Posts Tagged ‘Here’s the Deal’
Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
Heads up: There’s a trend emerging that can either be your worst nightmare or an opportunity for paradigm shift. I’m calling it the “free for all” syndrome and you better pay attention to it. Trust me, this is not going away when the economy rebounds.
As experts, we all know that giving away free content is just good business. And most of us noticed that the bar keeps rising. What’s happening now: the market now demands free stuff. As in, stuff that is usually purchased, not any of that pep talk with a pitch programs that are bandied about. Don’t give it up and you’ll either be ignored or bashed.
Think I’m joking? Exhibit A: Meeting Professionals International (MPI) got major grief for having the audacity to charge for virtual attendance to their World Education Congress 2009. There was a very loud contingent who felt that all that content — videos of all the presentations, handouts, all of it — should be free. These folks raised enough Cain that MPI actually had to go on the defensive on this. Can you imagine — demanding that you get for free what the attendees paid to get? Wow.
So here’s how I’m jumping on the bandwagon. Last month, I dd a Here’s the Deal call on writing that best-selling book. Folks loved it. Click here to get a free eight-minute preview where I give my best four book angles that will launch your brand. Yep, that’s right. It’s free. Just download and enjoy.
Tags: books, branding, Here's the Deal, Marketing, opportunity, shift, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, August 6th, 2009
It’s easy to focus on tools: books, websites, anything that gets you “out there.” Why? Because it is tangible — you feel like you’re making progress. Why it doesn’t work: the intangible cart needs to come before the tangible horse. If your differentiation is not clear and compelling, then no slick-looking tool is going to make the phone ring (or the emails come in).
Claire Hatch allowed me to draw out insights she knew but wasn’t using. Together, we created her “manifesto” on the state of marriage today — a toolbox and approach that “affair-proofs” any union. Result: Claire can not only add killer content to her site, but can also have sales conversations that immediately show value. (And yes, brain cells were hurt in the process.) You have to be willing to say what no one else is saying – then you’ll be in that “gotta have” category. Great job, Claire!
The manifesto call is coming up – and I’m gearing up with new strategies to deal with this economy. Click here for info and to register.
Tags: branding, differentiation, Here's the Deal, manifesto, Marketing, sales conversations, strategy, tools, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
Whew! The National Speakers Association convention was hot in more ways than one. (It was a blistering 115 degrees outside. That’s bad, even for Phoenix.)
This time the elephant in the room was cussed and discussed. Folks are getting real about how the economy is impacting the business. What’s not being discussed: the big reason why. The brutal truth is that the “nice to have” projects are gone. Buyers are buying what they need right now, not what they might need in the future. So if your topic, your expertise, your brand is not in the “gotta have this now” category, you’re benched for a while. And no amount of spin will help you.
So that begs the question: how are you see as the urgent solution? Buyers compare what you know with what they need. And putting out what you know in a compelling way is what the next Here’s the Deal call on August 11th is all about. Click here to register.
Tags: branding, Here's the Deal, Marketing, NSA, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, July 16th, 2009
Had a total blast on Tuesday’s call. As an avid reader, I love books. As an advocate experts, I want authors to get the value of all their hard work. But it’s just plain crazy in the publishing world. And let’s face it: publishers and agents want to sell books. They don’t care one bit about your platform or if you leverage all your time and money. To their defense, they aren’t suppososed to care. Let’s get real: that’s your job.
One of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen authors make: they forget who is in charge of their platform. They are so thrilled that a publisher wants their book, they throw strategy out of the window. They’ll do anything the publisher wants; won’t even try to suggest a better idea. The result: a book that sounds great, even gets some sales, but doesn’t translate into better opportunities for any other revenue stream. Like speaking or consulting. I call this having fame without fortune. Nothing good comes from this.
Here’s the secret: publishers want to sell books. Platforms sell books. Keeping the publisher happy and supporting your platform are not mutually exclusive. You have a voice here. Use it. If you want to hear about the other mistakes authors make, reality checks on what books can really do for your business and other good stuff, the mp3 of Tuesday’s call is now available. Click here to purchase.
Tags: agents, authors, books, experts, Here's the Deal, Marketing, publishers, publishing, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, July 9th, 2009
I just love it when someone calls the game. A couple of weeks ago I ran across this article in Fast Company by Po Bronson. Written back in January and highlighted in FC’s email digest in June. Bronson is a New York Times best-selling author and thisarticle shows why. His books take on compelling subjects and turns what you think about the topic on its head.
He’s not afraid to call something stupid, even if it’s popular. And his reasoning is simple yet brilliant. He shows his prominence in his stories. This is what I want to want to tell folks about on Tuesday’s Here’s the Deal call. The book only showcases what you already have and who you already are. If you are not acting like a seven-(and eight) figure visionary, do you really think a book will make you that? Unless you have built in sales or distribution systems (and those can evaporate in a heart beat) then why do you give up almost a year of your life?
A book is just gasoline to launch a rocket already built. I can’t wait to explore the other reality checks we all need before devoting our life to a book (or website, or any other tool). Click here to join me.
Tags: authors, books, Here's the Deal, Marketing, sales, showcase, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, July 7th, 2009
Interesting tidbit about books from industry powerhouse Bowker’s: in 2008 U.S. book production declines three percent with 275,000 plus titles put on the market. That’s right, there’s almost 300,000 titles competing with your literary baby.
But wait, there’s more. On demand publishing explodes with 132% growth. Yep, more than double the titles from 2007. Another 285,000 plus titles promoted over the Internet, tweeted about and distributed through the usual social media sites.
If that’s not a noisy market, I don’t know what is. Good news though: the big winners in 2008 were education and business. (The losers: travel, religion, and fiction.) I can’t wait to cuss and discus the trends and how to use them to our advantage. Join the lively conversation on July 14th when the Here’s the Deal series deals with the wild, wild world of books. Only $59 — is that worth making your book better? Click here for more information and to register.
Tags: books, Here's the Deal, publishing, social media, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, June 25th, 2009
Wow…the Here’s the Deal call on Tuesday went great. A lively discussion both at 30,000 feet and on the ground. I did something I rarely do: shine the spotlight on someone else’s work.
I’ve known Philippa Gamse for eons. We met at the back of a conference room, heckling a technology speaker. Every time he said something stupid, Philippa would quietly correct him for me. I immediately knew she had the inside scoop. So when I did this call on websites, I promoted her services. While I know what the website needs to brand high-fee experts, she knows how to implement the strategy. And it’s that combination — how the positioning comes off online and the tiniest thing that gets the positioning clear — that makes us a dynamic duo. Check out this balancing act with the mp3 file now available here. To check Philippa out, click here.
Tags: branding, Here's the Deal, Philippa Gamse, positioning, speakers, Speaking, strategy, technology, Vickie Sullivan, websites
Posted in Marketing, Speaking, branding, strategy | 1 Comment »
Thursday, June 18th, 2009
Still on my rant about websites. They are truly one of the biggest double-edged swords in our business. They can prompt prospects to call you (I just got a call ten minutes ago from my site) or be the biggest time drain on the planet. I’ve had not one, but two clients now spend over one year on overhauling their site. Why? Because they hired web designers who thought their opinion was more valuable than their client’s. Because the designers promised something they couldn’t deliver. And because, through nobody’s fault, life showed up.
The problem: the more chefs you have in the kitchen, the more convoluted the soup. Someone has to lead and that person is the owner of the site. I’m going to rant more on how to make sure your designer is a good fit at the next Here’s the Deal call on June 23rd. Click here to register.
Tags: Here's the Deal, Marketing, rant, strategy, Vickie Sullivan, websites
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Thursday, May 21st, 2009
OK…enough time has passed that I can write about this without crying. Last month, while preparing for the Here’s the Deal call comparing low and high fee brands, disaster struck. My “fur baby” Tigger got sick and wasn’t getting well. When I heard that forlorn meow Friday morning, I knew I had to make that long trip to the vet’s office. While waiting for my husband to get home, I had to deal with another deadline: writing the 14-page script for the call.
I was in no mood for messing around. I wanted to get the dang thing done so I could comfort my cat. Has that ever happened to you? Life gets in the way while you’re trying to be perfect? I take pride in creating the best content, but this time I really didn’t care. I sat down and wrote 14 single-spaced, 12-point font pages — in five hours. A land speed record for me, who is always searching for just the right phrase, for the most nuanced point. Not this time.
I gave the class the next Tuesday. We had a few minutes left over so I opened up the call for questions. There was a moment of silence. And then I heard two magical words from website expert Philippa Gamse: brilliant analysis. I was stunned beyond belief. Here’s what she wrote later:
“This week’s class was a totally brilliant analysis of two diametrically opposed business models – how they operate, who their markets are, what skills are involved, the pros and cons of each approach, etc. It left me personally in no doubt as to which course to follow! Of course, all your classes are brilliant — this one was just exceptionally so.”
Moral of the story: when disaster strikes, we are forced to focus only on what is most important. And that’s precisely what your clients want to hear.
Tags: Here's the Deal, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, May 14th, 2009
Has this ever happened to you? A buyer will show great initial interest, then ignore your calls after you send the information they requested. Frustrating, isn’t it?
We drilled down on this at length on Tuesday’s Here’s the Deal call on competing in crowded markets. (You can purchase the MP3 file of the call here.) Here’s what takes place: in crowded markets, experts will cast the fishing net out wide, depending on the clever slogan to get initial attention. And it does. The buyer likes the witty play on words enough to ask for more information. (Which leads said expert to think, “YEA!! I’m gonna get this job!”) But when the buyer checks out the website or that speaker one-sheet, they find there’s nothing interesting past the slogan. That’s when wittiness isn’t enough for the next round of consideration and the brand-by-tagline expert is immediately disqualified. The buyer is busy, and really doesn’t know why you didn’t make the initial cut, so they don’t bother to return your calls.
The lesson: where there is money, there is competition. And in the heat of competition, it’s easy to brand ourselves with cleverness, thinking “If I just get my foot in the door, I’ll get the assignment” (or job, or speaking engagement, whatever). Don’t do it. Compete for the final round of consideration, not for the cheap thrill of “Sounds great, do you have any information I can look at?” You’ll spend a lot less time selling and more time closing.
Tags: branding, competition, Here's the Deal, sales, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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