More Than A Few Words

In this episode we chatted with Jan Cavelle about connecting your emotions to your marketing, and more importantly, connecting to your customer's emotions.   How do you do that? Jan suggests you start by being consistent about the picture of yourself you are putting forward in public, both in person and on social media. This helps people frame a firm picture of who you are allowing them to connect to you and your brand.   More than a Few Words is a  marketing conversation for business owners hosted by Lorraine Ball 

From our archive:  You have only a few moments to make that great first impression and you  won’t stand out by sounding like everyone else.  You need to find a way to be first, best or different. And if you choose different, make sure your point of difference is actually relevant to your customer.  Beyond that first impression, our guest Mike Verret explains that your words will have an effect on others, so choose them carefully.    Mike solves problems that plague small businesses by giving them a unique perspective of what he sees in their goals. He believes that any marketing message is wrong if it doesn’t speak to us in normal human terms. And he thinks that corporate language is absolutely nuts. Who “ideates?” We think. We don’t have “Key Performance Indicators.” We have goals. Business forgets to be human. Mike understands how consumers think, and he helps businesses avoid the risk of losing their Humanity!

I spent the early part of my career in manufacturing. One of the most important lessons I learned was that of capacity.  When you know how much you can produce you can set realistic targets for your our sales team, making sure they don't  sell more than you could produce. At the same time you don't want them selling so far below your capacity you are sitting around twiddling your thumbs. Understanding your capacity is gives you tremendous control over your pricing. If you're bumping up against your capacity constraint, don't add another employee. Just raise your price. Now you make more money and actually do less work.  Capacity Planning is just one element of your overall business plan.  Ready to work on your plan?  Check out our self-paced business plan workshop. 

Influencers, people who have a following comprised of people who pay attention to who they are and what they do can help you deliver your message.  In this episode, Madison Masterson explains how those people can impact your marketing, even if you have a small business. You may not be able to afford a celebrity for your brad, but that doesn't mean you can't find someone who has influence with your audience to tell your story.  About Madison At the age of twenty five, Madison Masterson has created Mad Marketing from the ground up. She was told by doctors from a young age that she would not be able to attend college due to health problems where she experienced upwards of 15 seizures a day. Madison proved them wrong. She graduated top 25 and obtained a master's degree with a perfect 4.0 at the University of South Florida, all while running a successful marketing business. That business is Mad Marketing   More than a Few Words  a marketing conversation for business owners is just one of the resources in the Digit

With all of the emphasis on A.I. driven content, search and advertising, the question is how will human beings survive. Like any good sci-fi, the answer lies in human innovation.  It is in our ability to think outside the box and not follow the rules that is the essence of a smart content marketing strategy. Sure you can do what everyone else is doing or you can create innovative, independent.  and individualized content to help you survive the rise of the machine.

Stacey Hall wants to shift your paradigm on the role of the salesperson. She believes traditional, old school techniques of always closing and working to overcome objections just aren't the best approach for the majority of salespeople and their customers.  Instead, she has developed a new approach she calls the ABC's of selling : Alignment, Belief and Consistency.    About Stacey  Stacey has coached thousands of entrepreneurs on how to attract sales, satisfaction, and success. She is a bestselling author, a TEDx presenter, and a leading social media marketing expert. She is founder of Success with Stacey Hall and of the groundbreaking social media marketing training program, Go for YES, which has helped thousands of people attract more sales, customer, and employee satisfaction and success. Her new book is, Selling from Your Comfort Zone: The Power of Alignment Marketing

I a sci-fi geek.  As a kid I discovered Isaac Asimov's stories of good robots who were driven by a code driving them to helpful an supportive of human beings and dystopian sci-fi with the rise of evil machines that take over the world. As I'm evaluating the emergence of A.I. in content creation, advertising and search I'm trying to decide are we in the era of Isaac Asimov's good robots or there dystopian terminator? Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum it is clear, A.I will dramatically change digital marketing. Looking to keep up with the changes?  It is time to join the Digital Toolbox Club  

I have often been told that I have a strong personality and it kind of came through in my business but I never really thought about the fact that all businesses have personality. Guest Naomi Garza talks about the  importance of including ourselves in our business strategy. So many business schools teach us to get to know our ideal customers and competitors but none that I've seen start the process of looking at ourselves first - how can our businesses thrive based on what works for US as well as our customers. How do you do that?  Start with your personality, core values and aspirational state.   Learn more about your brand personality https://brandwhisperers.com.au/

From our archive - Originally broadcast on 2/14/2020 enjoy this encore conversation with Matt Nettleton.  Sometimes, as a sales person heads out to make cold calls, it feels like they are trying to storm a castle.  They prepare to battle their way in the door.  My coach, sales professional Matt Nettleton says it doesn't have to be that way. Armed with a series of strategic questions, and a willingness to really listen to the answers, a sales person can actually encourage prospects to lower their defenses and actually invite the sales person in. KEY TAKEAWAY: Always go into a sales conversation with a list of prepared questions to uncover what a prospect really needs and guide the conversation.  

As you start working on the product portion of your overall business plan do not start with the features.  Go back to your customer research. What is most important to your customers?  Focus on the elements of your product or service that line up with those needs.   Demonstrate how the features that you are selecting for your product or service help you achieve something customers are going to buy because it solves their problem This can be everything from the physical product, to the warranty, to how you package it or deliver it. Focus on a few things that are unique to you because otherwise you are a commodity.  There's no reason for someone to pick you versus your competitor if your are a commodity. Outline how you think you will roll out enhancements and new products  features  to give investors and lenders an idea of where your business is going and how how your products may expand over time. Ready to work on your plan? START NOW 

When it comes down to closing, people buy from people.  So before you can make a sale, you almost always need a relationship.  In B2B sales one of the best places to build that relationship is on LinkedIn.    Relationship pro, Janice Porter shares some of her  favorite relationship building strategies.   She believes LinkedIn is underutilized by many sales professionals, who miss the opportunity to make quality connections by interacting authentically on the platform.  Janice is a returning guest to MTFW.  You can listen to our first conversation here:  https://morethanafewwords.com/518-janice-porter/

One of the things that I love and hate about marketing is the research which allows you to describe your ideal client in very quantitative terms like age, income and level of education. I love this because if gives you a starting point for your marketing. The thing I don't love is that it puts people in very narrow boxes.  Too often we lose sight of the fact that our target customers are more than just numbers. Beyond the demographic segments there is a psychological element.  It is these psychological components like interests, problems, values, philosophy and motivation that allow you to create effective marketing campaigns. What do your potential clients think about? Where do they spend their time? What's important to them? What problems do they have? What do they find annoying disturbing or and frustrating? What do they hold in high regard and where do they put their time and their money? What do you know about their politics, and their attitude about life and business.  How do they approach challenges an

We are living in a video world.  Our guest Chris Weiher thinks video should be in the tool kit of every small business.  The mistake he thinks many business owners make is thinking they need to commit to video forever, and forever is intimidating.  Instead, he says start small and learn as you go. 

I am sure you think this headline is a mistake, that I meant to say something else, but I really mean this. If you want to build a successful business in a vibrant marketplace, you will grow faster if you help your competitors. Before you decide I am completely crazy, consider the following: You don’t know everything. Hanging around with other business owners in the same industry gives you a chance to learn a few things in  exchange for sharing a few tips of your own. Improve the quality and perception of your industry. If a customer has a bad experience with a service provider in your industry, it’s easy for them to assume that all companies who do what you do are the same. Getting involved with trade associations which offer training, professional and business development will improve the overall industry in which you are a participant. Everyone is not your customer. Getting to know companies who provide similar services to yours in slightly different niches gives you an chance to set up a referral relation

Google wants you to succeed and in this conversation with Stormy Knight, we talk about what they're doing to help you do just that. Remember that Google's main product is great search results. While they have some of the most comprehensive data bases in the world, they may not have the detailed information about your business.  Your Google My Business Profile helps fill in some of the blanks that makes it easy for Google to present your company when people are looking for a business like yours.   .About Stormy Knight  Stormy is an internet marketing speaker and writer. She wrote the original “20 Reasons To Put Your Business On The World Wide Web”in 1995, one of the first articles that outlined how to successfully use the internet for marketing.

How do you decide which marketing tactics to try? Megan Prejzner says you should start with business goals in mind. Boil it all down to the ones which are going to move your business goals forward and forward the fastest. Don't be overwhelmed by choices and then wind up doing nothing because of analysis paralysis. Look at your business, get clear on what you are trying to achieve and select the one tactic which can be the most efficient in moving you toward your end goal

Even new, completely innovative products have competition. Long before your product comes into the market, customers have found ways to solve their problems. Understanding who your real competitors are is critical to your business success. As you analyze your competitors, it can be helpful to think about the three levels of competition. Level One. These companies solve the customer’s problem with products or services that are very similar to yours. While you may have enhanced features or slightly different offerings, it is likely an uninformed consumer will assume your products are interchangeable. Level Two. These companies offer an alternative solution to your customer’s problem. On the surface, they may not appear to be a direct competitor because the product or service is dramatically different. If, however, this alternative solution solves your customer’s problem, it is a competitor. Level Three. These companies or products do not solve the same problem at all, but compete for your customer’s limited res

While you don't want to change your brand frequently, guest Amanda Guerassio suggests there are signs you are ready for a refresh.   If you designed your logo yourself when you started your business, and the branding suite just isn't as professional as you would like Your business has changed direction or target and the design suite no longer reflects you company The brand relied on "trendy" colors, fonts or styles that were cool when the brand was launched but is somewhat dated now. 

I know you think you are a business owner not a salesperson but everybody really is a salesperson. In this conversation with Tracey Beavers we explored ways you can create sales without "selling" She suggests you start by being yourself.  The reason no one likes to think of themselves as a salesperson because there are so many bad salespeople out there. They're aggressive, spammy, weird. and annoying. They make us uncomfortable and we don't want to feel that way.  She says take the word sales out of the equation. Don't even think about it because that word is intimidating. 

Too often inventors and entrepreneurs fall in love with their idea. Just because it can be built, does not mean it should be.  Before you launch your business, you need to answer a really important questions.  Does anyone really want your product? That’s where research comes in helping you determine how many individuals or businesses have a need for your product or service and, more important, how many are likely to buy? History is full of well-designed, extremely innovative products that were commercially unsuccessful because customers did not believe they needed them. You can research to determine market size, competitive products, preliminary level of interest in your product and customers’ willingness to change. A good starting point for your research is data from the U.S. Census Bureau, your local chamber of commerce, library and online data bases. These broad studies can give you a feel for the overall size of a community. Surveys, focus groups, and informal conversations with potential customers, will