Archive for the ‘Marketing’ Category
Tuesday, June 7th, 2011
In the boom times, time was on our side. Not any more. Even with the recovery, many buyers are still acting like it’s 2008. What to do now: get strategically tactical.
When coming out of a recession, it’s easy to go nuts in the spirit of “getting out there” and spend money and time throwing spaghetti on the wall. This scattershot approach feels comfortable with all the vendors out there selling volume activity at a low price. You’re not breaking the bank and yet you’re “doing something”.
The problem: the market is too noisy for that approach. Unless your message is honed to strategic hot buttons (the buyer’s, not yours) then all you’re doing is contributing to the white noise.
Instead, go small by turning what you already have into gold. If you’ve written a book during the downturn, now is the time to turn that book into cash and clients. Got media? Then focus on tactics that will turn that media into a steady stream of qualified leads. On the speaking circuit? Then pack the house with decision makers who need to preview you
Now is the time to leverage all your assets. Sales cycles are not getting shorter, so don’t think that your big branding efforts will turn into revenue all by itself. Implement tactics that give focused sales messages to narrower target markets. It’s easier to hit the bulls-eye when you can clearly see the target.
Tags: experts, Marketing, positioning, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, May 19th, 2011
Yes, the economy is growing and buyers are still a little timid. So managing their fear can be the biggest obstacle standing between their challenges and our solutions.
Martin Lindstrom, author of one of my favorite books, Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy, has a different take than the old “just show your value and it will be OK” fluff out there. His advice: understand the fundamental role of fear and then use that to strengthen your position. This can work in marketing campaigns to thousands and one-on-one sales conversations. It can create compelling content for speeches, articles, anything you use to market your expertise.
Read this Fast Company article he wrote and pay attention to two things:
- How he sets up the 30,000-foot perspective with a rhetorical question and then dives down into three specific strategies.
- The strategies themselves. How can you implement what he suggests?
Great food for thought, even as we enjoy this economic growth spurt.
Tags: branding, experts, Marketing, positioning, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, May 12th, 2011
When many experts saw their big corporate contracts vanish, they migrated to small business where sales cycles were shorter. That was a good move as this segment is now focused on growth for the first time since 2006, according to the 2011 American Express Open Spring Small Business Monitor released last month.
Using these findings, four opportunities for experts are promising:
- General growth strategists: 56% of respondents are ready to risk for the sake of growth. They need to know the safest bets and how to get from here to there.
- Social media is still strategy du jour for promoting to new customers, moving up to 44% from 39% last year. Don’t assume that only social media experts can apply; sales gurus can help, too. The priority: how to turn that interest into sales. The top concern is return on investment.
- Hiring the right people will take center stage, as plans to expand here is up nine points to 35 percent. Remember, many of these folks don’t have an HR department, so they need the basics as well as the advance material. This is a broad area, so packaged products on interviewing, assessments, etc., will be more welcomed than traditional training.
- Financial and risk management folks can have a field day in this segment. Cash flow is a huge concern for 66% of the respondents, up from 60% a year ago. This means collection issues, evaluating credit policies (and customers), all that can be priority.
Click here to see more findings.
Tags: experts, Marketing, opportunity, positioning, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, May 10th, 2011
I dread giving bad news. Always flit between the “stay out of other people’s business” and the “but I can avoid future train wrecks” arguments. But when Dan Janal asked me about the biggest mistakes speakers make, I just let loose. Later, he told me, “that’s some pretty bitter medicine you just gave”.
What I said in a nutshell: too many speakers write books for all the wrong reasons. The result: books that brand good people as “hire me — I’m free and always will be”. Now that’s okay if you’re a consultant looking for clients. Too many folks depend on books to get paid speaking. And it’s only after they’ve spent months (and major money) on producing and promoting the book when reality hits: no new revenue is forthcoming.
Here’s the antidote: strategy first, then start writing. Look around your space and ask yourself: where’s the hole in the market? What angle is not being covered? And the big kahuna question: what new perspective can I add to this conversation? These answers will make sure your book will get you those paid gigs.
The rest of the interview was enlightening, too. Click here to give a listen.
Tags: authors, books, branding, experts, Marketing, positioning, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, May 5th, 2011
First we had classroom-type training. Then Corporate America latched on to online training. Then they blended the two. What’s next? Tools that make trainers out of everyone.
Yes, technology is involved. According to this Fast Company article, cloud-based MindFlash has lowered the cost and raised the easy factor. Their goal: have a new user sign up, configure a course, and invite students in 15 minutes or less.
Where will this go? Too soon to tell. My prediction: Gen Y’s will jump on this quickly as they already have basic-multi-media skills. Unfortunately, many of them don’t have the expertise (or the war stories) of the Boomers. This will be a great bridge-builder between the generations. And Corporate America will make training everyone’s responsibility.
I wouldn’t fight this trend. Instead, let’s play the game. One way we can participate: experts like us can help make the training consistent. The last thing companies can tolerate is contradictory ways to do the same thing. And experts on curriculum development will see some great opportunities ahead.
Tags: experts, positioning, strategy, training, trends, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, April 21st, 2011
Heard a lot of speakers while on the Harvard University trip to India. One of my favorites was Dr. Kiran Bedi, former prison warden turned social activist. What got her started as the first woman in the Indian Police Service: being a tennis champion.
How did that happen? Her championship career got her media coverage. She was portrayed as mentally tough and a strong competitor. That brand fit well into the police environment. She looked like a safe bet because people “knew her”. According to Dr. Bedi, “They could check me out”. Talk about juxtaposition.
The moral of the story: your background is important; the media about your background is critical. Key question: what does the media coverage of your background say about you?
Tags: branding, Marketing, positioning, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, April 12th, 2011
Do you send RFPs (requests for programs) to speak at meeting industry events? Many of us do, as this is a target rich environment. Then check out this poll by Meetings and Conventions magazine. The #1 reason why your buyers show up at these events? Educational sessions win by a wide margin, garnering 83% of the respondents’ top pick.
More good news: a vast majority — 90% — will attend more or the same number of events as last year. My recommendation: focus on topics that align meetings to business objectives. Help them craft a new role with content on strategic thinking, rebranding, and how to sell their ideas/role to the C-suite. This is not the place for your canned presentations. If you speak here, bring your “A” game.
Tags: education, experts, Marketing, meetings, positioning, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, April 7th, 2011
Even in this recovery, buyers are still careful with who they choose. Sales cycles are still filled with plenty of twists and turns. Objections pop up way more often than in the boom times.
How we approach objections is now a deal-breaker. According to Mike Schultz at the RAIN Group, these protests are not a sign of resistance. They are signs of engagements. And because we see only the resistance, too many of us experts view objections as a sign of rejection or as a call to battle. (Or a reason to think people are idiots. I’m just sayin’…)
What Mike proposes: get to the heart of the problem. And he has some dang good ideas — along with a five-step process — for dealing with objections in this 22-page report.
When we take the time to get to the real issue, the doors to deals open wide. Click here to check out his technique for going beyond rhetoric. As for me, I’m turning over a new leaf.
Tags: consultants, conversations, experts, Marketing, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, March 31st, 2011
A client emailed me the other day, worried that she would run out of ideas to blog about. Laughed so hard hot tea almost came out through my nose. She has a point though — where do we get our inspiration and ideas to share? Here’s my top three strategies:
- Everyday experiences. If you pay close enough attention, you can learn a lot. One interaction, one incident. Doesn’t take much, especially if you spot a pattern.
- Current events. Many of you know how much I love research, so guess what I blog about: yep, my favorite studies. Don’t just quote the stats though — offer your opinion. Or share an idea.
- The rant factor. If something is important enough to vent about to trusty sidekick Vicky Likens, the issue will be blogged on. (Usually after I calm down.) That’s the power of a sounding board.
Bottom line: many times, our brilliance is just buried. It takes something outside ourselves to draw it out.
Tags: blog, conversations, experts, Marketing, positioning, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, March 24th, 2011
Earlier this month, I passed along Mary O’Hara Devereaux’s predictions for the economy. Need more industry evidence? According to Smith Travel Research, hotel room rates will skyrocket in 2011 and 2012, with the average daily rate rising over four percent this year alone (and a whopping 6.8 percent increase in 2012). The CEO is predicting 2012 rates to “rival the boom years of 2006 and 2007″. One reason: demand is rising, but supply remains flat.
Why do you care? Because buyers are already skittish about meeting spend. Between these increases, air fares rising and an almost 30 percent increase in food prices, what do you think their reaction will be? You guessed it…anything that can be cut (such as speaker fees) will be cut. Combine this will more free speakers hitting the market (thanks to all those PR agencies) and what do you have? A big hassle on getting your speaking fees, especially those under $5,000.
The antidote: be someone they want bad enough to pay for.
Tags: experts, Marketing, meetings, positioning, speakers, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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