Cracking the Marketing Code
Have you ever felt like marketing was a code that you hadn't yet cracked? And yet if you could crack this code you know marketing could really start working for you.
Well, there is a code and you can crack it.
To effectively market your professional services there are seven important things you must recognize, understand and practice. It will take some time and focus, but it won't cost you a fortune.
Over the next seven issues of More Clients I'll be giving you an overview of "The Eight Most Important Principles for Attracting More Clients and Growing Your Business."
The topics are as follows:
1. The Most Important Marketing Spirit2. The Most Important Marketing Strategy
3. The Most Important Marketing Technique
4. The Most Important Marketing Activity
5. The Most Important Marketing Asset
6. The Most Important Marketing Tool
7. The Most Important Marketing Leverage
8. The Most Important Marketing Investment
You may be familiar with some of these ideas, but as I divulge them to you over the next few weeks I want you to do a little more than read them over quickly.
Print them out. Think about them. And do the brief assignment I'll give at the end of every installment. If you do, I believe you'll be a lot closer to cracking the marketing code for your business.
Each installment of this series will be in the form of a dialog between an Independent Professional (IP) and a marketing coach (MC). Hopefully this will make the material a little more palatable and fun to read!
1. The Most Important Marketing Spirit
The Spirit of Play
IP - I really don't enjoy doing marketing that much. I actually get overwhelmed by it. There seems to be so many things I could do and when I finally get around to doing them, I never really get the kind of results I'd hope for. Is there some kind of code or system to make marketing both more effective and easier?
MC - Yes, you might say there's a code you need to crack to make marketing work for you. There are seven important principles that you need to master, but the first one may be the most important of all. Without it, marketing your business or accomplishing anything else, for that matter, is very difficult.
I call it Marketing Spirit.
IP - Sound kind of woo-woo to me. Is this really practical?
MC - It's the most practical thing in the world. Tell me, what do you really enjoy doing the most in your business? What gets you excited? What is something you can do for hours and it never gets boring?
IP - That's easy; it's when I'm working with my clients. When I'm consulting, training or coaching. I love it because when I work with my clients I can see their understanding growing and their business and lives changing before my eyes. I can't get enough of it.
MC - Perfect! And what's the spirit you bring to that work?
IP - Well, I guess you might call it the spirit of discovery and contribution, of making a difference.
MC - That's all I'm talking about. You bring a certain spirit to your work. And when you do, it's as if time stands still and you feel happy and fulfilled.
IP - Exactly.
MC - Well, I've discovered that you need to bring a certain spirit to marketing yourself as well. If you don't, it becomes a chore, something you avoid doing.
IP - But that's understandable. Marketing is very different from the work I do with my clients. When I'm working with them I'm always winning. Things are moving ahead. I can see progress. So I bring that energy, or as you call it spirit, to what I do and then I get positive reinforcement that increases my energy.
With marketing, I try something, it doesn't work that well and then my poor results make me feel worse. So what kind of spirit could I possibly bring to marketing?
MC - First of all, tell me, did it always go well with your clients? Did you always feel that energy that kept you going?
IP - I guess not. It took some time to really learn my craft. I kept at it and I was working at a larger firm for the first several years of my career. So it wasn't all on me. I got support, input, ideas until things began to click and I mastered my profession.
MC - And were you taught how to market and sell yourself when you were with your firm?
IP - No, other people brought in clients. I just got the assignments. But after several years I felt I wanted a bigger challenge and went out on my own. I started my own practice a few years ago.
At first I didn't have to market much because I had a network I'd developed and business came to me by word-of-mouth. But despite the good work I've done for my clients, things have slowed down somewhat because many of the contacts in the companies that referred me have retired or moved on.
MC - So now you're left with a practice that needs more business and you've never really had to market yourself. You're trying to produce results in an area where you have very little experience. Is it any wonder that you're not very good at it?
IP - I guess not. So what I hear you saying is that with time, patience and practice I can get better at it and will then be able to bring some spirit to my marketing. Right?
MC - Almost right, but you really need to put the cart before the horse. You need to generate the spirit first. Then the whole process will be a lot easier.
IP - And that spirit is?
MC - You've got to approach marketing and learning about marketing in the "spirit of play." And play is about wonder, discovery, risk and being in the moment.
You need to let go of all your preconceived notions about what marketing is and set out to discover it newly. You're carrying around so much baggage about marketing that it's impossible for you to see it for what it actually is.
IP - And that is?
MC - Marketing is about sharing value. It's about helping people understand what you can do for them. It's about communicating elegantly about the difference that you make. And it's about finding and expressing your authentic self.
IP - That doesn't sound much like the marketing I know about which is about stretching the truth, boasting about what you can do, manipulating people into meeting with you and overcoming a boatload of objections.
MC - Well that may be marketing for some people, but wouldn't you prefer to learn an approach to marketing that was fun, interesting, engaging and actually added value to your potential clients before you even started working with them?
IP - Yeah, I'd take that any day!
MC - Great. So let me give you something to play with until we meet next week. I want you to think about and then write down the answer this question to yourself: "What do I have to give to my clients?"
IP - That's it?
MC - Yes, and I don't want a feeble answer like, "My ten years of expertise as a consultant, trainer and coach." I really want you to look at your true value from all sides. And I want an in-depth list that expresses that value. And I want you to approach this exercise in the spirit of play. Have fun with it.
IP - OK, I'll do it. I look forward to our meeting next week!
Dear subscriber, I invite you ask and answer this question as well. See you next week with the installment on "The Most Important Marketing Strategy."
2. The Most Important Marketing Strategy
Making Marketing a Game
MC - Last week I left you with the question, "What do I have to give to my clients?" What did you come up with.
IP - At first I couldn't come up with much. I made a list of the many skills that I use in my practice. But none of these was very unique. I consult, I coach, I train. But so do a zillion other people.
So I decided to ask a few of my clients, and what I heard surprised me. None of them even mentioned my basic skills. Instead they talked about my energy and enthusiasm, my commitment and my passion to make a difference with them.
MC - Yes, that's what I was looking for. What did you realize?
IP - Well, I saw that I brought all this positive energy to what I did but hardly any of it to marketing myself and my services. You were right, the first marketing principle is missing - the spirit of play. I do my marketing with zero energy or enthusiasm.
MC - A good thing to realize, because this week we're going to talk about the Most Important Marketing Strategy - making marketing a game. One of the big reasons you and many others struggle with marketing is that you don't see it as a game. You don't know the rules, how to play and how to win. It's no wonder you get lousy results.
I know you're familiar with baseball. Can you tell me the four main things a baseball player does when he plays the game?
IP - Let's see, he throws the ball, catches the ball, hits the ball and runs. That's about it.
MC - Great, and if you take 18 players and put them out on a field and have them throw, catch, hit and run, do you have a game of baseball?
IP - No, it would be chaos. People would be doing all of those things randomly - but there wouldn't be a game.
MC - Exactly. No rules, no structure, no strategy and you don't have a game. But if you think, isn't that the way a lot of businesses market themselves? They do a bunch of marketing activities without any rules, structure or strategy.
Is it any wonder that you don't get consistent results from your marketing? But can you imagine what might happen if you realized marketing was a game that had specific rules, structure and strategy that you could follow to win?
IP - Yeah, I'd probably have a better chance of winning and attracting more clients. So how exactly does this game work?
MC - Well, my name for this game is Marketing Ball. Just like baseball you go around the bases until you score a run - or win a new client. Let me give you the basic rules.
You start at home plate. To stand there you'd first better have a good idea of the target market you're selling it to, the service you're selling, and the difference this service makes.
The game starts anytime you communicate to your prospects about your business. This could be done verbally, in writing, on the web, through a presentation, etc.
Your first job is to get to first base. You know you're on first base if you simply have the attention and interest of your prospect - they want to know more.Your next job is to get to second base. You know you're on second base when your prospect is ready to explore working with you. They are beyond interest. They really want to know how you can help them.
Next you need to get to third base. You know you're on third base when your prospect is ready to buy. They are convinced your services will help them solve their problem and give them the results they're looking for.
Finally, you need to score a run by getting to home base. You know you're on home base when the prospect not only wants to work with you, but you've got a signed proposal and a check in hand. You're ready to start working with your new client.
IP - I love the baseball metaphor. It makes a lot of sense to me. But there's one thing you haven't told me...
MC - What you need to do to get onto the bases?
IP - Exactly. In baseball you hit the ball and run. How do you move around the bases? If I knew that I really think I could make this a game I could win.
MC - Yes, you could! So let me give you a snapshot of what you need to get around the bases. And as we continue to meet, I'll explain in much more detail exactly what you need to do to win the game of Marketing Ball.
To get onto first base you need to generate attention and interest from your prospect.To get onto second base you need to satisfy the prospect's need for information and build trust and credibility.
To get onto third base you must understand the real needs of the prospect and present a solution that will meet those needs.
To get to home you simply need to come to agreement on the terms of your service, including pricing.
IP - You make it sound so easy! But by breaking it down into these four steps it sounds approachable, something I could do and, as you say, make a game out of it. So where do I start?
MC - You first need to understand how to get prospects onto first base. That's the foundation of everything that follows. And since gaining attention and interest is the key to getting prospects onto first base, the question is, what are you currently saying to get that attention and interest?
IP - Well up to this point when people ask me what I do, I tell them I provide consulting, coaching and training for companies and that I use many different, innovative approaches that are proven to work to enhance teamwork, productivity and leadership effectiveness.
MC - And people jump up and down with excitement when you tell them this?
IP - Hardly! It just doesn't go anywhere. I'm excited about what I do and the tools I use to get great results, but if someone hasn't heard about me first or I haven't been referred by a satisfied client, I can talk and talk but nothing happens.
MC - So first we need to determine what does get attention and interest. Let me give you the formula first and then I have an assignment for you to test it in the real world.
What best gets a prospect's attention and interest is when they hear you have a solution to a problem that they can directly relate to. It needs to be very immediate and real.
What you're doing instead is talking about your service and your process. It's just too indirect. It's too hard to translate what this means for their specific situation. There's no answer to the question every prospect has, "What's in it for me?"
Tell me, who are your ideal clients?
IP - My ideal clients? Well I've worked with a lot of different kinds of companies but I'd say my biggest opportunity is with growing software development firms.
MC - And what's the biggest problem they're experiencing that you can help them with?
IP - They are wasting, time money and resources because they are not working as a team and their leadership is lacking.
MC - OK that will work. It's a good start.
Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to give you what I call an Audio Logo. It's an attention-getting statement that you use when someone asks you what you do. And then I want you to get out and talk to people in your target market and use your Audio Logo and see what happens.
Here's the formula that I want you to work with and fine-tune as you use it with people. When asked what you do, you say the kind of company you work with followed by the main problem they are experiencing. So it might go something like this:
"I work with growing software companies who are frustrated that, despite having great products and talented people, they are not generating the kind of results they know are possible."IP - Not bad, I think that does zero in on the typical client I work with. They know they could do better but they don't know how. But what do I say after this? Should I then say more about what I do, how I do it, and the results they get?
MC - We'll get into the details of the next part of this conversation next week, but one of the keys to success with an Audio Logo is knowing when to shut up! Don't say anything. Wait for a response. And then if they ask you something, steer the person around to talking more about their situation, their problem. Don't focus on what you do. Focus on them. Focus on their issues.
And when we talk next week we'll discuss what I call "The Most Important Marketing Technique." It will help you understand better how to play Marketing Ball and get around the bases using effective marketing conversations.
Dear subscriber, I invite you do this assignment yourself as well. They key is to try your Audio Logo with real live people and see where it goes.
3. The Most Important Marketing Technique
Speaking the Language of Results
MC - How did it go with your assignment to test your Audio Logo with several people?
IP - It went better than I'd expected. I realized that it just wasn't what I said that made a difference, it's what I didn't say. I did what you recommended - used the Audio Logo and then shut up and noticed how people responded.
Several people didn't respond much at all and I was disappointed until I realized they weren't really prospects anyway. I used to waste my time talking to people who would never buy my services. But some people actually were qualified prospects and I did get their attention.
MC - Tell me how it went.
IP - Well, the hardest thing was resisting the impulse to jump in and tell them all the things I could do for them. Instead, when they asked me more about what I did, I turned it around. I was pretty proud of myself. I got them talking about the problems of productivity, teamwork and leadership in their businesses.
MC - Sounds like you did well. How did those conversations end?
IP - Well, a few gave me their business cards. But I'm a little stuck. I'm not sure what to do next. It looks like I got them onto first base but I have no idea how to get them onto second.
MC - What we're going to talk about today is how to do that - what I call the Most Important Marketing Technique. In the context of the Marketing Ball model you might say I'm going to show you how to hit the ball and run the bases the most efficient way by using the language of results.
But your running is off to a pretty good start. Can you tell me a little more about what happened in your initial conversations? And can you tell me what didn't go so well?
IP - Although I did a pretty good job of letting them talk, I had a very hard time telling them about what I did for clients without getting into my process. A couple times I got very conceptual and I could see their eyes glazing over!
MC - I know that look well. Tell me more.
IP - And I was terrible at wrapping up the conversation and knowing how to move things forward. So even though I was making progress, I didn't feel I was "knocking the ball out of the park."
MC - I'm glad you brought that up. It's easy to put our expectations way too high when we talk about our services. The goal is to get on first base - to get some attention and interest and then to establish a little trust and credibility. Finally, we want to open the door for a possible follow-up.
However we're impatient to do more than that - to knock the ball out of the park. We want to utter our Audio Logo and have someone say, "Oh, my God, you do that!!?? I've been looking for someone who could do that for years!!! I have a half million dollar budget. Can you come over today and help us out???
IP - Yeah, I get it. That's never going to happen. What I hear you saying is that base hits and going around the bases one at a time is what it takes to get a new client.
MC - Exactly. But you can still learn how to more quickly and efficiently get a prospect on one base after another until they become a client. That's by using the language of results.
Are you familiar with the word syntax?
IP - Isn't that the way words are arranged to form phrases and sentences?
MC - Yes, and syntax is what makes sense out of things. If I said, "I'm going outside to play baseball" it would mean something very different than saying "Outside play I'm going to baseball." The words are the same but the syntax is different and the meaning changes.
IP - And this has what do do with marketing?
MC - Well, in your assignment I showed you the first steps of Marketing Syntax. I told you to say two things - the clients you worked with and the problems they were experiencing. This is what got you some attention and interest.
Marketing Syntax is the way marketing messages are arranged to generate attention, interest, desire and action. If you use the right order you get better results than if you use the wrong order.
And what I've found to be the most effective overall Marketing Syntax are messages arranged in this order: Target Market - Problem - Outcome - Value - Proof - Offer.
IP - And you're saying that when I talk to people about my business and I use the language of results or Marketing Syntax I'll ultimately attract more clients?
MC - I've proven it over and over. Let me give you a brief summary of how it works. In this case we'll use the scenario where you're networking and meeting with prospective clients and the topic of your business comes up. You want to try your best to talk about your business in this order:
Target Market - You always want to say this first. People want to know that you recognize and understand them. You let them know immediately that your message is for them. "I work with..."Problem - Next you want to talk about the problems, challenges, issues and predicaments they are facing. This shows you understand them and can relate to them. They automatically want to know how you can help. "...who have XYZ challenges..."
Outcome - This is the mirror image of the Problem. The next thing people want to know is what ultimate Outcome or solution they'll get from you. They want to be assured you can actually help. "Our clients say the main thing they get from us is..."
Value - Next people want to know more about that Outcome. They want to know the various benefits they can expect to receive. So all the benefits you provide is very welcome news. "And some of the key benefits they receive are..."
Proof - After people have heard your Outcomes and Value they want some Proof. "Have you done this before with people like me?" And the best way to give Proof is by telling success stories. "A client we worked with recently had a similar issue..."
Offer - Finally, after you've gotten this far, you need to make an Offer for something. People at this point want even more information about your ideas. "I have an article that explains this in more detail. Can I send it to you?"
IP - Wow, you make it sound so simple, but I'll bet it's harder than that. It seems to me that persuasion is more of an art and you've reduced it to a six-step process!
MC - Well, it is harder than that - after all, the basic rules of sentence structure are pretty simple too, but it takes some time to learn a language. Nevertheless, having a formula to follow is a great way to get the hang of basic persuasion.
I call Marketing Syntax the most important marketing technique because you can use it every single time you communicate about your business - in a one-on-one conversation, in a letter or email, in the content of your web site or even in an article.
So the next time you talk or write about your business, use Marketing Syntax and you're guaranteed to get more attention, interest, desire and action than if you didn't use it.
My assignment for you this week is to talk to more people about your business and to continue the conversation using Marketing Syntax. After you've gotten attention with the Target Market and Problem, generate more interest and desire with your Outcome and some Value. Then move people to action by making an Offer to send them more information.
And when we talk next week we'll discuss what I call "The Most Important Marketing Activity." This is how to get your name and message out there to a wider audience and gain trust and credibility without spending a lot of money.
Dear subscriber, I invite you do this assignment yourself as well.
Don't just talk to people about what you do, use Marketing Syntax and the language of results. Make sure to wrap up every marketing conversation with an Offer.
4. The Most Important Marketing Activity
Giving It Away
MC - Last week I gave you the assignment to pay attention to Marketing Syntax when you spoke about your business. How did it go?
IP - I had the chance to use it several times and all of this is starting to make more sense. During my conversations I tried to pay attention to where I was in the process and I realized that what I usually did was talk about my business without regard to where that talk was leading. When I paid attention to marketing syntax I actually knew where I was, where I was going and what I needed to do next.
MC - That's great. Did you get anyone to the offer? And if so, what did you offer.
IP - Two actually. What I also found interesting was that if I inserted the various parts of the marketing syntax strategically I didn't have to do a lot of talking. They served as guideposts in the conversation. In one meeting I shared a couple value points and a brief story and he started to tell me all about his business. Then he asked me if I could help him! So I said that I had some additional information I could send to him about my services and that I'd be happy to get back to him to discuss his needs.
MC - Sounds good. And when you get that meeting it sounds like you'll be soundly on second base, ready to start the selling process.
IP - Exactly! So I'm feeling more comfortable about these marketing conversations and using marketing syntax. I think with practice I'll get better and better.
But what I wanted to ask you today was what are all the other ways I can get the word out about my services? I think meeting people in social and business situations can definitely work but I know there are other strategies I could use.
MC - Today I'm going to talk to you about the most important marketing activity. It's the most powerful activity utilized by Independent Professionals to attract more clients. And it can be used in many different ways.
The most important marketing activity is giving stuff away.
IP - What kind of stuff?
MC - Usually valuable information. You see, as an Independent Professional you sell your expertise, your know-how. So the best way to build credibility and prove that you can help them is to give them samples of that expertise and know-how.
You can give away valuable information in the form of articles and reports, talks and presentations, newsletters and eZines, recordings on tape, CD and video and content on a web site.
IP - So this is why you suggested giving away an article when someone showed interested in my services.
MC - Yes, that's a great multi-purpose information tool. What I call a "Core Issue Article" that gives prospects a big picture of your field of expertise can be given away in many different ways. You can offer it to someone after speaking with them, you can post it on your web site, you can publish it in a magazine or on the web, you can hand it out after a talk. One article can be used for years to give prospects a sample of what you do.
IP - But certainly you need more than one article?
MC - My favorite giveaway is a free talk or teleclass. Any opportunity I have to get in front of prospects with my ideas is very powerful. They don't just read my ideas, they get to see me in action. It's like the difference between reading a car brochure and taking a test drive.
All this information that you give away tends to have a cumulative effect. For instance, you meet someone and give them an article, but they're really not ready to work with you yet. So you add them to your eZine list. A few months later you announce a teleclass to those on your list. This prospect attends the teleclass and then takes advantage of an offer after the teleclass for an assessment of his management systems.
IP - So you're talking about giving away information as an ongoing marketing activity?
MC - Yes, it never stops! The great thing is that it's easy to do. Everyone appreciates free information. People search the Internet for free information. Some of those who get the free information will never give you a second thought. But many will appreciate it and study it and eventually will take advantage of your paid services.
IP - Well there's one thing that's not so easy. And that's what to put into all this free information. What do people want and how can I keep generating ideas for articles, presentations and the like?
MC - There's a saying that a teacher is someone who knows one thing more than the student. You don't have to be the world's preeminent expert in a particular field to share what you know. A good place to start is with your clients' problems. What are some of the issues that your clients come to you with?
IP - I see what you're getting at. Here's a few: How do I make my team more productive? - How do I leverage the talent I have? - How do I keep my best people? - How do I share my vision so that it inspires my people? - How to I get past petty conflicts?
That kind of thing?
MC - Exactly. And each and every one of those could become an article or a presentation. You've solved problems like those dozens of times with your clients. What might seem obvious to you is not so obvious to your clients. So your provide information on those areas where your clients are experiencing problems, issues and challenges. You give them a taste of what you know and how to solve those problems.
IP - But I'm a little worried about giving everything I know away. Why would they need my services then?
MC - There are some who will take your free information and use it to the best of their ability and never use your paid services. But they'd never use your services anyway. And there are others who will take your information and never apply any of it. Again, they would likely never use your services anyway. And then there are those who will get your free information, realize that the ideas are valuable but also realize that realistically they would never apply it unless they got some help. Those are the people who will become your clients.
And some of the people in the first and second category will pass the information on to people in the third category. The bottom line is simple. Giving away free information works. The more I give away, the more money I make!
My assignment for you this week is to work on developing some titles and topics for an article or a presentation. Start with a dozen. Then actually start work on one article or one presentation. The first one is often the hardest. But once it's done you have a marketing tool that you can use over and over - sometimes for years.
And when we talk next week we'll discuss what I call "The Most Important Marketing Asset." This is the vehicle you'll need if you want to get your free information out to a wide audience. Many Independent Professionals either don't own this asset at all or don't know how to use it for maximum marketing impact.
Dear subscriber, I invite you do this assignment yourself as well.
Start working on some ideas for a talk or presentation. And then actually begin to develop the material for your first one. If you've already got an article or presentation you're using, then start on a new one.
5. The Most Important Marketing Asset
It's In the List
MC - Last week we discussed the most important marketing activity - giving information away. And your assignment was to start the process of developing some ideas for articles and presentations. What did you come up with?
IP - I came up with a lot of topics. In fact, once I started, it was hard to stop! I realized, that each of these topics could address a need or concern of my clients and I could include a story of how I helped an actual client with that issue. I started one article and I'm thinking about some teleclasses I could do as well.
MC - This is a good start. Now you need to turn this into a system that you can use consistently. You need to get your ideas in front of as many people as possible.
IP - Which brings me to the next question. How do I get my ideas out there? I think I can create a lot of valuable material but I don't have much of an audience. Where can I send my articles? Who will attend my teleclasses?
MC - This brings us to one of the most important topics of all - your Most Important Marketing Asset. This asset is a list of qualified prospects. It's so important because once you've developed a list you can market to that list repeatedly. It can become the major source of new business.
IP - How do I use a list like this and more importantly, how do I develop this list in the first place?
MC - Let me paint a picture for you, incorporating all the principles we've talked about so far. You're doing marketing with the right spirit, playing it as a game; your strategy is to get prospects into the game by using marketing ball; your technique is to communicate using marketing syntax so that you are able to move people along in the marketing game; and you now have the marketing activity of giving information away to get the whole process started.
But without prospects to play the game with you, nothing's going to happen. Now you can gain prospects one by one, through networking and referrals. Nothing wrong with that. But you'll get momentum in your marketing if you can get a lot of people into your game.
You do this by getting a lot of people on your list and sending them free information regularly, and also making offers for various services to them. Let me outline the steps.
First you set up an email list with a service such as AWeber. For just $20 a month they will keep all your names on their servers. Then you make an offer for your free "Core Issue Article." The offer for the article is on your web site, you make it through talks and you make this offer to people you meet through networking.
When someone accepts the offer to get your article you also add their name to your email newsletter list. If people do this from their web site they sign up themselves. If you get cards from a talk, you go to your web site and add the name and email yourself. Of course, you only do this with people's permission.
IP - So the Core Issue Article becomes the "bait" you use to get people onto your list?
MC - Exactly. It's not much use to just have a list of a lot of names and emails. You need to send free information to them regularly.
IP - And what I send are articles based on all those topics I've been developing?
MC - You're catching on fast! I recommend you send something to your list at least twice a month. Weekly, if you think you can handle it. The more often you send stuff the faster your list grows.
IP - How big does my list have to be to get started?
MC - Not big at all. I started my list with about 50 people. These were people I mostly met through talks and networking. I'd do anything and everything to get people onto my list and then send an article via my eZine once a week.
IP - Can you be more specific about how you got the list to grow?
MC - Well, I've already mentioned talks and networking. Early on I went to a big conference, complied all the names and sent them an email with a sample article and invited them to join the list. A percentage of them signed up.
One promotion I did was to write a special report and offer it to current subscribers if they told their friends. And I put a link to my sing-up page in the signature of my emails. But the best overall promotion I didn't even realize I was doing. People were passing the eZine along to their friends who were then signing up because of word-of-mouth. But the reason this happened was because of the quality of the material I was sending out.
IP - So like any word-of-mouth, quality was the key factor? Makes sense. But what was the result of all of this?
MC - The eZine grew slowly but surely. It took me 3 1/2 years to get to 6,000 names. By that time I was starting to get a lot of business because of the eZine. They would read the eZine, visit my web site, learn about my services and give me a call. The best thing was that when they called me they were ready to work with me. They were familiar and comfortable with me by then.
IP - So this wouldn't have worked so well if you'd just sent out something to your list once in awhile and hadn't paid much attention to growing the list. I'm starting to see how all your principles started to come together.
MC - And the good news is you can start immediately. Sign up for AWeber, get a few initial subscribers to your list and send out your first article as soon as possible. It doesn't need to be perfect, it just needs to be useful information your clients can use. And if you keep on doing that, your list will grow. Every time someone joins the list they enter into your game of marketing ball.
IP - Right, I have their attention if they sign up. And then by giving them more information and telling about my services, some of these will get up to second base and want to explore working with me. But isn't there another step? You talked about a sign-up form on my web site and more information about my services on the web site as well.
The question is, how important is the web site in this whole process? I have one but it's not doing much. It's just sitting there. Hardly anyone finds me on the web. I send potential clients there sometimes. How does the web site fit in?
MC - The web site is extraordinarily important. In fact I call the web site your Most Important Marketing Tool. We'll talk about it in detail next week. But first let's give you the assignment for this week.
Your assignment for you this week is to get your eZine set up. 1. Sign up for Aweber. (use this link if you're ready to check it out). 2. Contact as many people as you know and send them a sample article and invite them to join your list. Aweber will give you a link to put in the email that people can click on to join. You don't even need to put it on your web site yet. 3. Write your first article, format it and send it out on Aweber.
Next week we'll talk about how to integrate all of this into your web site.
Dear subscriber, I invite you do this assignment yourself as well.
You don't need to take months to set up an eZine and start building your list. You can start today using the three simple steps outlined above. You can learn a lot more about eZines in the InfoGuru Marketing Manual.
6. The Most Important Marketing Tool
Creating the Hub for Your Marketing
MC - In last week's session we explored the most important marketing asset - building a list of prospective clients and then staying it touch with those prospects over time. I gave you the essentials of starting an eZine. How did it go?
IP - Since I had already developed some ideas for articles, it went quite well. I went to Aweber and signed up. Then I sent an email to all the people on my list and sent them an invitation to join the list along with a sample article. Several responded. I now have 50 people on my list. Not a lot, but it's a start. I plan to send the eZine twice a month, so in two weeks I'll send out my first official issue.
MC - That's a great start. Now you really only need to do a few things to make this a success. The first is to write good material every single time. If you do, your subscribers will pass it along and in many case will ask if they can publish your articles on their sites and in their eZines.
IP - OK, I can do that. But let's talk about the next step. I don't have much of a web site. How can I improve it to help increase my subscriber base?
MC - First, let's talk about the purpose of a web site. The number one purpose of a web site is to capture the names and contact information of your prospects. The way you do that is to offer free information on your site as we talked about in session six. The second purpose of a web site is to establish trust and credibility with your prospective clients. The third purpose is to actually market and sell your services.
IP - I always though the first purpose was to market and sell your services. Why do you say this is number three?
MC - Simply because it's very hard to accomplish number three until you've done number one and two first. Take a minute and think about how you visit and interact with web sites. What are some of the things that happen when you first go to a site? - and I'm talking about whether you just find the site on a search engine or a trusted friend sends you there.
IP - Well, I take a quick look to see if I understand what the site is about and then click on various pages and read a few things here and there. Once in awhile I'll print something out. Then I click off and go somewhere else.
MC - And how often do you bookmark that page and come back again?
IP - Not too often.
MC - That's right, and if the site was not geared to capturing your name and contact information by giving away some free information, the chances are great that you simply won't go back. So the number one purpose is to capture that information.
IP - And this is the purpose of an eZine sign-up form on the site? Is that all I need?
MC - That's the purpose but you need more. It used to work to just ask people to sign up for your eZine. These days you need to give away some valuable information first. You need to think: What piece of information would someone visiting my site really find useful? It could be an article a report or a workbook.
Then you feature that free information prominently on the home page of your web site. In fact, on my web site, there are three places people can link to from the home page to get my free workbook. The way is works is really quite simple. Here are the steps.
1. Turn your information into a pdf and load it on your web server.2. Create a page that promotes the free information and that also includes a sign-up form which is easily generated with code from Aweber (see session 5). Of course, let people know that to get the free information they will also be added to your eZine list.
3. When people fill out and submit the form they get a confirmation email from Aweber which you have written. In this confirmation letter you include the link to your free information in pdf format. They click on the link in the confirmation email and, viola, they have your free information.
IP - But the whole point is that now they are a subscriber to my eZine and I can send them more valuable information until they finally decide to seriously check out my services on my web site.
MC - Exactly. And this brings us to the second purpose of the web site. It needs to create trust and credibility in you and your services. Because with the eZine continually pointing people back to your web site, sooner or later more of your subscribers will check out your site in more depth. And when they do, the information on your site had better build a very solid, credible case for you and your business.
They may not contact you yet. They might think about contacting you. They may read more information on your site first. They might email you with a question. They may contact you after months have passed. But your web site and the information it contains continues to build that trust and credibility every time they visit.
IP - OK, that makes sense. I know I've visited a lot of web sites didn't build that trust and credibility. And I never went back. But can you tell me specifically the things that build that trust and credibility. Is is primarily your background?
MC - No, that's just one aspect. You need a lot of things. First, the site needs to be professionally designed. If it's not, it won't be attractive, easy to read and effortless to navigate. If you don't have those basics, it's all over. You'll look like an amateur and your visitors will go elsewhere.
Next you want a lot of solid content. You want free information that gives people a sample of how you think and work. You want information on the kind of clients you work with and how you work with those clients. You want several good case studies of successful projects, and of course you want detailed information on your services. Finally, you want some background information on who you are and why you're qualified to offer the services you do.
IP - It sounds like another way of saying it is that the web site should answer all the questions of someone visiting the site and make them recognize your professionalism, your expertise, your experience. I can see how all of this would build trust and credibility.
Now you said the third purpose of the web site is to market and sell your services. How is this different than number two?
MC - You want to have pages on your web site that are actually "sales letters" that take people from a discussion of an issue or problem to picking up the phone to call you. In some cases this letter will lead people to a form that they fill out. And in other cases it might lead to a "buy link" where they actually order services or products from your site.
The thing to realize is that not many people will go through step three until you've taken them through one and two first. Someone might have read your eZine for months and visited your site several times before they even read a sales letter, let alone contact you or order something on the site.
Using this basic strategy I've sold coaching and consulting services, filled workshops, sold manuals, teleclasses and CDs and filled 6-month group programs. To accomplish this you must have sales pages that take visitors from A to Z - from the headline that talks about the problem, to benefits of the service, to the order form at the end.
IP - I'm starting to see why you call the web site the most important marketing tool. If I just sent out the eZine I wouldn't be able to do all of this would I?
MC - No you wouldn't. The web sites becomes the hub of everything in your marketing. It's your store front, it's your brochure, it's your sales letter. It's always up there day and night for people to check it out. So you'd better make it good! You want good, competent design and you want good, solid information. And you also need to make it persuasive by communicating value at every step. If you don't, people may visit but they certainly won't come back and they definitely won't become clients.
Here's your assignment for this week: Take a very close look at your web site and ask yourself if it's really doing the three things we talked about today. Is it set up to capture the contact information of prospective clients, is it designed and written so as to build trust and credibility and is it organized to lead people through the marketing and sales process so that they either respond to you directly or buy something on your site?
Next week we'll explore "The Most Important Marketing Leverage" which is all about how to package your services to serve your clients better and to make more money at the same time.
Dear subscriber, I invite you do this assignment yourself as well.
Start evaluating the effectiveness of your web site and make a list of the things you need to do to improve it and make it meet the essential three criteria for a web site outlined in this week's installment.
7. The Most Important Marketing Leverage
Creating Packages and Programs
MC - I gave you a lot to work on last week. How was your progress with updating the information on your web site?
PI - I'm making good progress. I've updated a few pages and I agree that they communicate better about my business. I've also improved the sign-up page for the eZine and my subscription rate has increased substantially. Where I am getting a little stuck on is my services page. I have a list of things I offer but I don't think it's very motivating.
MC - Most service pages aren't motivating. They usually consist of a list of bullet points about what the service includes. What almost everyone is missing is the most important marketing leverage possible.
IP - What do you mean by marketing leverage?
MC - I mean getting more out of less. Or in the case of services, packaging what you offer in a way that increases the value of the services, increases the number of responses and increases the number of sales or orders.
If you've done everything right to this point on your web site, people will be looking at your services page with an open mind. They like your basic message. They feel comfortable about you. Perhaps they've been subscribing to your eZine for awhile before they land on the services page. And now they are reading about an actual service you're offering. Really only two things can happen:
One, they can click off and go somewhere else. Two, they can respond in some way, either by calling you or filling out a form on the site. So you want to do everything possible to increase the chances of number two happening.
IP - And what are some of the ways I can do that?
MC - Lots: Headline, body copy, benefits, stories, formatting. You need to put in everything possible to build your case about each of your services. But the most important thing is to find the most powerful appeal for this particular service. What is it that makes this service stand out amongst similar services? What are you offering that others aren't?
IP - Can you give me a "for instance?"
MC - Yes, my marketing action groups. These are a series of teleclasses held with a group over 6 months. They teach all the things about marketing we've been talking about for the past few weeks. But what I realized was that it wasn't the content that made the difference. The key was the support aspect. I said that most people already knew what to do - they just weren't doing it. So I called the groups the "Holding Your Feet to the Fire Marketing Action Groups."
The support aspect wasn't just a feature or benefit, it was the central marketing theme. And it worked amazingly well. All my groups have filled very quickly at a good price.
IP - So I just can't sell a service that's generic, it has to have a key element that is highly desired by my target market. How do I figure that out?
MC - Sometimes you just know it through working with clients. They tell you, you intuit it. Or you ask your clients questions to get the heart of the matter. What's their most pressing problem? What would they happily pay for if you solved it for them?
You can see this in advertising for products. In laundry detergent you can use many appeals: fresh smell, soft to the touch, whiter and brighter. But you also have to include that element that actually proves you can deliver on that promise such as "sparkling green crystals."
So I just didn't tell people I'd hold their feet to the fire. That's a metaphor. I actually explained exactly what this support would consist of. There was a lot of specific detail. I built a solid case. Without hype and hyperbole you can build a case like this that's very compelling to people. It draws them in making them want to know more and ultimately gets them to respond to your offer.
MC - What else is necessary in outlining the services I offer?
IP - This concept of packaging a service is very important. I didn't just offer to support people in putting their marketing into action. I created a very specific program to do so. And the program had parameters. It happened at a certain time in a certain way with a certain approach. It was an actual program. And these parameters of a program make what you're offering so much more tangible.
And what is tangible is simply more attractive to people. It's real, it's solid, it's credible. And people will gladly pay for something that's tangible over something that's intangible. People tend to be uncomfortable about buying intangibles.
IP - Can you give me an outline, if you will, for creating a tangible service like this and then marketing it?
MC - Sure, let me see what I can do...
1. Start with that problem or issue first. What are you solving for people? And what is the biggest thing you do to solve that problem? Also, what will the outcome be once they've used your service?
2. Next work on the actual tangible structure of the service. What happens, what do they get, what are the details, what are the deliverables. Just write all of them down. Don't worry about the order at first.
3. Now consider the price and the time you need to invest in delivering this service. What will it take to deliver the level of service necessary and to produce the results the clients are looking for. And what do you have to charge for that to both make it accessible to the client and profitable for you? You really can't proceed until you answer this one.
4. Writing the marketing copy of sales letter comes next. And you need to remember that this takes time. It often takes several hours. So don't try to write it all the morning before you launch it. And you'll usually be editing more than writing.
5. Here's my basic writing formula. And of course this can vary tremendously depending on any number of factors.
a) The headline that addresses the key issue as we discussed.b) The opening paragraphs that outline the problem in more detail - making sure you convey the fact that you really understand their situation.
c) The next paragraph and some bullet points talk about the actual potential outcomes of this service.
d) The bulk of the letter is detailed information on what they actually get in this program - the various benefits they receive.
e) Near the end of the letter you explain the basic structure and logistics of this service.
f) Finally you make the offer. Here's a summary of what you get and here's the price. And this is what you need to do to find out more or to sign up.
If you are selling this service to individuals it will be different than selling to companies. In the first, you may give a price and an order form. In the second you may decide not include the price and simply ask them to respond via phone or email.
It often takes many tests before your marketing letter gets the results you want. So don't be discouraged on the first try. It took me a few years to formulate the Marketing Action Groups.
IP - And once you have this together, how do you go about marketing it?
MC - You ought to have a promotion plan that is focused on this particular service if possible. This is true especially if you are offering a service to a broad audience that is held on a specific date. You want to get the word out to as many people as possible and get them to read your sales letter. If this is done online, you need an email list or access to someone else's list.
However if you are offering a high-end service to companies, you can market this service to one company at a time. And the sales letter may be only one part of the promotion. After they've read the sales letter, the verbal sales process and proposal process starts.
IP - OK, so where do I start?
MC - Start by not being too ambitious. Don't start with the biggest, most complex, most expensive service. Start with something you can get your hands around and that you can promote easily. For instance, a TeleClass or Workshop with a target of a dozen participants will be easier to promote than a 6-month program.
Here's your assignment for this week: Use the 5-point outline above to start creating and writing about your service. Do as much as you can.
Next week we'll talk about "The Most Important Marketing investment" which is where you need to put most of your marketing time, money and energy. And this eighth session will conclude dialog!
Dear subscriber, I invite you do this assignment yourself as well.
Look at a specific service you'd like to promote and follow the guidelines above.
8. The Most Important Marketing Investment
Where to Put Most of Your Time, Money and Energy
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Robert Middleton
ACTION PLAN MARKETING
Cracking the Marketing Code for Independent Professionals
210 Riverside Drive
Boulder Creek, CA 95006
831-338-7790© 2005 Robert Middleton, All rights reserved. You are free to use material from the More Clients eZine in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution, including live web site link. Please also notify me where the material will appear. The attribution should read:
"By Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing. Please visit Robert's web site at http://www.actionplan.com for additional marketing articles and resources on marketing for professional service businesses."
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