Tag Archives: Social network

Why Shorter Is Sweeter (& Always More Efficient)

Posted on by
Reply
English: Danny DeVito at the 2010 Comic Con in...

English: Danny DeVito at the 2010 Comic Con in San Diego (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’m only 5’3″ so naturally I would subscribe to the notion that shorter is sweeter but even as a small business coach I think this idea is key to good communication. A client sent a sell sheet she’d made for a new program she was offering. It was pages and pages long. I kept scrolling and it went on. She said she’d learned it in a special online selling workshop. I don’t know much about the workshop but I know that as a consumer I didn’t have the time to read all that. As a marketer, I know that consumers of our information are bombarded by millions of other similar messages. The trick to getting the attention is to be short, interesting and relevant. Below are other tips to help you get more eyeballs and ears faster:

Get to the point. Now.  In a voicemail, just state your name, quickly explain your reason for calling and give the person a call-to-action.

Three is a magic number. Narrow everything down to the three most important points. Usually, once the top three points are listed, I realize the other info is extraneous or redundant anyway.

Use bullets. Tell the reader up front what the message is about and outline your points with bullets consisting of concise phrases, not complete sentences. Finally, close with a call-to-action — whatever it is you want the reader to do next.

Keep meetings focused. We’ve all suffered through endless meetings in which someone talks and talks and very little gets communicated. Make sure everyone is clear about the meeting goals and keep the time under 30 minutes to maintain a sense of urgency and focus.

via Why Shorter Is Sweeter (& Always More Efficient).

If you’ve been wondering how to increase your newsletter open rates or how to improve your ROI on your offers, take another look at how you’ve been presenting your stuff. Get real, get short and get going!

Need more chicken soup for your biz? Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook or connect with me on LinkedIn –and let’s talk!

Related articles

7 Steps to Become an Authority in Your Industry

Posted on by
1
Yoda

Yoda (Photo credit: Rhubarble)

As a small business marketing coach, I’ve been beating the drum of focused niching for as long as I can remember. Picking just one group of people to serve and to talk to them about only one thing I do, for most people is really really hard. The major reason why you should be talking to potential customers this way though is to position yourself as an expert and an authority in your industry so that customers are coming to you instead of you having to chase them. Here are 7 steps on how to become such an authority:

1. Think like a leader. Leaders aren’t focused on trying to maintain the status quo. They’re focused on doing what must be done to ensure growth and profitability in the future.

2. Innovate. New things get noticed. This means you can’t be afraid to present something new to your market, even if it’s just a variation or an addition to an already-existing product or service.

3. Keep the lines of communication open. Your clients are critical to your business. The moment you lose touch with your market, you’re done.

4. Publicly address industry changes. Detail your opinion, along with tangible ways to make the most of it. This can allow you to be seen as an industry leader and potentially increase traffic to your site as people begin to search out information and answers about these changes.

5. Respect your time. . Your main responsibility is to continue growing, innovating and sharing your knowledge. Don’t allow people to suck up all your time with their questions or problems. Continue reading →

Uncomfortable Marketing?

Posted on by
2

If you feel sleazy and dirty when you think about marketing yourself, listen to this interview I did with Money Coach Flo Grunfelder about how to get over the discomfort of marketing and to joyfully connect with great paying clients.

Most businesses fall into their marketing, no planning, no communication strategy. The secret is to first pick a viable niche and to become a credible expert in that niche. Get clear on your this and you’ve got the start of an easy peasy way to market your business. Also, have a ‘depressing thought’ strategy to overcome your gremlins. This is a big mistake that small businesses make when they’re starting out. Lastly, get a coach. I am a coach and I’ll always have a coach. Couldn’t do it alone and you shouldn’t have to either.

Need more chicken soup for your biz? Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook or connect with me on LinkedIn –and let’s talk!

Related articles

How to Make Criticism Drive You

Posted on by
1
You're doing it wrong

You’re doing it wrong (Photo credit: msmail)

If there’s one thing I don’t love in life, it’s criticism. And yet I pay $1000 an hour to my coach to do it. Am I crazy? Am I a masochist? No, I’m just an entrepreneur who wants to grow her business faster than other coaches. So this article really got my interest. Here are 4 ways to use criticism for growth.

1. Detach yourself emotionally.Rather than seeing it as a personal attack, see it as a piece of information that could help you strengthen your business.

2. Filter out unproductive feedback.  Look at the critic’s motivation. Are they trying to weed out competition? Are they jealous? Are they defending outdated ideas?

3. Consult with people you trust. For criticism that does come from a productive or genuine place (even if it seems harsh), give it some consideration.

4. See criticism as an opportunity to improve. If you decide the critique has merit, find creative ways to solve the problem.

via How to Make Criticism Drive You.

Listen to your gut if you’ve heard the same criticism over and over again, it’s probably true and you need to deal with it. If it’s simply the ravings of a person who doesn’t get it and doesn’t get you, then say thank you and lovingly move on and away.

Need more chicken soup for your biz? Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook or connect with me on LinkedIn –and let’s talk!

Related articles

How Original Are You?

Posted on by
2

Twins (1988 film)

What’s different about you?

As a small business owner, you are the heart of that business. Your personality is the business’ personality.  Your unique quirks and special attributes makes you stand out from all other humans whether you want it to or not. The real question is whether you strategically capitalize on this uniqueness in marketing your business. If the afro that most people remember about you can be used on your Twitter picture or your 6 children who are featured in your blogs make you memorable, I don’t know why you wouldn’t use them in your marketing more prominently.

Zag instead of Zig

There must be thousands of marketing training events that are offered in my city which has a population of 6 million every day. Instead of lamenting and worrying about filling my own events, I look at how I can make them different. For example, my latest Public Speaking Bootcamp offers a relaxing and fun Wine Pairing event at lunch.  People don’t sign up for the wine but you can bet they remember my events and I never have trouble getting butts in seats for the next one. What can you offer that’s different, better, more creative or off the wall about what you do?

If you can manage to properly establish a brand character and do things a little differently than the next guy, then you can safely and comfortably claim to all who’ll listen that you are indeed an Original.

Need more chicken soup for your biz? Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook or connect with me on LinkedIn –and let’s talk!

Related articles