marketing, Inc.
His consulting practice, founded in 1990, is
known for on and off-line Trust-based Consultant Marketing and Brand
development advice that builds businesses, careers and lives of joy.
Yes, every business needs some content to fulfill marketing
needs.
Everything
you need and nuthin’ you don’t.
There is no one size fits all. Each practice must build the
content that will answer the questions prospects ask and maintain the contact
over time. No two are the same. You and your clients are a different equation from
all the others out there. It comes down
to these functions:
Starting a relationship
Maintaining the connection
Supporting Referral Sources
The
start of something big.
Run the numbers. You’ll find that conversion rates for
digital offers are at best 1 to 2%. Direct marketing using more traditional
media may get you up to 5%. Networking because it is so personal can generate
about 30% new contacts if you operate in the right circles. Speaking to an
appropriate audience, if you understand how to reel people in from the podium,
can range up to 70%.
No matter which approach you use, you first need to
determine exactly who your best prospect is and learn what they want to know about
the solutions you offer to their problems. You need to know how they define the
job they want done and where they are in relation to that concern. You must
also understand that you must be available to take their order when they are
ready to buy.
The purchase journey is not a linear path. These
days, because of the ease of access to all kinds of information sources the
average buyer may move from broad information gathering to supplier specifics
and back to more general information any number of times before making a
purchase decision.
All you want to capture initially is:
Name
E-mail
Smart Phone Number
I find that having a singular offer makes getting that
information more efficient for you and prospects. I recommend offering what is
commonly referred to as a “lead magnet” in the parlance of digital marketing. This
will vary based on your business and that of your ideal clients. I find that Checklists,
Worksheets and Quick Guides work best.
In digital situations I use a form to fill out on a landing
page which grants a download to the e-mail given after the data is entered. The
contact data is put into a CRM for further attention. I suggest that in Networking
situations the item be mentioned as available and that the consultant will send
it personally if the contact data is furnished. Usually a business card is
exchanged. Speaking to a small group you can simply make the offer and ask for
a card to be given to you to assure its delivery. With larger groups you need
to have what I call a feedback card which is placed on every seat. The feedback
card carries a way to write in contact information (and perhaps respond to a
survey question or two) on one side and the same pitch you would use on a
landing page on the other side.
Staying
connected
Most of my clients connect with the C-suite, usually with the
CEO. When I asked one what sort of content he wanted to receive he answered:
“Don’t give me stuff I’ve
already seen in business publications. Give me the benefit of your thinking that
is relevant to me. Be consistent. I appreciate it when information arrives at
the same time each week and in the same form. That way when I get something out
of the ordinary, I know it is important.
In a lot of consulting businesses (particularly financial)
the industry sends out information quarterly at best. That is not good enough.
In order to stay top of mind with a prospect, client or referral source you
need to touch them at least once every four weeks. And more often is better.
That’s why I recommend a weekly contact of some sort. The
best options are:
Blog
Video Blog
Podcast
In addition, I recommend that high end consultants provide
everyone on their e-mail list a Newsletter on a monthly basis. Based on
feedback from their clients a recap of the weekly items provided is the best
received. I’ve been told that it makes for a good way to provide staff with
solid information quickly and to give other CEOs a quick way to get a fix on a
consultant that might help them.
A
Recommendation beats a Referral
A referral can be as simple as, “Here’s a number for someone
that might help you.” These days, a notch up from that is the e-mail
introduction. Both are helpful but a full-bore recommendation is more powerful.
A recommendation is when a person who knows you and your
consulting capability invites you to a meal with a prospect and proceeds to
sell your services over the meal. Done properly, all you do is take the order.
But in order to be able to do that, your recommender must know
about your success and your failures. She or he must know how you have
developed. The only way that can happen is if you consistently provide that
information. That means you need to identify those Recommenders and Referrers
and kept hm informed. One of the best ways I’ve seen is to continually change
your e-mail signature to incorporate short outcome- oriented testimonials. It
also helps to provide these known sources of new business with copies of your
case histories as soon as they are issued.
Personalization of all the materials you send them will pay dividends.
And so
it goes.
Jerry Fletcher is a sought-after International
Speaker, a beBee ambassador, founder and CEO of Z-axis Marketing, Inc.
His consulting practice, founded in 1990, is
known for on and off-line Trust-based Consultant Marketing and Brand
development advice that builds businesses, careers and lives of joy.
Something got lost between the Rollodex, the CRM (Contact Relationship
Management) software and the growth of the internet generations.
People seem to have become a lot more transactional. They have
given up the power in the connectivity of relational networking.
Relational
vs Transactional
I’ve been speaking and writing about networking as a
business development tool since 1990. Early on, someone asked me what the best “style”
of networking might be. Here’s how I replied in an Article called Pearl Diving:
“Network. Just don’t try to turn that contact into a contract on the
spot. It won’t work. We’ve all met people that try that. They glide up to you like
a shark, ask a question, talk through your response with a rapid fire
commercial, tell you to call them and then they’re gone. In their view, they
are networking. Those predatory types just don’t understand the difference
between transactional and relational networking.
Transactional networkers want to score now. They are driven to pin down a prospect, get the job or close the deal. They have no time for anything else. They see networking as just one more form of manipulation. Leads groups that penalize members for failure to produce prospects fall into this category, as do the tactics employed by somemultilevel marketing organizations.
There is a place for transactions, but it is never on a first meeting. And in most cases it will come much later in the sequence. Tit for Tat Transitional Networking does not scale. The best networkers understand that Networking is the establishment of a relationship.
Relational networkers aren’t
interested in what you might be worth to them. They are always more
curious about you as a person. They consistently ask how they can be of help to
you rather than the other way around. They maintain the contact out of regard
for you, not a need to cash in on the contact.”
The power of the list
I advise
elite consultants on the marketing they need to build already successful
businesses. All have a list of clients, prospects, referral sources, trusted
advisors (for themselves and others) and other resources pending Trust evaluations.
The
numbers on the lists vary and may be scattered across the world depending on
the geographic scope of the consultant’s business. For instance, if you need to
initiate a change in a government or multinational I can tell you who to call. That
trusted resource is headquartered in Singapore. Need software to revolutionize
the speed of managing your business? I can connect you with the president here
in North America or the founder in Australia.
In most cases the extremely successful do not have huge lists. If you sell product on line you need to continually expand your list
or you need to offer new products of value on a regular basis. But if your
business is primarily one to one B2B your list may be relatively small. My
current clients have combined lists of no more than 500. They continually add
prospects and referral sources but the best apply one measure you should
consider.
Meet them before classifying them.
You can
add folks to your list in these ways:
Speaking—all those folks that want to talk after you step
down from the platform and be added to your blog and/or newsletter list if they
agree to that. Meet with them before you classify them as a prospect or
referral source.
Networking—at industry events, again with their permission.
Before you go past your blog and newsletter try to meet with them on a more
personal basis.
Social Networking Connections—to include
Linked In, FaceBook, BeBee and any other that provides a profile and allows you
to connect with them. Before you start adding folks willy-nilly be sure you
have a solid description of the demographics and psychographics of your target
addition in mind. Again, get permission before you add them to your blog and/or
newsletter list. I recommend that you limit your on-line list development
primarily to prospects and that you count on it taking longer than you expected.
Introductions—either in person or on-line
from referral sources or a relational networker. Always get their permission to
put them on your blog and newsletter lists. If you think they are worth pursuing
as a prospect, add them to that list. Could they be a referral source or a
resource? You decide.
Face to Face—prospects introduced by referral sources should
be added to the blog and newsletter list almost automatically. If you are meeting
with them as a result of speaking or networking you will need to decide whether
to put them in your prospect or referral source or resource list.
Keeping track of them
There is
no question that the digital world has more efficiency than the old rollodex. The
question is how much of that capability do you need?
Excel or other Spreadsheet programs are quite sufficient for some small or highly specialized organizations.
That is good for maintaining the list. You’ll need to have calendar program as
well to assure you can schedule follow up.
Manual CRM system sounds like an oxymoron but if you are really dealing with a small target number it can make sense. I designed a manual system for a client specializing in Gallium Arsenide chips that had a total of only 26 prospects. It worked. He sold his process and retired.
Digital CRM software can be added to your computer as a standalone or cloud based. Your practice
or business size and the number of people that will require access to the data
can significantly impact your choices. That, plus the capabilities of the
software to deliver blogs or newsletters and other marketing materials, should
be considered.
E-mail Programs like
Constant Contact and Mail Chimp make it easy to build and e-mail your newsletter
as well as keep track of your lists. One of my clients decided to forego a blog
opting to send his guidance filled newsletter on weekends. Midweek he sends a
mini-update including a new video. His opens average 25.3% on a list that is
exclusively c-suite.
Automated Marketing? Yes, It can be done but do you need it? Do you need to trigger actions based on time elapsed or actions taken? Can you build out a funnel that will guide the prospect to a sale based on their situation? (That is a whole blog by itself)
Your list is the second most important part of
your business.
The most
important is you. If you are a solopreneur the knowledge you bring to the equation
is why the business succeeds. If you are an entrepreneur working with a team,
your ideas and processes are the intellectual property that makes the business
possible. Whether you provide a product or service without your list you can’t
make sales over time.
And so it goes.
Jerry Fletcher is
a sought-after International Speaker, a beBee ambassador, founder and Grand
Poobah of www.BrandBrainTrust.com
His consulting
practice, founded in 1990, is known for on and off-line Trust-based Consultant
Marketing and Brand development advice that builds businesses, careers and
lives of joy.
Anna
Liotta gave us a glimpse of her expertise in “Generational Codes.” It was
obvious from the amount of information she conveyed in a limited time that the
years she had devoted to studying and interpreting this phenomenon had not been
in vain.
A wake-up call
The
trouble is, she made me rethink Brand in terms of how the collection of cohorts
now co-existing on this planet each think feel and believe about the most
important element in marketing products, services, concepts and even
individuals.
There
is sufficient difference in how each of the groups she cites think and behave
to suggest that they may deal with a complex notion like brand in distinctive
ways. That is why I purchased her book, Unlocking Generational Codes this
morning.
The generations in her
terms:
Traditionalists,
born from 1927 to 1945
Baby
Boomers, born 1946 to 1964
Xers,
born 1965 to 1977
Millenials
(Gen Y), born 1978 to 1999
Globals
(Gen Z) born 2000 to 2016
What makes them tick
and what ticks them off (as she puts it)
Her
analysis of how the generations differ, their codes, is broken down in these
elements:
Communication–the
preferred style of communicating and interacting.
Orientation—the way they
view themselves in relation to other generations, people and the world.
Discipline—how they
interact with authoritarian figures
Environment—the behavior
they exhibit dealing with the environment including how they gather information,
make decisions and relate to the world.
Success—how they measure
it. What drives them and gives meaning to their lives?
Comparison to a
Millenial Daughter
Because
she was born on the cusp between generation X and the Millenials my daughter displays
attributes of each but generally falls into the Millenial category. Like an Xer
she is very much an individual but she exhibits the Millenial trait of taking
things to extremes becoming an Ironman, participating in ultra-running and
swimming across Chesapeake Bay when there were small craft warnings.
When
it comes to technology she can squeeze more out of a cell phone than I can
comprehend. She would rather text than talk if it is a matter of data or a
photo. The internet is, for her, a playground. But she doesn’t own a TV.
Her
relationships stay strong regardless of distance due to the acceptance of
digital connections. That crosses over to the business possibilities for her.
She has gravitated to seats of power and because of acquaintances made in those
positions enjoys entrée to extremely senior level options in both industry and
government. She sees herself as both a nomad (Generation X) and a hero (Millenial).
The Deloitte Research presents
another picture
The
opening statement is:
Millenials are the most diverse cohort in US history
Black,
Latino and Asian ethnic groups make up 44% or the Millenial cohort. In the Baby boomer generation just 25% was
non-white. The research shows that a more complete view of the dynamic consumer
includes these factors:
The
cost of education eats into discretionary funds.
People
are getting married later or never
Home
ownership is no longer a part of the American dream
There
is a deepening divide between the top 20% of wage earners and the rest of the population
Millenials,
overall are financially worse off than previous cohorts with a 34% decrease in their
net worth since 1996.
Additional
spending on experience-based categories is driven more by income than by age
The impact on Personal Brand
If
you are in the top 20% of income (across all cohorts) you already have a brand.
Your position in an organization, the reason you met someone, and where you
made an acquaintance all contribute to their perception of you. Can you significantly
add nuance to that perception? Of course. And if you are conversant with social
media and offer a consistent image across the platforms you select you can easily
build on what began on a positive note. Interestingly, you can limit your
exposure on social media without adverse effect on your brand.
Not
on top the income pyramid? You still need to be consistent across the social
media spectrum. And, because you may have fewer first-hand meetings that build
relationships with influencers you will have to strive to become known to them.
How? Take the time to learn who they are and then follow them. Comment at some
point and if they engage let them see the “real you.” Never pass up a chance to
begin a conversation. And never overlook a direct or indirect request for more information
that will put you in front of their “tribe.”
Personal
brand is built one connection at a time. One gem of a connection plus another
and another until you have a string of them…like a string of pearls.
And so it goes.
Jerry Fletcher is
a sought-after International Speaker, a beBee ambassador, founder and Grand
Poobah of www.BrandBrainTrust.com
His consulting
practice, founded in 1990, is known for Trust-based Brand development,
Positioning and business development for independent professionals on and
off-line.
I finished the on-line training for 30-Second Marketing TM and posted it on Ingomu. It is just one element of the four in Secrets of a Networking Ninja.
Brand is trickier
The second element I’m adding is called No Budget Branding TM but I’m combining parts of other products developed earlier to make this one as complete as I can. Some of the things I’ve learned over the years get in the way. This is a DIY (Do It Yourself) product and so I’m working my way through some of the expertise I bring to a one-on-one session and finding ways to incorporate the benefits without a physical presence.
I believe Brand can refer to a company, product or service. Sorry, I don’t include Personal as the only time, in my view, that Personal enters the equation is when it is linked to a company product or service offered by an independent professional. In other words, John Q. Public is not a brand. John Q. Public Accounting could be.
Trust keeps it spun up
Funny how teaching can help you see things you hadn’t before. As this video explains. Brand is an expression of Trust. But, building this program has confirmed that once you’ve set out to build a brand and spun up the promotional whirl, the thing that holds it all together is the Circle of Trust. Without it, it all comes crashing down. With it and judicious inputs to influence it you can keep it building. Trust allows you to influence Brand but you can never completely control it.
A flywheel instead of a funnel
Jon Dick, in a blog for Hubspot, explained how a new model, the flywheel replaces the familiar funnel putting a new spin on customer acquisition and retention. Jon relates the strength of the flywheel to how it maintains and increases trust as well as the momentum you need to keep things spun up.
A flywheel approach forces you to align all your marketing and sales efforts because any friction can slow the flywheel and wear trust down. In Jon’s words: “…your flywheel produces more growth as your customer count increases. If you can add ‘density’ to those customers, by getting them to adopt more of your products or be more ‘sticky’ even more momentum and growth can be achieved.”
Brand is Built on Moving Parts
Brand is the sum total of perceptions about your company, product or service from all the publics that are aware of you. It is an expression of trust built on a complex set of factors that must be considered. Here are the elements that will make up the program I’m preparing:
Vision (from Lightning in a Bottle)
Mission (from Lightning in a Bottle)
Prospect Viewpoint
Value Proposition
Profitable Niche
Position
Persona (a core of Trust wrapped around with Product, Price and Passage (Distribution) encased in a Name
Promotional Whirl (Trust Tools and Spin Tools)
Performance
Perception
Prospect Feedback
The Circle of Trust
You can see my dilemma. But I’m doing my best. In a week or two this program will be available. Will it be easy? No. Will it work? Yes, as well as the user wants it to. The key here is that I’ll be right beside you in spirit and the program will be changed over time as we find the difficult parts that need more elucidation. And, if you get really hung up the folks at Ingomu will make it easy to contact me direct.
Jerry Fletcher is a sought-after International Speaker, a beBee ambassador, founder and Grand Poobah of www.BrandBrainTrust.com
His consulting practice, founded in 1990, is known for Trust-based Brand development, Positioning and business development for independent professionals on and off-line.
There is a point in time when your product is not a known quantity. People may not have an idea what it is and what it does. They need a way to wrap their mind around it. They need something familiar to connect to the strange. Here are some examples:
Horseless carriage
Digital camera
Flat Screen TV
Big box store
Electric car
Selfie stick
Virtual reality
That is the way to get hordes of people to comprehend what you offer. Those descriptions came from multiple directions. “Horseless Carriage” was first heard on the streets as the first automobiles were introduced. The” Digital Camera” dates back to the 1950s and is a spin-off of video camera design! The electric car was “invented” by multiple people starting in 1828. Today’s versions tend to be “hybrids” a combination of gas and electric but if fueling and range can be corrected an “all-electric” could be the coming thing.
This just in (sort of)
More recent additions to the above list might be:
Self-driving car.
Rollerblades
3-D Printer
In every case, the familiar is combined with the strange to forge connections in our minds. Without such verbal equations we don’t have a shorthand term for the unknown product or service. We don’t have a way to remember an offering.
It is all timing
There is a time in your life and that of the product or service you market that it needs to be strangely familiar and cited as “The.” The Selfie Stick, The rollerblades. The snowboard. If you’re lucky that yields a brand. Later on you may have to add another word in order to protect your panache. Then you become “The original” as in The Original Pancake house, The Original denim jacket and The OriginalNetworking Ninja .
Factoring the familiar
Sometimes you need to add a little strange to make the familiar more powerful. That’s where Instant Brand and 30-Second Marketing come into play. Memorability can be added to anyone’s response to the question, “What do you do?”
Over the years I’ve used these responses:
Marketing Rainmaker (my original consulting title)
Networking Ninja (I’ve been speaking under that sobriquet and owned the URL since 1990)
Brand Poobah has been one of my titles for the last couple years as people kept asking me to help them with their Brand
Marketing, Networking and Brand are descriptive but not words that will tickle your little grey cells. Rainmaker says I can change your marketing and your life. Networking Ninja has a marvelous consonance and infuses expertise. Brand Poobah says expert but with a bit of tongue in cheek fun. All three are much more unforgettable than they were before the strange was added.
Want to make yourself “Strangely Familiar?”
Call me. 503 957-7901
Jerry Fletcher is a sought-after International Speaker, a beBee ambassador, founder and Grand Poobah of www.BrandBrainTrust.com
His consulting practice, founded in 1990, is known for Trust-based Brand development, Positioning and business development for independent professionals on and off-line.
