Posts Tagged ‘branding’
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
Posted in Marketing, Speaking, strategy | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 26th, 2011
Red alert: Kindle ebooks market is about to get a whole lot more crowded. And not with the good stuff. Somebody got the bright idea to compile information already in the public domain and sell it as a 99 cent ebook on Kindle. There are even learning systems out there (one for a whopping $27) to tell you step-by-step how to flood the market with these crappy Kindle books. The business model: the more stuff you throw at the Kindle wall, the more you can nickel-and-dime your way to success. I don’t know whether to laugh or get mad.
Ordinarily, I would ignore these shenanigans but want to give you a heads up. Why do you care? Two reasons: first, will the volume of 99 cent books drive down the price? And, if so, how low can legitimate experts go? And, second…buyers tend to paint with a very wide brush. If spam books take over a particular segment — business growth, for example — will legitimate content be seen as the same thing at first glance? It will be interesting to see how Amazon deals with these content farmers.
Bottom line: spammers tend to bring the channel down with them (Exhibit A: email marketing). So we will have to work even harder on branding and promotion.
Tags: authors, books, branding, Marketing, promotion, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
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
Posted in Marketing, Speaking, branding, strategy | No Comments »
Thursday, January 6th, 2011
I’ve been preaching for years about using labels to describe who you are and how you work. Saw this in full force last month at the TEDWomen Conference. My favorite examples:
- Three sisters redefined chamber music with a stellar and innovative performance. They call themselves “artistic hackers”.
- PhD student calls herself a “Social Roboticist”, and her work “an intersection of robots and entertainment”.
- An agricultural expert calls herself a “scientific farmer” who specializes in “food security”.
The common theme: two words that usually don’t come together create a mental picture that makes us want to see more. And this technique can describe anything — from who you are to your solution. The key: create juxtaposition. The more you meld unrelated things, the more compelling you become.
My question for the New Year: how will you describe your work?
Tags: branding, Marketing, positioning, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
Posted in Marketing, branding, strategy | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 28th, 2010
Here’s a chicken or the egg question I heard recently: Let’s say you are just starting in the “selling what I know” business and have a limited budget. Is it better to invest first in a strong brand, knowing that you will have less for marketing tools or to invest first in marketing tools and work on the brand later?
The answer: it depends on how willing you are to bet on yourself. For those who are scared, it feels safer to “just get out there” and hope for the best. Why? Because it’s less confrontive to invest a little bit of money, step back and say “ta da! Look at that pretty web site”. If the market ignores you, you haven’t lost your nest egg (yet). You have enough money to pay for another website, or hire a publicist for three months. If that doesn’t work, you still have enough money to pay living expenses while you write a book filled with strategic gibberish. You can go on like that for a year or so before you run out of money. Then you can sigh and say “well, I tried” and get a job. This is how experts go broke $1,000 at a time.
Remember the old story about frogs in boiling water? They died because they didn’t jump out in time. The water wasn’t hot enough until it was too late. Newbies (and those veterans at a crossroads) put themselves in hot water all the time.
If you are not scared, you’ll make the bold move and bet on your brand. Yes, it is intangible, and no, you won’t step back and say “ta da”. What you have is a secret weapon — that can be used for free.
Think about it: when you know how to describe your work, you can change how you talk to buyers. And that changes the buyers’ reaction to you. Those conversations didn’t cost you money; only your time. That’s how you build a business — one client at a time. When you get one or two clients, then you update the marketing tools — using new money. Sound good? Here’s the dark side: this works only if you have the guts to place that first bet. On your brand instead of marketing tools.
Many of us are at a crossroads. The market has changed and we know we must change with it. How we make that change depends on how much confidence we have in our work.
Tags: branding, conversations, experts, Marketing, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
Posted in Marketing, branding, strategy | No Comments »
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
Change management has been on executive development’s radar for some time now. What’s next? One word: complexity. Also known as operating in volatile environments. I call it Execution 2.0.
IBM’s study of 1500 conversations with top executives has fascinating insights. My favorite findings (and predictions):
- This problem is not going away soon; in fact, the problem will accelerate. Execs see one-of-a-kind challenges emerging that won’t be solved with current thinking. Result: Watch for more work in innovation. Execs will be forced to experiment, so credible experts can get away with promoting new ideas. (Key word: credible. Positioning your background is now a priority.)
- More than half of the CEO’s doubt their ability to manage this complexity. What this means to you: the combination of a big problem and awareness that they can’t solve it alone means this will be a budget line item with some zeros in it. The most important thing for getting selected: get to the real buyer, not the underlings. This is going to be a free-for-all; the big boys are already all over it. Watch for the market to get real crowded, real fast.
- Many see revenue growth coming from new avenues. This is great news for marketing gurus. Facilitators will benefit too from more meetings with customers, as their input is being used to differentiate products and services.
Bottom line: there are plenty of places for experts to play here: both soft skills (such as creativity and customer relations) and operations (key word: dexterity).
This report has great intelligence to plot your next move. Many thanks to Barry Wishner for the heads up on this study. Click here to read for yourself.
Tags: branding, experts, Marketing, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
Posted in Marketing, branding, strategy | No Comments »
Thursday, September 16th, 2010
One well-known consultant has got the reputation for taking truth-telling to a whole new level. The problem: the market has turned against his abrasive style. He was last seen hanging out in the woods somewhere.
What’s going on? We’re now in the Age of Respect. It’s no longer fun to get verbally beat up by those who think they know better than us. Buyers see right through this, correctly labeling this style as “big me, little you” syndrome.
Here’s a clue: if you have to say “I’m saying this out of love,” we all know that you are not.
What’s hot now: passion with a purpose. You can be forthright; you just can’t be insulting about it. And yes, I have more to say on the subject. Click here for my latest video.
I’ll cover other market dynamics that impact our signature style this Tuesday at the next Extreme Mini Makeover call. Click here to join me.
Tags: branding, Extreme Mini Makeovers, Marketing, positioning, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
Posted in Marketing, branding, strategy | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 7th, 2010
Thanks to the new economy, here’s a new idea for product development: frugal engineering.
What’s that? An alternative to offering the same product with less features, frugal engineering is innovation for emerging markets based on their needs. And my favorite part: the first step is starting with a blank page. Read for yourself this article from Strategy + Business.
This idea can easily be applied to experts and is a great approach to design products and services for those overlooked in the boom times. These folks need the basics and not all the assumptions we bring to those further along in the journey.
Get started by asking yourself two questions: Do you have services for newbies within your niche? And if so, are they the “lite” version of what you already have or did you design your offering based on new needs? My thinking cap is on…
Tags: branding, Marketing, positioning, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
Posted in Marketing, branding, strategy | No Comments »
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
Sometimes you can’t tell people something, they have to discover it for themselves. One of the coolest ways to make that happen: video trailers. Just saw one of these things and I see why buyers love them. The videos are very short — 30 to 60 seconds — so you have to be laser focused. Don’t think you can sell in that short time? Think about it — the big boys do it all the time for movies. They key: go beyond you just talking into the camera.
One of my favorite people, Janita Cooper at Master Video Disc and Design is all over it. She’s done book trailers for the big authors and knows the nuances to make the video compelling. We talked the other day about all the things you can promote via trailer: products, subscription services, an upcoming seminar. Just about anything.
Before you call her, be clear on one thing: your best message. And she’ll do the rest. (And no, I’m not making a commission from any of these referrals. I’ve seen Janita’s trailers and they rock. Now go see for yourself.)
Tags: branding, experts, Marketing, promotion, Vickie Sullivan
Posted in Marketing, branding, strategy | No Comments »
Thursday, August 19th, 2010
Here’s another deadly mistake experts make when they pitch a speech: they assume that being an author is enough to get the gig. I can understand why: after all, you’ve spent almost a year writing and promoting the dang thing. It’s time to get out there.
The reality: a book might get you in the first round of consideration if the overall approach is relevant. But in the midst of many options, buyers will go for the topic that not only addresses a hot trend or challenge but also hints at a unique approach. It is the latter — the approach — that gives an expert the inside edge.
Yes, I rant more about this topic via video — here’s the link again. And if you want my best ideas on how to create that topic, join me for Tuesday’s Extreme Mini Makeover call. Yes, you have to purchase the entire series — but the price point is low enough that if you get the help you need from just one call, it’s worth the investment.
Tags: authors, books, branding, experts, Extreme Mini Makeovers, Marketing, positioning, promotion, speakers, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
Posted in Marketing, Speaking, strategy | No Comments »
