THINKing

Show Up For Success

Your minister of the church of marketing has some words for you to ponder today: if you want to succeed you must show up. Woody Allen has often been quoted – incorrectly – on this subject. What he really said was, “80 percent of success is showing up.”

He was not talking about making a cameo appearance or a movie walk-on. He was suggesting that being there fully focused, giving your best effort and doing it on a consistent basis is the formula for success. Allen knows that most people just try to phone it in. And even then they don’t follow through every time, nor give it their all.

Friend Brent Dees says it another way during his Focus Four business coaching sessions. “Do what you say you’re going to do and do it on time. This applies to everything you do in life, from being an employee, a father, a business owner or a friend.”

Let’s consider it from a marketing perspective. I have written and distributed my e-newsletter monthly since April 2002. That’s 95 issues and counting.

Every month, rain or shine, I worry about what to say that will most help my readers in their businesses. Researching the subject and the links follows. Then, writing, editing and newsletter layout come next. Finally, I distribute it and then respond to any reader questions or requests. It takes roughly eight to 10 hours of my time each month and that is really cutting into my naps.

Do I ever want to take a break? Silly question. But the newsletter has long been my primary awareness vehicle. Every piece of business I landed for my first 6 years in business can be traced back to the newsletter in some way. Consistently getting it out at the same time each month has paid off for me.I think about what the president of window blind giant Levolor once said to me, “we can’t afford to do everything from a marketing perspective. But what we do, we can execute violently.”

The bottom line here is this: pick a few things and execute them to the best of your ability on a consistent basis. That’s showing up. Do that and 80 percent of success is yours. We’ll discuss the other 20 percent later. But right now, I need a nap.

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Put Away The Diamond Ring

It seems to me that many marketers are like the guy overeager to get married. That guy walks up to the first pretty girl he sees and immediately whips out the diamond ring, asking for the order, so to speak.

Marketers who ask for too much information from prospects the first time they meet is guilty of this, too.

I am always cautioning my clients about asking for too much information too soon.

If someone wants to sign up for your enewsletter, it’s OK if you initially just get an email address and a first name. That’s what I recommend. You can give the prospect the option to provide more but I only require those two elements.

As the prospect gets to know you and appreciates the content you are providing, then you can ask for a little more information.Or, if you want to provide them with some increasingly valuable content, then its appropriate to require a little deeper contact information.

FutureNow addressed this topic recently and I loved this line for their post,

Remember, it’s not about you or your sales process. Your visitors are volunteers in the process and are coming to your site with motivations and intent.

That’s dead-on. Those visitors are volunteers, there of their own accord. If you don’t provide them the information they need without asking them to marry you right away, your competition will. So, let’s put away the diamond ring until we are really sure about this whole marriage thing, OK?

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Marketing Spending Pays Off

Well, here’s a big surprise: small businesses which spend more during a downturn actually do better financially. Marketing professionals have been giving this advice to businesses of all sizes since the first recession. But too many business leaders make marketing their first, instead of their last, cut. It’s nice to have some empirical data to prove our assertion.

According to the “Small Business Marketing Health Check” report from Hurwitz & Associates, there is a correlation between small businesses that are doing well and greater marketing spending. Almost two-thirds of small businesses that expected increased revenues had raised or planned to raise marketing spending, compared with just 32% to 36% of businesses with flat or declining revenues.

During previous recessions, American Business Press has sponsored two studies on marketing expenditures, and the group found that:

- cutting spending on marketing and advertising during a recession produces negative short and long-term results in relation to sales and profits

-  additionally, during the 1974 – 75 recession years, the study found that companies not cutting marketing had higher sales and net income during those years and the two following years compared to companies which cut in either or both recession years.

But you have to be smart. A recession is not a time for profligate spending. You need to determine what is working best in terms of immediate lead generation and sales. Luckily, this time we have access to lower cost, easier to track digital media.

The previously mentioned “Small Business Marketing Health Check” indicates that smaller businesses were shifting away from traditional media and toward social media, email newsletters and search.

“The survey clearly reveals that the use of low-cost Web-based marketing tools is playing a strategic role in helping businesses succeed,” said Laurie McCabe, partner, Hurwitz & Associates, in a statement. “Making a few changes to incorporate more online tools into the marketing mix seems to be a key ingredient to small business success.”

What are you doing to tweak your marketing during this recession? Let us know.

Related articles:

Retailers Boost Spending on Holiday Advertising

How To Thrive In A Recession

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Old Media Drives New Media

The average American’s Internet use has nearly doubled in the past two years, according to a MediaPost article. This means that the Internet now accounts for 1/3 of the average US consumer’s media day. So, how are you going to get those Americans to your website, hmmm? By the way, did I tell you that your website is one of about 186 million?

Google Adwords can help, but it doesn’t drive the volume of web traffic most local businesses would like to see. If you have your own email list, superb. Nothing like email to drive current customer traffic. But what about for customer acquisition?

If you haven’t noticed, there is a fire sale going on at the old media store. Newspapers are struggling, so, too, are many radio and TV stations. Rates are down and so is competition for eyeballs. It’s a great time to increase your share of voice and take market share from weak competitors.

In my mind, a local business should be looking at these media opportunities. In particular, I’d look at my local newspaper, especially if it has a solid web presence. You can pick up packages that include both print and web options. For instance, according to the same MediaPost article:

The report further reveals that seven daily newspapers have achieved a net unduplicated reach of 80% or more when the past 30-day website visitor figure is combined with the past month print readership figure. Among these newspapers are the:

• New Orleans Times Picayune with a total unduplicated reach of 85.8%
• San Antonio Express-News (80.6%)
• Post-Standard in Syracuse (84%)
• Buffalo News (83.3%)
• Democrat & Chronicle in Rochester (80.9%)
• Peoria Journal Star (80.4%)
• Omaha World Herald (82.2%)

Says  Bob Jordan, President of The Media Audit,

“Daily newspapers were the first to embrace a multi-platform distribution strategy amidst a period when consumers were spending more and more time with the Internet. And as a result, newspapers followed the way of the consumer. By doing so, they have broadened their reach to include younger consumers. And these consumers are buying new cars and driving sales for retailers who represent a significant portion of the newspaper industry’s revenue… ”

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Jumpstart Your Marketing

Some of my top posts this quarter have been on things the marketer can do to jumpstart business. Let’s take a look:

Patience? No, Let’s Kill Something – There’s the old joke about the two buzzards sitting in a tree overlooking a highway. One responds to the other, “Be patient? I’m hungry. Let’s kill something.” Just like that buzzard, it is not in the nature of most marketers to be patient for business to grow. They want to go out and “kill something,” too.

Take Market Share Now -  Bold marketers know this: an economic downturn is the perfect time to gain market share. Spending marketing money during tough times seems counterintuitive, but time and again it has paid off for some of the best known brands. During the 1970s Revlon and Phillip Morris turned up the advertising heat to gain market share.

Take Your Vitamins -  Don’t just sit there in a funk. The media news may be gloomy but you don’t have to succumb. Be proactive. Here are a few One-A-Day Marketing Vitamins from my white paper on the subject.

It’s The Relationship, Stupid -  I don’t care how you slice it, when it comes down to fundamentals, business is all about relationships. Ignore this truth at your own peril. There’s a Huntersville, NC restaurant that I frequent called Positano. First time I went, my wife and I liked it a lot it. Good food, nice wine list, great desserts, good vibe, but only adequate service.

Get Well Defined -  Body builders do it, marketers should too. OK, all body builders have to do is lift and take steroids to get well defined, so their job is a little simpler. Let’s take a moment to see how marketers can better define their audiences.

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Social Media Generates Leads For Mainstream Marketers

More mainstream marketers are jumping on the social media bandwagon. The Center for Media Research reports,

According to a social media study by Michael Stelzner for the Social Media Success Summit 2009, 88% of marketers in a recent survey say they are now using some form of social media to market their business, though 72% of those using it say they have only been at it a few months or less. 

The study further indicates that “64% of marketers are using social media for five hours or more each week, with 39% using it 10 or more hours weekly and 9.6% spending more than 20 hours each week with social media.”

Why the sudden surge? Because it is working.

More than 80 percent of the survey respondents say social media has generated exposure; 61 percent say it has increased traffic, subscribers, list; 48 percent say it has generated leads, and 35 percent say it has helped close sales.Small business owners are most likely to report positive benefits from using social media. Its low relative cost levels the playing field.

Twitter leads the way among marketers, with 86 percent saying they have tried it. Twitter now beats out the New York Times in terms of traffic. Today, there are 10 million users, a growth rate of more than 1,000 percent in the past year. If you are new to Twitter, here is a quick overview of how to get started.

Are you using social media effectively? Tell us about it.

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Stodgy Blogs Lead The Way

Social media tools like Facebook and Twitter get all the buzz, but a new study finds that the stodgy old blog leads the way among StumbleUpon, YouTube, Delicious and Digg in generating leads.  According to an article in MediaPost,

Of the 167 executives and business owners surveyed by Internet marketing firm HubSpot, three-quarters of those that have tried blogging said their company blogs were “useful,” “important,” or “critical” to their business. Nearly half the companies have a blog, and three-quarters publish content at least weekly.

Has your lead generation mix changed due to the addition of social media?

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Dusty Archives – September 2008 Edition

Once again, it is time to sift through the dusty archives here at THINKing to pull out some gems you may not have seen the first time around. Let me know if there are some posts you particularly enjoyed and I’ll feature them in a future edition.

Shallow Brands

Creativity & You

It’s In The Cards

Activate Your Customers With Email

Good PR, Manipulative PR

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Let’s Review

THINKing has had some major growth in its subscriber base, and new THINKers may not have seen all the good stuff that has appeared here. So, let’s hop into the wayback machine and review some previous topics.

Learn more about your genial host in 8 Things You Didn’t Know About Me

Meet Mike Reative, aka Mikey, the living logo and creative muse of My Creative Team.

Stuck? Then you might need a brainstrom.

How’s Your Online Reputation? Do a Google search on your name, and then read this.

Need new business? Don’t forget existing customers.

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Patience? No, Let’s Kill Something!

There’s the old joke about the two buzzards sitting in a tree overlooking a highway. One responds to the other, “Be patient? I’m hungry. Let’s kill something.” Just like that buzzard, it is not in the nature of most marketers to be patient for business to grow. They want to go out and “kill something,” too.

The trouble is that most marketers go after new business the wrong way. They want to “take down” the new piece of business using all the tools of the trade from advertising and direct mail to cold calling and event marketing. This is an expensive way to drum up business.

Your existing clients are just waiting to tell you about people they know who could use your services, and then help sell you in to these people they refer. Not only is this more cost effective, it practically guarantees the prospects will share the same characteristics of your best customers. And with the advent of social media and new technology, it is even easier to do.

“OK, Harry,” you’re asking, “but how do I do it?”

The first rule of getting referrals: ask.

When should you ask? Let’s review.

- After your customer has purchased something from you is a great time to ask. The new customer is pumped up about your offering and you can harness that energy by asking for names of others who could benefit from doing business with you.

- Upon delivery of your product or service is the next time to ask. The benefits of your offering should be readily apparent now, so you can remind the customer of the importance of their referrals.

- Anytime you have personal contact with your customer is a good time to ask. You are continuing to build a relationship with them and can use the opportunity to ask for referrals. Don’t ask more than three times per year.

Many people hesitate to ask for referrals because they are not sure how to do it. Just be honest. Tell your customers that referrals are very important to the growth of your business, and that you want to grow it with people just like them. Remind them that the people they know will benefit from your service the way that they have. Then, ask.

Tell your prospect that you’d like for them to give you the names of three or four people who might benefit from your services. Pull out a sheet of paper and pen and look expectantly at them. If they can’t immediately give you names, ask some prompting questions. Such as:

Who are your three best friends? Who are the most successful business people you know? Can you think of anyone who would benefit from my services?

Write the names down and keep writing until the customer runs out of names. Then, go back and ask for contact information for each one. Get email addresses.

Thank the customer in the way you feel most comfortable. Some people like to send a gift, others will just drop a note of thanks. Some wait to see if the referral becomes a customer and then send a higher end gift. Do whatever works for you, but do thank them and keep them in the loop, letting them know about your follow up and the outcome of your prospecting.

So, don’t just sit there in your tree. Get out there and kill something.

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