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Getting Attention In The Age Of Overwhelm

Terry Brock | TerryBrock.com — Fri, 14 May 2010 10:17:00 -0700

Read this! Listen to this podcast! Watch this cool video! Click on this link! Tweet this. Friend this person (yes, “friend” is now a verb!) Buy this from me!!!

Ugh! It seems to never stop. We are inundated with messages, all trying to get our attention. All of these wonderful marketers (okay, I’m being generous) are vying to get out attention and have us get involved with them and their products and services. Sometimes you just want to turn off the TV, radio, unplug from the Internet (well, at least for a moment) and get away from it all.

Maybe you can relate to this but I’m feeling a big overwhelmed in this age of constant messaging and more. I want to stay on top of what’s happening but now matter how fast I read, how much I listen to podcasts and how many hours I spend on social media, it just seems to be overwhelming.

Welcome to the 21st Century!

Sometimes I think I’d like to just leave it all. However, that belief is quickly dispelled when I realize I need to stay on top of what is happening. And besides that, I really enjoy reading, listening, watching and consuming information.

So, what can you do in your business to get attention in this age when so much is being thrown at us? How can you stand out in the crowd for your message?

Here are some steps that will help as you deal with all the overwhelm and “stuff” around us.

Accept Fragmentation. By this I mean that the world is big with many interests. Not everyone is going to be interested in what you’ve got to say. Of course we know this intellectually but we need to accept it emotionally when people reject our message. The world is fragmented into different areas of interest today more than ever. Don’t worry about those who reject your message. I find that successful salespeople are those who can quickly shrug off rejection and the endless stream of “NO!” from prospects and keep going. This mindset is critical to facing whatever you do in your business.

Think Focus And Specificity. Being general doesn’t cut it. Find a specific product or message that is desired by others and focus on that. You can’t be everything to everyone. I love the way Bill Cosby said it, “I don’t know the secret to success, but the way to failure is to try and be everything to everybody.” How true!

Be Incredibly Relevant. Your message has to be something that pertains to a strong segment of the market. Don’t market water skis in Northern Alaska in the winter. Sure this sounds obvious but I’m continually amazed at people marketing their “stuff” to people that are nowhere near their target audience. Find where people are hurting and have the “aspirin” to solve that pain.

Be Consistent. Your message becomes part of your brand. You need a continual presence so it communicates reliability. If a magazine only came out sporadically, it would not be dependable. You communicate reliability on a subconscious level when you are consistent.

Use Fun And Funny Appropriately. We all love to laugh. Humor is powerful but be careful to not offend and don’t force it. Let it be natural when you communicate.

You can get attention for your work if you follow these steps. Of course, once you’ve got their attention you need to deliver the results they are looking for or they will not pay attention later. Provide value to others and you’ll get the kind of attention that you need in business.

This way you will be able to reach others and keep your business profitable. Having a profitable business is another good way to get attention in this age of overwhelm!

Facebook's Shift in Language Could Work in Marketers' Favor

David Berkowitz / AdAge — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 12:07:00 -0700

Facebook has announced to its partners that in the next two to three weeks, the "Become a Fan" concept for branded pages will be replaced with the more prevalent "Like" button and brands will no longer accumulate "Fans," but "Connections" instead.

This change narrows the list of actions available to Facebook fans, and consolidates the bulk of interactions fans will have with brand content to "Like," "Comment" and "Share." Brands will still be able to communicate with opt-in users on a regular basis, but only users who have "liked" their page itself - not just one of their updates.

The change also affects engagement ads - the "Become a Fan" verbiage will disappear, being replaced by the simple "Like" button and thumbs up icon.

How Does This Affect Facebook Users?

Facebook has said they do not plan to explicitly communicate this change to users, so there will be some inevitable user confusion about what it means to "Like" a page versus what it means to "Like" a page's status update, and some users may find themselves subscribing to pages they didn't intend to -- especially in the case of engagement ads, where users do not have to navigate to the page itself to "Like" it. According to Facebook, this move is designed to lower the barrier to entry for users to interact with pages. That said, since only the names of activities are changing, and not the activities themselves, it's likely that many users will not change their behavior once they fully understand the new terms.

How Does This Affect Marketers?

The most significant effect of the change will be the effect on marketers running engagement ads. "Liking" content comes far more naturally to the average Facebook user than becoming a fan of content, meaning that users will be more inclined to click on an ad that invites them to "Like" a brand than one that asks them to "Become a Fan" of a brand.

The language shift strengthens the value proposition of Facebook engagement ads as a method for driving fan growth, and will likely increase the number of users who arrive on a page who will subscribe to that page's updates (by "Liking" the page).

Marketers should not rely on Facebook to effectively message the change to fans, and where appropriate should update their editorial calendar accordingly, letting users know that even if they can no longer be "Fans" of a brand, they'll still be treated like fans regardless. Marketers who have integrated Facebook with their other online environments should be sure that their creative has the correct verbiage: "Find us on Facebook!" still works, but "Become a Fan On Facebook" will begin to seem dated and irrelevant .

There is one more subtle drawback for marketers and users alike: for both parties, it meant something to be a fan of a brand. Half the world likes McDonalds, but only a subset (albeit a large subset) would raise their hands and declare themselves fans. Consumers needed to think twice about whether they'd become a fan of a brand because it meant something, even in a small way, to include that as part of their persona. It meant at least as much for brands to know who their real fans were; they already have a sense of who likes them. This may not show up clearly in page growth or engagement ad response rates, but it's a loss for all Facebook participants nonetheless.

What's Coming Next?

Facebook is likely implementing this change as part of its preparations for developing a "Like" button that can be deployed on the non-Facebook Web, as detailed on TechCrunch and elsewhere in the last week. By consolidating its users interactions with brands under the "Like" concept, Facebook is looking to own the idea of "Liking" content on the Web as a whole, not just on Facebook.

Don't Start Your Speech By Telling a Joke

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 11:41:00 -0700

A popular assumption implies that a speaker should start his or her speech by telling a joke, to get listeners in an upbeat mood and grab attention instantly. Like many widespread assumptions, this one is wrong. Here are five good reasons not to start your speech by telling a joke.

FIRST: Your joke could offend the audience.

After all, don’t most jokes have a “fall guy,” who becomes the brunt of your ridicule? Often the fall guy is a group—geographic, ethnic, gender, or age related.

“But,” you respond, “the audience I am speaking to doesn’t include anybody from the group I’m jesting about.” Maybe not—yet some of your audience members may harbor strong sympathy for your targeted group. The result: Your verbal jabs will alienate these listeners immediately, and you will have little likelihood of regaining their attention.

At a civic club luncheon, a speaker launched his speech with an off color joke. Much to his surprise, a female club member walked to the microphone after he sat down, and said quite sternly: “I know I speak for many of us when I say that the joke our guest speaker told was offensive, and was totally inappropriate for our group.”

While negative reactions might not become vocalized like that, even silent embarrassment and resentment will establish barriers you cannot remove.

SECOND: Your audience might not like the joke.

Possibly they don’t understand it, or you botch the punch line. Instead of laughter, you generate blank stares. An audible disruption starts when audience members start murmuring to each other, “Explain that one to me.”

Johnny Carson’s fans remember one of his most remarkable assets: his ability to recover from a joke that bombed, making fun of himself--sometimes with a few dance steps or tapping the microphone to pretend the audience hadn’t heard his joke. Yet most of us lack the poise to maneuver that creatively. We have to endure the absence of applause and laughter that we had expected. [page]

THIRD: Telling jokes might not be your strong suit.

Oh sure, you can crack jokes and hear raucous laughter from your golf or luncheon pals, whom you have known for years. In fact, all of you swap jokes easily and frequently. Your success in these informal settings could lead you to assume that you’re a born entertainer.

However, handling jokes with a group of people you don’t know differs greatly. The standard convivial mood that exists among your closest friends is missing. You have to earn credibility from your listeners, not lean on the esteem that has grown through years of association.

Think back to the times you have tried joke-telling in your speaking. Was it worth the risk? Did you feel too much tension worrying about possible failure? Or have you been one of those rare presenters who accomplishes the proverbial “get them rolling in the aisles”?

Assess, quite candidly, whether joke-telling is your strong suit. Facing your limitations honestly could prevent speaking failures that derail your message.

FOURTH: The audience might have heard the joke already.

Consider how the Internet has made it much tougher to come up with a joke not known to your audience. How many times a week do your friends e-mail you the same joke? Well, that’s happening among your audience members as well.

Additionally, when you’re speaking at a civic club, speakers from two or three weeks ago could have told the joke you planned for today’s speech.

FIFTH: You will surprise your audience by not starting with a joke.

Joke-telling at the outset has become common enough to be ranked as trite. Start some other way, and your audience will welcome your new approach.

Now, do these five reasons not to start your speech with a joke imply that there’s no place for humor in your first remarks? Not at all. Humor—used sparingly, skillfully, and in good taste—can establish quick rapport and indicate the speaker is personable and friendly, as well as self-assured without being cocky.

The most winsome humor will be spontaneous, related to the event, and self-directed. For example, recently an acquaintance invited me to speak at his business club’s luncheon. He assured me he would promote attendance, and would introduce me, using the written bio I provided. Then his plans changed, as he left on an unscheduled international trip. This opportunity for timely, self-deprecating humor led me to say, “I have been speaking for many years, to a wide variety of groups, and I can assure you this is the first time ever that my host invited me to speak, then left the country before the event.” As you can imagine, my comment drew good natured chuckles, especially from those who knew Art, my absentee host.

Again: In starting your speech, leave the joke telling to Letterman, Leno, and the other professional experts, for the five reasons we have reviewed. Replace jokes with witty, tasteful, and creative observations and comments that are not canned, but are customized to fit only this audience, occasion, and topic. Not only will you sidestep potential pitfalls, you will establish instant rapport and positive expectations.

Bill Lampton, Ph.D.--author of The Complete Communicator: Change Your Communication-change Your Life! -- helps his coaching clients become poised, powerful, and persuasive speakers. Visit his Web site: http://www.ChampionshipCommunication.com Call Dr. Lampton: 678-316-4300

Make Sales Like Rabbits Using The Hidden Sales Multiplier

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:47:00 -0700

Many salespeople think, the sales process is finished when the deal is closed; when really it is just the start of the next sales cycle. The things that you do right then will determine whether you’re successful as a sales professional. Here is what I mean; do you want another sale from this contact? Do you expect, or at least, hope to get referrals from them?

One sale, or more than one?

What you do right after the first sale closes will determine whether you get the next one or any referrals. You have just started to build the trust factor in the relationship, and that trust is the key to long term success. As is well known, customers go through three phases once they decide to do business with you.

Initially, they are excited by the decision to buy and want to get started with your product or service right way. Then they go through a learning, or adjustment, curve when they struggle with adopting your product or service into their operation. Lastly, they start experiencing the benefit(s) that you have promised. When this happens the relationship settles and trust builds.

During the learning and adjustment phase, a potentially dangerous time exists; because without an established relationship of trust, your newly acquired customer is at risk to change their mind. This is especially true if any issues arise; even the smallest ones, to prevent them from seeing the benefits they anticipated.

The emotions of a sale

In order to minimize that risk, you need to understand the process of buying from your customers' perspective. Most purchasing decisions have four primary levels that everyone will pass through.

They are:

1. Have the motivation to buy. (desire or need for your product or service)
2. Make the decision to buy (from you or someone else)
3. Confirmation the right decision has been made. (justification and/or fulfillment)
4. Reassurance that the right thing was done.

By placing the order, they have moved to stage two in the buying process. If the confirmation of making the correct buying decision is not provided by the sales person, the chance of "buyer's remorse" increases dramatically; resulting in canceled orders.

You can reduce the risk by improving the post sale part of the sales process with things like:
Testimonials from satisfied customers, increased service levels in the beginning, and most importantly, regular contact. Others ways include the setup, demonstration, or training in the use of your product or service.

Satisfaction of the customer will increase and the sales person’s workload will be lighter, if you have a contact schedule in place. This should include the first thirty to sixty days after the sale, so your sales team knows exactly what to do. This can include site visits, email messages, and phone calls, either prior to or when they receive your product or your service begins. This helps establish a contact frequency at important times and eliminates frustration if problems should occur for your customer. Most importantly, it helps cement the relationship trust that you are there for them. [page]

Seek, from each customer, their preferred method of managing the account. Is face to face desired or will a phone call or email do? We are all different in the way we want to communicate and no one method will work for all. Identify areas the customer feels are vital to them, so that you can pay closer attention to these. Agree up-front how any future problems should be handled. And, always ensure your customer has all your contact information so they can contact you when needed.

Make a perpetual customer

After the deal has closed, send hand-written thank notes so they know you appreciate them and their business. This is a very personal touch that only takes mere moments, yet ensures the customer feels valued and special. The same goes for the anniversary date of them being a customer or their birthday. This will mean more than a Christmas card that gets lost in the mass of others sent at the holidays.

Actively ask questions to check their satisfaction. This can be done with post implementation or delivery surveys, a follow up call after every service call provided. This will help you identify, early on, if their satisfaction is waning or issues have arisen. Again, making them feel like you are interested in, and appreciate, their business. For example, "Was everything as you expected?" "Is there anything we need else we can do for you?" If problems arise, the earlier you know about it the sooner you can remedy it.

By doing all of this, you can be assured the trust has been built into the relationship and they will be more interested in doing future business with you and your company. They will be more inclined to offer referrals, when asked, and most likely spread the good word about your company to all their friends and associates. That leads to more business and money for you!

What Are People Really Buying Online?

Patrick James/GOOD — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 10:20:00 -0700

What are people really buying online? According to this awesome infographic by Permuto (after the jump, and larger here), although clothing, electronics, furniture, office supplies and books and magazine sell more often online, overall the majority of U.S. purchases still take place in brick-and-mortar stores.

One thing people aren't buying online: pharmaceuticals—apparently all those Viagra and Xanax ads in our inboxes just aren't doing the trick.

Source

Marketers Push the Boundaries on Data Collection

Michael Learmonth / AdAge — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:01:00 -0700

Marketers are pushing the boundaries on data collection, but how far will regulators and the public let it go?

The latest frontier for marketers is taking offline data such as income, credit rating, home value, savings, past purchases, number of children living at home and other data, and merging that with the blooming online data stream.

The offline data - including extremely sensitive, personally identifiable information - has been used by the direct-marketing industry for decades. But only recently have marketers begun to connect that trove to online behavior. The resulting picture is revolutionary for marketers, but could trigger a rude awakening in the form of regulation now being considered by Congress.

One example: three-year-old data firm Aperture, a division of Datran Media, which pulls data from offline giants like Experian, Acxiom, and Nielsen's Claritas to form detailed portraits of individuals on the web, and then combines that with Datran's massive database of e-mail addresses. The difference between what Aperture is doing and others is that each cookie does represent a real consumer, albeit with personally identifiable information stripped out. Those consumers are thrown into "buckets," say, men earning $40,000 to $50,000, or other demographics useful for marketers.

When that cookie encounters a website -- an automotive site, for example -- then an advertiser would know whether to serve an ad for a Subaru or a Range Rover, depending on income and other demographic characteristics.

No Longer 'No-Man's Land'

All the big four holding companies are working with Aperture, and many of the world's top marketers, but most would rather not talk about it. One that did, hearing-aid manufacturer Beltone, used Aperture data to figure out that they shouldn't be targeting senior citizens directly. Rather, they should be targeting the adult-female children of seniors -- moms themselves -- who may or may not have a parent living in their home, as they were responding to the ads more than seniors themselves.

That's something that might not be possible without the supporting demographic data Aperture culls from offline sources. Also using Aperture? Viacom's Nickelodeon and Camuto Group, owner of Jessica Simpson's clothing brand.

"The line between merging online and offline data isn't no-man's land anymore; it's becoming more of a common practice," said Mike Zaneis, Washington lobbyist for the Interactive Advertising Bureau.

But online-data collection is getting some scrutiny from privacy advocates, the media and the Federal Trade Commission. Last week the Wall Street Journal profiled eXelate, an Israeli firm that operates an exchange for data culled from online and offline sources. The company announced a deal with Nielsen's Claritas, which gives them data from 115 million American households.

The New York Times last week published a front-page story pointing out some of the more disconcerting consequences to all the data readily volunteered by people on the web, such as birth dates, organizational affiliations, lists of friends and family members.

The Onion dealt with the issue last week with "Google Responds to Privacy Concerns With Unsettlingly Specific Apology."

Shifting Boundaries >>
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Shifting Boundaries

At hearings last week, Federal Trade Commission staff and invited panelists discussed whether advances in targeting require that more types of personal information be held off-limits to marketers. In the past, marketers have drawn the line at data related to health status and sexual preference. But as targeting gets more precise, and consumers themselves volunteer more and more information online, the question is whether those categories should be expanded.

Then there's the question of whether any of this should be happening at all. "Everybody is making money off consumer data but the consumer," said Jeff Chester, executive director for the Center for Digital Democracy, who was working on a complaint last week against companies that participate in real-time bidding for consumers as they move around the web.

As an analytics firm, Aperture sees itself as competing more against Nielsen and ComScore rather than data exchanges like eXelate, which buys Aperture data, and Blue Kai, which is an exchange for e-commerce data. "It's kind of a land-grab right now, but none of them have the information we have or the discovery tools we have," said Aperture general manager Scott Knoll.

Mr. Knoll said Aperture has built a firewall that separates cookies from personally identifiable information. Moreover, you can't quite directly connect an offline address with an IP address that identifies a computer because IP addresses are randomly assigned by broadband ISPs. Even if it was possible, he said, "as a marketer, it's something I would never do."

In the past, marketers could point to the few complaints registered with state attorneys general about direct marketing to show that the public doesn't worry much about it. One exception would be telemarketing, which resulted in Do Not Call Lists. Will the public start to care when a person who is bald gets an ad for Rogaine or a person who is overweight gets one for Weight Watchers?

Today, most online targeting is based on data collected online, but that's changing, and both agencies and marketers are more interested in bringing new data to assign value to remnant ad inventory that they can buy cheaply. A host of data purveyors such as Media6Degrees, which mines social profiles for targeting information, are overlaying data to that inventory to find audiences marketers find valuable.

"Tying online to offline, or connecting a cookie to offline purchase behavior; there's usefulness in that, but it's not a trivial exercise," said Brand.net CEO Andy Atherton. "Privacy concerns need to be at the top of the stack or the clouds on the horizon are going to get bigger."

Join the discussion! Targeted online advertising... creepy or efficient?

The ABCs of Handshake Etiquette

Hamsa Ramesha | SmallBizLink — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:10:00 -0800

Ahh, the shaking of hands. It sounds simple enough: Two hands meet and greet and do a little shake. Easy, right?

Not so fast.

Unfortunately, there are quite a few ways a handshake can go south. From an overly moist hand to a bone-crushing grip, handshakes come in all shapes and sizes — and only the best will hit the right note.

Handshakes are especially important in the workplace, where you are constantly surrounded by your peers and occasionally meeting important people who can shape your career. If you've ever been in an interview, you know how important that first handshake is and how easy it is to mess it up. Making a strong (and positive!) initial impression is not only good for your work life, but it reflects positively on who you are as well.

Make sure your handshake says all the right things by reading HRPeople's guide to proper handshake etiquette!

Get Started: Something Fishy This Way Comes >>

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1. Something Fishy This Way Comes

The Shake: Loose grip, cold hands, weak movement

Grade: F

What This Says About You: A handshake that has as much flair as a cold and dead fish not only feels limp and weak to the other person, it also makes you look pretty pathetic. As a prospective employee, you want to put your best ~~foot~~ hand forward and project a strong, confident personality. With a handshake like this you are inevitably going to come off as impressionable, easily intimidated, uncertain, and lacking in self-confidence.

Next: Sweaty Business >>

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2. Sweaty Business

The Shake: Heavy moisture on the skin or clammy hands that may or may not shake on impact due to stress and nerves.

Grade: F

What This Says About You: Don't bother saying anything; your handshake has spoken volumes. The interviewer is only thinking one thing: "Disinfectant, ASAP." Not only does a sweaty handshake reflect a very nervous candidate, it also leaves the interviewer with a strong negative reaction that's pretty hard to shake. Sweaty hands also make you seem like a more desperate job seeker — which is never a good thing.

If you're so nervous that you're sweating buckets, find out what's causing your anxiety in the first place. Carry tissues to wipe your hands with just before the interview, or dab a little baby powder to keep your hands dry and smelling nice!

The same applies for oily, dirty, and overly moisturized hands. Remember this: Your handshake shouldn't literally leave an impression on your interviewer!

Next: Swing and a Miss >>

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3. Swing and a Miss

The Shake: Reaching to shake that hand … and missing.

Grade: C

What This Says About You: Um, that you have no aim? This kind of handshake mistake is easy to make and almost more embarrassing than anything else, often just a result of harmless enthusiasm. But don’t worry! Just take a deep breath and try again. No harm, no foul.

Next: The Incredible Hulk Grip >>

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4. The Incredible Hulk Grip

The Shake: Tight grip, often crushing the other person's fingers. Resulting pain is often accelerated by ostentatious jewelry.

Grade: C

What This Says About You: Overconfident much? Take it down a notch, champ, you're not Superman. This kind of handshake lets the other person know you like to be in charge — but not in a healthy way. Besides intimidating the other party, you're coming off as incredibly self-absorbed and overbearing. Ease up on that grip, soften your hold, and please, please take off your jewelry before you put someone’s eye out.

Next: Just. Let. Go. >>

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5. Just. Let. Go.

The Shake: Like the Energizer Bunny, it just keeps going and going and going and going…

Grade: D

What This Says About You: You are eager to please and impress and could really use a new spine, not to mention remedial lessons in social politeness. It doesn't matter how well you shake the other person's hand if you forget to let go! Two to three shakes is ideal; anything more is cause for concern.

Next: Two-Faced >>

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6. Two-Faced

The Shake: Shaking with the right hand and clasping the other side of their hand with your left hand.

Grade: B

What This Says About You: While there's certainly nothing wrong with the two-handed approach (if done right), it isn't always necessary and may be seen as pretentious and overbearing (i.e.: like an untrustworthy politician). When you're meeting a stranger, the double handshake may seem too familiar, as it’s the kind made by long-time colleagues who actually have a warm relationship.

Finally: The Perfect Handshake >>

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7. The Perfect Handshake

The Shake: Firm grip, clean and dry hands, two to three pumps, steady fingers.

Grade: A

What This Says About You: You've officially made a solid first impression that says you're a reliable person with a confident attitude and a good grip on sanity. Congratulations for having clean hands and remembering to let go! Part of a good handshake is putting the other party at ease too. Bonus points for a friendly smile and eye contract.

Handshakes, A History >>

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Handshakes, A History

The handshake has a long history, even making the Guinness Book of World Records on several occasions — Atlantic City Mayor Joseph Lazarow shook over 11,000 hands in July 1977! And the longest handshake on record lasted 12 hours, 34 minutes and 56 seconds (September 21, 2009).

A handshake is greater than the sum of its physical parts; it's symbolic of good intentions which can easily be misread if your handshake is less than stellar.

Now that you've read up on everything you need to know about handshaking, take the QUIZ >>

Terry’s Top Twitter Tips

Terry Brock | SmallBizLink — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:44:00 -0800

Twitter is already a strong tool for communicating with important people. More and more business leaders today are realizing this tool is a force for profits today. Much like we gradually accepted e-mail as a force to be dealt with years ago, successful businesses are embracing today’s new technology. Business leaders are embracing Twitter and other social media and social networking tools as a powerful force.

You open a new world of possibilities when you embrace the marketing options of Twitter. The world of business has changed in the past few years and now is the time to see this. How long Twitter will stay on the scene as a must-use application is open to debate. For now, we know that those who embrace and learn what it can do are those who succeed today and will in the future.

Here are three of “Terry’s Top Twitter Tips” to help you monetize the effort you put into this marvelous tool for business.

1. Provide Value. Today’s social media culture demands value over hype. In the past companies could buy ads and blast their message to the world. That was expected. Today you must provide solid value before people trust you. We’ve been swamped with way too much advertising and some of it is not always true. Therefore, we are all at least a little bit skeptical. We don’t want to trust just anyone who is selling something. To get around that you can build relationships with your tribe --- the people who are your stakeholders. [widget:sales__marketing__in_article_tech]

Build a quality reputation of being a good person first, and then as someone who provides value. For instance, if you’re a dentist, don’t just tell me you can fill cavities. Don’t just tell me that I need regular check-ups (all of which is true, of course). Provide lots of fun, beneficial education with fun and interesting ways to connect with you at your office. Offer a way to learn more. Offer ways where you engage me as a person. This is value. Think of how you’ll do it in your business providing value (use that Blog you’ve got!).

Many companies today are providing value by answering specific questions through audio and video. These companies will start a “tweet” --- a message in Twitter --- and then link to a page on their website and/orBlog with more information. A good tool for this is bit.ly where you can shorten a long URL into a much shorter one (www.bit.ly). Not only does bit.ly shorten the link, but it also provides the ability to track how many people clicked on it. This is a very useful tool for tracking results. No longer do you have to wonder if you’re providing value. You can quantifiably track the number of people who wanted what you’re offering.

2. Research. Twitter is a great tool to research what is going on in the marketplace. There are three areas you want to research regularly: 1) What your industry and marketplace are talking about, 2) What they are saying about you, and 3) What they are saying about your competitors. A tool like TweetDeck (www.TweetDeck.com) can help you manage all this information. You are already behind if you don’t research. Know what is happening and leverage tools like Twitter and TweetDeck to stay on top of it and gain a competitive advantage.

3. Be Accessible. The days of management hiding behind closed doors is over. Companies who tenaciously hang onto that are on their way out. Companies who successfully use social media and social networking today are positioned to profit today and into the future.

This means using tools like Twitter as well as Facebook, YouTube and Linkedin (the Big Four) is essential. In addition to these tools you want to have a physical presence where you connect with people through trade shows, seminars, conferences, personal visits (remember how Sam Walton leveraged this and helped generate billions!), and personal phone calls (remember those?). More than any specific technology, accessibility today means that you have the attitude of being open to customers, listening to what they say and hearing problems from their point of view. Develop systems to handle this so you can handle the volume of connections. However you choose to make it work --- stay with it to make it work. It is a never-ending process. Social Media and Social Networking are tools that let you connect with others and get to know them.

It is the human thing to do. It is also the right thing for bottom line business!

4 Tips to Negotiate Like a Pro

Jonathan Farrington — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:20:00 -0800

Many of my colleagues and friends do not enjoy negotiating – in fact they absolutely hate it. Me, I love the cut and thrust, and look forward to that stage of the buying cycle. Here are some thoughts.

A skilled negotiator will create high levels of rapport and be sensitive and empathetic to the people they are negotiating with, yet can still be hard on the issues.

The ability to separate the people from the issues, and recognize that negotiations are often fraught with emotional intensity, can help sharpen the focus on the interests of the other party to better balance perceptions. If the negotiation doesn’t appear to be going anywhere and your prospect is behaving like a bully you might feel angry and frustrated. You may already have considered simply agreeing to their demands.

In difficult negotiations, there are four vital behaviors that can increase your resourcefulness and consequently your opportunities for getting to “Win-Win”.

NEXT | Manage Your Emotional State >>

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1. Manage Your Emotional State

Build rapport by matching the other person’s style, pace and approach until you have achieved a connection. Personalize the negotiation by using “I” rather than your organization’s name. This demonstrates your belief in your proposal and highlights your credibility.

In the face of feelings like anger, disappointment, frustration, confusion, and resentment, we often react without thinking. In such a situation mentally detach yourself and think about it before you respond. It helps to reframe attacks and tactical maneuvers as feedback that the other person’s interests have not been fully acknowledged. Stay focused on your goal of reaching an agreement.

NEXT | Look for Quick Mutual Wins >>

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2. Look for Quick Mutual Wins

The more abstract your communication the more likely you are to reach agreement. Therefore, seek to gain agreement at an abstract level first and then get into the detail. For example, if two people wanted what appears to be very different things, such as a) nuclear disarmament and b) more resources spent on defense, if you looked at finding out both sides highest intention, you may discover that ‘peace’ was the desired outcome for both people. Therefore, at this abstract level they have found agreement so the negotiation can continue by gradually getting more detailed. Questions that chunk up your prospect into the bigger picture include:

For what purpose?

What’s your intention behind (negotiating point)?

Seek to address the easy and quickest areas of agreement first to reinforce the process of agreement is simple and straightforward. If you discover an area where agreement may not be reached quickly, then agree to leave it until later. If some points become contentious, it can help discussions if you both move your body, because the mind and body are connected, physical movement helps to create mental movement. That’s why a walk can work wonders during tough negotiations. Provide regular summaries of what you have both accomplished to install the belief that the negotiation is making progress.

Some sales people write out all the points to be negotiated on separate sheets of paper, then ask each point is agreed they move the paper to a different place, so that the buyer can physically see the progress being made which serves to motivate the entire process.

NEXT | Use Active Listening Skills >>

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3. Use Active Listening Skills

Giving good attention to people makes them more intelligent. Poor attention makes them stumble over their words and appear stupid. You are best positioned to change someone’s mind after you have listened to that person. People tend to close down and stick to their position until they feel heard. The goal of active listening is for you to hear and understand other people -- their words, thoughts, and feelings, and to let them know you’ve heard and understood them.

Acknowledge their motivations, feelings, and point of view, even when you don’t agree with what they are saying. Your goal is to understand the message, not judge the validity of what they say.

NEXT | Build Trust by Negotiating Fairly >>

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4. Build Trust by Negotiating Fairly

Demonstrations of power erode trust. If you are on the receiving end of this type of behavior, describe your observations, and the consequences of continuing the current process. For example: “You know you’ve named what seems to me a low price, and so now I’ll name a higher price, and then we’ll each insist on our position until one of us gives in. I don’t find my best negotiations work like this.”

Then propose a different way to proceed, for example: “It would help me to understand the criteria of a fair offer if we could take a look at some of the relevant standards in this industry.” Before beginning the negotiation it can help to agree the ground rules and stick to them. Act with integrity and hold a healthy respect for the intentions of the individual you are negotiating with. There is always a reason why a point of negotiation is important to the buyer and if we can appreciate more about their underlying reasons, this knowledge can be used and acted upon.

Jonathan Farrington Jonathan Farrington is a globally recognized business coach, mentor, author and consultant, who has guided hundreds of companies and thousands of individuals around the world towards optimum performance levels.

Formerly, Jonathan was the Managing Partner of The jfa Group which he established in 1994 and then early in 2007, Jonathan formed Top Sales Associates (TSA) to promote the very best sales related solutions and products. TSA is now a subsidiary of The Sales Corporation based in London and Paris, where Jonathan is the Chairman.

The JF Consultancy, launched early in 2008 and Jonathan’s highly popular daily blog for dedicated business professionals can be found at www.thejfblogit.co.uk

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When Your Marketing Message Bombs: Why Material That Used to Draw Prospects, Now Doesn’t.

Tom Daly | SmallBizLink — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:09:00 -0800

Businesses scramble for new promotional material because what used to work, now flops. The emails and ads that once reliably brought new business, have now become a waste of time and money. Have your prospects changed? Have your competitors outflanked you? Is the economy flattening your sales?

Let’s face it. Competitors and the economy may be affecting your business, and prospects’ preferences may have changed. But when none of these factors can explain the failure of marketing messages to work as well as they used to, there may be a simpler answer. For example, Social Media.

When your message misses the mark

For the moment, we are going to assume that the need for what you sell has not changed, and that your message is actually perfect for the prospects. Is there a way your message won’t perform when the message is right? You bet. The message has to reach your prospect!

The unread billboard

Some time ago, a company tried to get their message on a particular billboard near a major road for a number of years, but their competition had a bigger budget and always monopolized the space. One day, they got a call from the space salesman who whispered on the phone, that he knew they were interested in that billboard and that the competition had failed to book it for the next month. He told them if they acted fast, he could get them the space. They moved fast and had their message up in 2 days. It brought them no new business. The week before, the new interstate road had opened and traffic no longer went by that billboard.

Where the traffic goes

When the traffic is no longer using the same medium as before, your prospects won’t see your message in the old medium. Up above, we mentioned Social Media, and a great deal of traffic is using it – BUT NOT EVERYONE USES IT. You have to find out what information sources are used by your prospects to obtain buying information, and then use those sources for your well-crafted (and tested) messages. Sometimes, you may find they are using multiple sources. Then that is what you should do.

But emails were so great!

So were newspaper ads, billboards, radio, and TV in their prime. Sometimes these sources are still the right ones. In a strange turnabout, one study discovered that for some products and services, direct mail was bringing stronger results than emails. Many of us can remember when emails were replacing direct mail. It wasn’t that long ago!

Follow the prospects

As new technologies affect how prospects get information, you will need to shift your medium to insure your prospects see your message. Of course, you have to have a good message which addresses the prospects’ wants, needs, or desires in a compelling way. But, the right message in the wrong medium will not bring you business. It will only waste your money. Find out where they go, or get someone who can discover it for you.

Using Twitter In Your Marketing: Way Beyond “My Cat Is Sleeping”

Terry Brock | SmallBizLink — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:04:00 -0800

In the old days (read, “last year”), many thought of Twitter as just a silly little way for kids to stay in touch and talk about “my cat is sleeping” type of messages. In other words, it was certainly not for business (at least in the minds of many people in business) and only for kids.

Things are different today. If you’re not using Twitter, you are already not only passed by but you are being lapped on the track! Twitter is a force to be reckoned with in today’s business environment. It can give you a decisive edge in connecting with customers, employees and fellow stakeholders. It can also help you find out the “inside scoop” on what is happening now.

How Businesses Use Twitter Today

Southwest Airlines is using it to let people know about flight changes, conditions and more. They also use it to find out what passengers are saying. If a delay or disruption occurs on a given flight, Southwest knows about it as they have dedicated people monitoring Twitter regularly.

Zappos is a great online shoe company. They monitor what customers are saying and what they want. They also use it to grab customer feedback --- good and bad --- and respond accordingly.

Even General (Government) Motors is using Twitter. They want to keep up with what people are saying about them and (at least in theory) help solve customer problems.

If your business is not using Twitter you are at a big disadvantage. You don’t have the instant access to what is going on that is relevant to you. You won’t be able to stay on top of problems and solve them before they become massive.

Filtering Twitter

A big complaint from many is that there is so much information they can’t keep up with it all. I understand and agree with that. This is why experienced Twitter users (called “Twitterers”) use tools to process the filtering.
TweetDeck (www.TweetDeck.com - free) is a commonly used tool to monitor key streams. You can set up a search for your company name or your competitors’ names and receive notifications whenever something is said. This helps to manage the torrents of information coming through Twitter. With TweetDeck I can monitor not only important Twitter mentions but also update and monitor what is happening that is relevant for me on Facebook and Linkedin. This gives me a “command module” to keep up on the important things in my world. [widget:sales__marketing__in_article_tech]

HootSuite (http://hootsuite.com/dashboard - free) is another tool to monitor what is happening. It is also useful to schedule messages you’ll send to others (called “Tweets”). This way you can schedule a message to go out a few times a day. Hey, the cable news networks repeat the same stories because they know their audience changes every 20 minutes --- or less. Yours does too and a tool like this helps to reach more people with your message – when it is convenient for them!

Ways You Can Use Twitter In Your Marketing

There are several ways you can use Twitter but here are some which can help you immediately:

1. Build An Audience. This is most important as you want to build an audience of followers (that’s the Twitter term for people who subscribe to your posts) who are interested in what you’re doing. Have a special going on? Send a Tweet. Is there an important news event in your industry that you wrote about? Send a Tweet pointing to that article. Give lots of value and make conversation, not selling, your goal.

2. Monitor What They Say About You. Find out what people are saying about you and your industry. This is one of the best ways to stay on top of what is really happening (not just what you think is happening).

3. Monitor What They Say About Your Competitors. You need to be aware of what is happening in the world. Using Twitter is one of the best and fastest ways to keep up with what is going on today.

4. Become A Resource, Not A Screaming Salesperson. One of the cardinal rules of marketing with Twitter and other Web 2.0 tools is to be a resource of information and not an annoying, pest selling stuff. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with selling and I believe everyone is selling something. However, today you have to do it in a conversational, problem-solving way. Provide lots of valuable information (valuable as defined by your market) and people will want to be around you.

This is a beginning. Twitter is a serious business tool. Wade into it slowly and get familiar with the territory. You’ll be glad you did. And who knows, maybe even your cat will sleep better!

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Are you a Gold Miner?

David Brydson | SmallBizLink — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:00:00 -0800

It really did not matter whether you were rushing to the gold fields of California or the frosted slopes of Alaska, everyone that rushed there thought they were going to be rich. The source of that thought: reports of gold lying around just waiting to be picked up and put into their pocket. Everyone wanted a piece of that action.

For a very small amount of folks, that indeed was the case; but only a very small group. Some were lucky enough to be like the blind squirrel who stumbled onto a nut. If you wander around long enough you may stumble upon a nugget too!

But, for the vast majority of those miners, that did become rich from the gold fields, did so because they realized it would take a lot of work. For most, it would be very hard work, but they continued to believe success would happen and it did. They worked hard at the tasks they knew would achieve their goal and were rewarded for they effort.

The most productive method for them was the panning for gold. This would provide them with some flakes, which could be combined into larger nuggets; and occasionally they would be rewarded with a larger nugget. They just had to keep panning.
Your sales efforts are a lot like panning for gold. You continue to work hard at it and some flakes will appear in your pan. Work at it long enough and the occasional nugget will show up as well. Either way, you have to work at it constantly until you reach success as you sift through a lot of sludge and rock, just like those miners.

Using the analogy above, we can apply the same principles to your sales efforts.
We have to start by going to where we think the gold will be. This is the place your target markets (suspects) are located at. I can't say it will be California, Alaska or

➢ What are the characteristics of the best spots?
➢ Where do they reside, gather, hang out?
➢ What do they look like?
➢ How do you identify them?

We will also need to take along some tools:

➢ Pick Ax = Market Research
➢ Shovel = Cold Calling, E-mail, Internet Marketing, Direct Mail, etc….
➢ Gold Pan = Your sales script, your offer, your pitch, etc….

When panning for gold, the 49er’s had to separate the sludge from the gold. Today’s cold callers must do the same. They’ll divide their findings into three groups:
1. Prospects.
2. Suspects.
3. Rejects.

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Prospects express interest in what you sell, will make appointments with you, and are likely to buy from you – or your competitor – soon. Prospects are the gold. You can then move directly into the sales process and get the deal closed. Most of the people you will contact will not fall into this category, but like the miners of old; you will stumble into an occasional nugget. Being in the right place at the right time will only come through the constant effort of working and those nuggets will pop to the surface.

Suspects are where some of your initial contacts will be. These are the gold flakes that miners will eventually get to show up in the bottom of the pan. They, like you, have to go through a lot of rejects (Mud and Sludge) to get them to show themselves. Keep working at it and they will be there for you too.
Suspects show some interest in what you sell, may take some information, but won’t commit to an appointment or go on record as saying they’re interested yet. Build a relationship with them through the use of a drip marketing or educational process. This will keep your name in front of them so when the buying decision is ready to be made, they will know who you are and will be more likely to come back to you.

Be sure to provide quality material in every communication and ensure that it has some value to the suspect. This ensures they will look forward to hearing from you and goes a long way to build the desired trust, in you, so they want to do business with you.

I have accepted many invitations to get information form many sources over the years. I was not ready to commit to a purchase yet, but willing to look at it. Almost without fail, everyone of them sent a single piece of information that I wanted and then jumped straight into the heavy handed sales process. Or, they started to send me 1-5 messages every day about things that I had no interest in.

How long do you think I waited before I hit the "Un-subscribe" button? They never even got a chance to earn my business. The 49'ners didn't load the creek bed with dynamite the minute they found a flake of gold. You should not either.

Rejects, like the mud and gravel, are the largest group you’ll deal with. They have no interest in what you sell and maybe never will. Or they are married to your competitor and will never change. Don’t let rejects discourage you. Throw them out with the wash and start sifting again. There’s still plenty of gold to be found.

You will spend more effort, with fewer positive results, on these mud and gravel contacts unless you have a defined way to indentify them quickly. Create a series of questions that help you determine:

1) Do they have an interest in your product or service?
2) Are they in a position to make the buying decision?
3) Are they qualified? (Match your target, able to afford it, etc…)
4) Are they ready to buy or need more information?

Keep track of, and analyze, the results of the responses to those questions to help you stay on track and verify that you are addressing the correct targets. If you find the responses to be out of sync with what you are selling, then you might need to find better targets or seek other methods of engagement.

Like the gold miners of the past; you too can find a lot of gold if you continue to work at it consistently. You might get lucky and walk into a meadow and find a creek that is laden with large gold nuggets, but do not bank your entire business on that. It is a sure pathway to the poor house. Ask any of those that said "There is no more gold left in them there hills."

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Making Marketing Toe the Mark

Tom Daly | SmallBizLink — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:38:00 -0800

Most small businesses don’t have marketing, but too many of those that do, don’t get what they need.

Don’t give marketing any excuse

As a business owner, you expect your employees to do their job. Then why do you allow marketing to only do half the job? You allow them to place ads and print flyers which do nothing to improve your business. Why? Probably because you yourself don’t know exactly what they should do, or how to recognize a good job from a bad one.

What should marketing do for you?

In its simplest definition, marketing should bring prospects to your door ready to do business. If your marketing people are not bringing them in the door ready to do business, then it is time for a change. That change may or may not require new people, but it does mean that you’ll have to change either your message or delivery vehicle.

Does anyone need what you sell?

If they do, that is good, because it will make it easier to sell. Should you be in the unfortunate position of trying to sell exactly what others sell, then your marketing people must innovate – make a change which gives you something special to sell. It can be a product, a service, or delivery mechanism, but it has to be something different than others offer and it has to be something your clients/customers want. If they tell you they can only sell on price, get new people. Price is #6 in buyer importance, not #1.

Create a powerful message

Every successful business has two things: 1. Something they do better than their competitors, and 2. A powerful message that tells everyone what they do that is so special. Your marketing people have to ask and test. Ask customers what they want, and then test to be sure it is true, that customers will buy if they are given what they have said they want. Surely, they wouldn’t lie to you, would they? No, but then again they don’t really know why they buy. So testing is important. [widget:sales__marketing__in_article_tech]

I once worked for a small division of a very large company better known for appliances than the technical product we were selling, and we flew all over the country asking our customers what they wanted in this product. A year later we came back with what they described, and nobody bought it! We should have created a test purchase situation to find out what they actually would buy.

Once you know for sure what they will buy (and why), then your marketing people should create a powerful message which they weave into all of the support material they produce. If they don’t have the writing skills to do this (and most don’t), then they should find a good copywriter.

And where should this message go?

It should go to the same places that your buyers go to obtain purchasing information. Why spend money transmitting your message in places your buyers never visit? To find out, ask your buyers.

Measure twice and cut once

Ask all callers and buyers how they found you, and record the results. The promotional material which brings the most business, you keep. The next best, you improve. All the rest, you cut. They are a waste of your money. Use the saved money on the effective material and marketing venues.

After you do this a few times, your marketing will be bringing prospects to your door ready to do business, but only if you push your marketing people until they measure up to t

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Print Tools For Small Business And Mobile Professionals To Succeed

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:06:00 -0800

PlanOn PrintStik

If you are on the road and need to get a hard copy of important information, you know it can be a hassle. Sure, you can try to send a copy to the front desk of the hotel, then go downstairs to get it, etc. However, sometimes you just need a quick note printed from some directions or notes.

The Planon PrinStik could be just what you’re looking for. Recently the company gave me one of these to try out. It is light-weight (about 2 lbs.) and connects via a USB cable or Bluetooth. Using Bluetooth enables you to print directly from your Blackberry (iPhone soon) and avoid the hassles of cables.

The unit uses thermal paper. At first I didn’t like this as I wanted regular paper. However, for on-the-road use I see the advantages now. You don’t have to carry or use those pesky ink cartridges. You don’t have to worry about them breaking and spilling (on the road, this can be a challenge). You can purchase the rolls at your office supply center. One roll gives you about 20 pages, which should be enough for most on-the-road trips to print urgent and must-have communication. Two, maybe three rolls, should be more than adequate for most trips.

The prices for the PrintStik range from $199 to $350 depending on the features you get. The speed is fair at 3 pages per minute. For brief, on-the-road printing this will be sufficient. If you need to print 100 copies of something you’ll be better off at your local print-shop or office center at the hotel.

For today’s mobile professional, this is a great tool to help you when you have to have that printout. It is easy to carry on board a plane for those 1-2 day trips.

(PrintStik, www.planon.com, $199-$350)

The Printshop 2.0 Lets You Design Without Being A Graphic Designer

I love to see what programs like PhotoShop produce. However, I don’t have the time to learn that extensive (and wonderful) program. Well, the people at Encore USA must have been thinking about me when they came up with The Printshop. It is easy to use and comes with several templates for producing fliers, brochures, business cards and other printed material. [widget:sales__marketing__in_article_tech]

You can see a video interview I had with Jennifer Smiczek, the Product Director for The Printshop 2.0 at http://bit.ly/theprintshop.

In an age when it seems everyone is sending out email and PDFs instead of printed material, you can get an advantage. Think of how you could send some physical pictures of that last convention to a prospect. Consider sending them in a nice frame for long-term memories. Print them on your own card stock using The Printshop and you’ll be able to stand out from the barrage of email that your prospect receives.

The Printshop comes in three price levels from $29.99, $59.99 and $89.99. You can start with the entry level and gradually move up if you choose. Yet, for less than $100 you get a very nice, comprehensive package that can deal with many, if not most, of your printing needs.

I saw the templates and looked at what this can do. It is a nice product and for a small-business or a large company that thinks flexibility and agility, this is an excellent product to use. It can give you a competitive advantage in today’s marketplace.

This is also a good product to consider if you have been laid off and are looking for a good way to generate income. Using the templates they have (particularly in the $89.99 edition) you can develop some nice graphics and help to dazzle prospective clients with what you can do for them. This is a way for you to innovate your way out of any recession and generate the kind of income you want.

(The Printshop, 2.0, Priced from $29.99 to $89.99, http://ideas.printshop.com/)

Copyright (c) 2010, Terry Brock and Achievement Systems, Inc. Terry Brock is an international marketing coach and professional speaker who helps businesses generate profitable results. He can be reached by e-mail at terry@terrybrock.com or through his website at www.terrybrock.com. Join the Twitter adventure with Terry through his Twitter address: TerryBrock

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Email Marketing Can Boost Social Media Traffic

Ramon Ray — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:49:00 -0800

Email can be a very boring way to communicate compared to social media's like Twitter and Facebook. With Facebook you can do so much (video, photos, tag photos, communicate with friends and colleagues and more).

However, smart businesses know that email is a PERFECT tool to drive traffic.

Maybe you want to start using Facebook more, but are challenged in getting customers to join your Facebook page. Why not use your email list to encourage customers to join your Facebook page or Twitter updates?[widget:sales__marketing__in_article_tech]

Vertical Response customer LockPickShop had this dilemma. Boston based LockPickShop was founded in 2000 and is a very successful company. It has clients all over the world, including many US Government agencies and popular TV shows who use their products as props.

In October 2009, owner Glynn Gallagher decided to embrace social media and start a Facebook group for her business. To jump-start the Facebook page for LockPickShop, Gallagher launched an email campaign asking her customers to become ‘Fans’ of the LockPickShop Facebook page. There were no Facebook Fans at the time the email went out, and within five days she had over 300 Facebook Fans. A whopping 250 of these joined in the first 48 hours. Her Facebook page has only grown since this initial and subsequent emails.

Lesson learned. If you are having trouble driving traffic to a new product, or getting prospects to take a specific action, use email marketing to guide them where you want them to go.

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What To Do When Your Customer Is Wrong

Renee Weisman | SmallBizLink — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:06:00 -0800

For several years I have been teaching seminars on dealing with difficult people. Whether it is an employee, colleague, or boss, simple established steps usually work. But what do you do if the difficult person or the one that is wrong is your customer? How can you tell a customer he or she is wrong without losing the business? Is the “customer always right, even when he’s wrong” as many companies profess? [photo:8273] No, but handling customers and clients without losing them requires a practiced and patient process. Much depends on the nature of the problem and what the client is asking from you.

In this article we will discuss 4 increasingly difficult situations with customers and some approaches you might take.

1) The irate customer whose product didn’t meet their expectations (this could be a help desk or a retail store or a service).

2) The client who wants you to take an approach that you absolutely don’t agree with.

3) The client who promises to review something, get back to you, deliver something to you (including your fee) and either neglects to do it or is habitually late.

4) The client who believes you are charging too much.

For each case, it is important to remember to stay calm and not take it personally. Be polite, patient and when necessary firm and consistent.

The Irate Customer =>

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The Irate Customer

Let’s take the first case. Unless you live in Utopia, everyone has experienced some product that did not work, did not meet its advertised promises or fell short of what it promised. If you are on the receiving end of the complaint, the best approach is to listen and understand the issue. If it is within your power to fix (example- send another item or give a credit/refund), it is best to do so immediately. Haggling over whether the customer is right or wrong will not prove anything but will lose the customer (and perhaps others) for future sales.
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If you cannot replace, refund, repair or otherwise easily fix the issue, then you must clearly explain why (eg. the warranty period has passed, the item was not used for its recommended purchase, the item was a discounted item on the no-returns shelf, etc.). In these cases, clearly explaining the policy is essential. Offering some sort of discount on another item can often calm the customer. Empathize but be clear. Expect that the customer may want to speak to someone in a higher level of authority and allow them to do so. Be sure to thank the customer and be polite, professional and calm.

One point for retailers- a follow up call to assure the new item met the expectations is so unexpected, it often encourages repeat sales. As such, it amazes me more companies do not do this. Also, if you promise to look into a situation and get back to a customer, DO IT!

The Wrong Approach =>

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The Wrong Approach

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In the second situation, you normally have a closer working relationship with the customer. Much depends on the nature of the disagreement. Is there a compromise that can allow both sides to get what is needed? For example, if you are designing a website and the customer insists on certain elements that you believe detract from the product, ask what he/she is trying to achieve with these elements. A give and take session can often get both parties back on the same page. The client is paying you and deserves to get what he/she wants but your name will also be associated with the product. [widget:customer_service]If you would not want to show the site as an example of your work, then you need to continue the dialogue with the customer. Asking questions and incorporating those answers into the design you want can make it seem like it was the client’s idea and allow you to make changes. Yes this process takes time but it will often build you a very loyal customer. If the customer is a larger firm and there are several people involved in the decision making, establishing an advocate with whom you have a good working relationship within the firm can often accomplish what you cannot achieve on your own.

When I teach seminars for companies, I always allow the client to see the material prior to the session. Sometimes they don’t like the message of a particular slide or want me to take certain comments out. Often I can find a substitute that provides a similar message, perhaps with a little less humor, but allows both sides to be comfortable. In these sessions, I can also learn the key elements of the company policy and other items to make my sessions more relevant and company specific; thus both sides “win”. If you take the time to discuss changes in an open and respectful way, the end product will generally satisfy both you and the client.

Of course, if you cannot come to an agreement after trying these approaches, it is ultimately your decision. Can you live with a product you don’t love but meets the client’s needs? If so, continue. If not, and you can afford it, it is time to sever the relationship. (Make sure if you sign a contract that you have a clause allowing this in the document).

I'll Get Back To You =>

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I'll Get Back To You...

The third type of client is especially difficult because they are promising you something along the way. In these instances (and to protect yourself across the board), it is important to have a well written contract. If you need items to deliver by a given date and you don’t receive then, then the contract should either impose a late fee or should identify that failure of the client to deliver/pay on time will result in day for day impacts in the completion date. Having all this in the contract ahead of time, especially if you are spending money or being held to a delivery date yourself, will protect you from problems later on. It is helpful to spell out the exact dates for delivery/payment in this contract and you may choose to send a reminder a few days ahead if appropriate. If the client calls and asks for an extension, you need to be firm that the late penalties will apply.

The Price Negotiator =>

Check Out Renee's New Books
Winning in a Man's World and 5 Ways to Get a Man to Listen

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The Price Negotiator

The client who believes you are charging too much will often make remarks or try to reduce your price up front. Unless you see this account as a stepping stone to new business, it is better to hold your price, but perhaps adding some additional minimal service. For example, if someone complains about the price of your item, offer to add them to your mailing list for future discounts. This doesn’t cost you anything and might lead to future purchases. Another approach is to offer a package deal for multiple purchases or a credit for bringing in new customers. While you might choose to offer an item as a “teaser” to get initial sales, once you are providing your product, especially if it is a service, you are more respected by holding firm on your prices.

Most people you deal with in business are professional, honest and committed. But everyone can have a bad day, everyone wants to get a “little more” if he or she can, everyone values quality and everyone appreciates an unexpected service from their suppliers. Provide the little extras when it enables more business or a better client relationship, but hold firm on your standards and beliefs. Your clients will respect you and more importantly, return to you.

Renee Weisman, owner of Winning at Work, charted new territory as one of the first woman engineers, managers, executives and working mothers in the male-dominated semiconductor industry. Over her 40 years in education and industry, she learned to make gender differences work for her — and teaches others how to do the same. She is a frequent speaker at corporations and conferences around the US. She teaches classes tailored to enhance women in their careers and to enable male managers to better understand how to capitalize on the differences between men and women in business. She is the author of Winning in a Man’s World, Advice for Women Who Want to Succeed and the Men Who Work with Them.

Check Out Renee's New Books
Winning in a Man's World and 5 Ways to Get a Man to Listen

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Visit Winning at Work

Businesses Need to Use Social Media More Than Ever

Jeff Houck/Tampa Tribune — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:36:00 -0800

TAMPA - Gary Vaynerchuk wants business owners to know something about how they're using social media: They're doing it wrong.

Too many use electronic platforms, like billboards, he says.

Vaynerchuk leveraged online tools in recent years to grow his family's Internet wine business into a multimillion-dollar success. Along the way, he amassed hundreds of thousands of followers and fans on platforms including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Social media is exactly what the term implies, he told 150 attendees at a Wealth Building Annex seminar Wednesday at The Westshore Hotel. The tools are designed for conversation.

Vaynerchuk, who started online in 2006 as a video blogger at Wine Library TV, tv.winelibrary.com, was promoting his new book, "Crush It!: Why Now Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion," (HarperStudio, $19.99).

Business owners lack creativity in using online tools, he said.

"A restaurant, instead of going online and talking about food, is blasting out coupons for lunch menus," he said. "They're selling instead of being involved. This isn't the Yellow Pages."

He advised attendees to spend 30 minutes a day creating content and as much time as possible the rest of the day engaging people online. Customers gravitate to stories on an emotional level far more than they do advertising, he said.

"Storytelling is the No. 1 thing businesses should do for themselves and their products," he said.

More from Vaynerchuk on mistakes made by entrepreneurs who try to harness social media tools:

- Businesses worry too much about what they're going to say instead of listening.

- Business owners lack patience. They think it's all going to happen for them in five minutes.

- "People are into doing video online for the sake of it. I care about content, not platform. If I could write my butt off, I'd write more often."

- "Legacy is more important than currency. Businesses aren't willing to invest the sweat equity long term."

- "Every answer you'll get from me on most questions is 'content.' Anyone who says they do Twitter instead of blogging is an idiot. Your story needs a home."

- "Location-based mobile (like Foursquare) is going to be ginormous."

- "Business owners don't recognize how much of social media is customer service."

5 Ways to Increase Sales in the New Year

Colleen Francis — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 11:41:00 -0800

It’s 2010! And in honor of the new decade I thought we could start of the year with a top 5 list.

You might notice that the entire list is focused on the front end of the sales cycle. Specifically targeting, prospecting and calling net-new leads. That’s because in order to make sales, you have to have more leads and better quality leads. You might remember that I am particularly fond of the expression “every sales problem can be solved with improved prospecting skills.”

Enjoy the list and be sure to implement all 5 ideas this week. I know that you will have a perfect 10 year if you do!

NEXT: Make One More Call >>

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1. Make Just One More Call

In my experience studying scores of both mediocre and successful sales people, I have discovered that the most reliable key to enduring success is discipline.

- Discipline to provide just a little bit better service than your competitors offer or your clients expect.

- Discipline to make one more call, attend one more networking event or block an extra hour in your calendar every day to do business development.

- Discipline to document the objections you receive and create responses to deal with them consistently and effectively.

- Discipline to practice your sales presentation one more time, every time you head out the door to meet a prospect or close a deal.

Discipline is the one sure way by which poverty may be converted into riches, failure into success – and short-term success into a winning track record that will last throughout your entire career.

NEXT: Utilize Testimonials >>

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2. Make Testimonials Part of Your Strategy

Turn a testimonial into an opening statement that you can use when making your cold calls. It’s a great way to get the conversation started on the right note because it’s one (or more) of your customers who is talking about all the great things you can do for that prospect at the other end of phone. This strategy can be really compelling when the testimonial is one that the person you are calling can relate to specifically in their line of work.

Let’s say I’m calling a prospect in the tourism industry and I share with them a sample of the great feedback I received recently from a client who works for that industry’s national association, I’m making it clear that I understand the challenges they have to deal with in their work. There’s also a deeper message being processed by the person I’m calling: “If Colleen has worked with them, then she understands what we need and if she understands what we need, then she understands me.”

NEXT: Create a Profit 100 >>

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3. Create a Profit 100

Ask yourself: who are your best buyers? If you sell B2C, whether you’re a dentist, accountant, chiropractor, real estate broker or financial advisor, chances are your best buyers live in the best neighborhoods. They have the most money and the greatest sphere of influence. So take a look at your current customer list, identify where your best customers live and target your marketing efforts to others in those neighborhoods.

If you sell B2B, your best buyers are usually the biggest companies that are spending money and are profitable now. Check your database, who spent last year? Chances are, they will be spending again this year.

Once you have your list create a plan to reach out to this best buyers at least every other week, no matter what, to let these companies know who you are?

NEXT: Spend Money >>

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4. Spend Money on Those Spending With You

This is not the time to be taking a shotgun approach to sales, trying to sell all things to all people. Rather, this is when you should be targeting those who know you best—particularly customers that have a higher propensity to buy from you in good times and bad. Spend money on those who are spending with you. Don’t make the mistake that so many companies make during an economic downturn, taking a hatchet to their marketing budget. There’s a real opportunity right now for smart companies to step up their advertising and marketing efforts—provided that they are willing to invest the time to target who they are going to reach with their message and then measure the results.

In addition, consider how you can improve up-selling and cross-selling in your current market. Look carefully at who buys your products or services. Let’s say you’re a sales rep for a food-services company and you notice that your product line is selling briskly among women who are Toronto-based restaurant owners in the 45–65 age bracket. Maybe that’s who you should be targeting. Find out what their needs are, and market aggressively to them, showing how your product meets that need.

NEXT: Don't Forget to Network >>

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5. Don't Forget to Network

There are many mysteries in life, but this much is clear: nothing can help you get by like a little help from your friends. This is just as true in sales as it is in life. Truly effective sales people - the ones who always have time to make one more prospect call, finish one more project and grow their client base by another 10%, all while bringing fresh-baked cookies to the office every day - all have one thing in common. They are all more likely to employ a broad network of connections, friends, family and acquaintances to help them seize opportunities, and respond to challenges. In other words, the most successful and effective sales people are also the ones who are most likely to ask for help.

Many people feel that networking is something that only business people do - that it's only used to grow your business, sell more products or find a new job. This simply isn't true. Think about it on a personal level. Would you rather go to a dentist whose name you found in the phone book, or the one who your neighbor with the perfect smile always recommends? Would you prefer to shop for a used car at the first dealer you come to on the highway or one who's a personal friend of your sister-in-law's?

The fact is, in our personal lives as in our careers, we succeed or fail based on our networks, and on people. As has been said many times: "take care of your people (or, in this case, your network), and your business will take care of itself."

Colleen Francis For over 15 years, she has studied the business habits of the top 10 percent of sales performers in organizations of all sizes and shapes-from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses. Through her company, Engage Selling Solutions, Colleen has condensed that winning formula into an internationally acclaimed sales-training approach, helping sales and marketing professionals everywhere achieve their maximum potential.

Colleen provides sales seminars and training, in addition to her popular coaching program, and delivers immediate and lasting improvements to sales results and the bottom line. See how Colleen can help you sell more in less time at www.EngageSelling.com

Where's Digital Marketing Heading in 2010?

Ken Mallon and Duncan Southgate / AdAge — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:34:00 -0800

In our discussions about what will happen in the digital marketing industry during the next 12 months, one overarching trend emerged: The basic rules of brand building are just as important for innovations in the digital space as they are for traditional forms of communication.

Using new technology won't in itself bring success; your digital communications still need to be creative, engaging and relevant if they are to cut it during the second decade of this century. Here are the first five of our top 10 trends for 2010.

Online display: Don't be blinded by the shiny and new.
In 2010, advertisers will experiment with new, larger ad formats. These formats may be initially attractive because they are different, but the basics of brand building beyond awareness shouldn't be ignored. Most of the new formats perform very well in the short term. Dynamic Logic has previously reported the high performance (brand impact) of video ads when they were first introduced. They found that video ad performance, relative to average ad performance, declined over a two year period following introduction as the novelty wore off. We'd expect this to be true for most of the new, larger ad formats and their progeny.

Ultimately, over the next several years only the fittest for these larger formats will survive. If they prove too intrusive, they may make people less favorable toward the advertised brand or the website on which they are served. Other advertisers and agencies will use these formats more cautiously, taking note of creative best practices gleaned from prior work.

Viral video will move from art to science.
Asonline videoconsumption continues to rise, advertisers increasingly value viral viewings as a clear and visible sign that their campaigns are engaging audiences. In response, viral video analytics are becoming sophisticated. YouTube has enhanced its video analytics offer, and companies such as Visible Measures and Unruly Media are providing comprehensive viral monitoring services across multiple online video platforms.

This information will fuel a more scientific approach to viral campaign planning. Rather than just place videos online and hope an audience will come, advertisers will invest in viral seeding strategies. They'll promote their videos via online influencers, Facebook video-sharing applications and targeted, paid placements. Advertisers will also become smarter about developing and selecting ads with the most viral video potential before they employ the seeding. A recent calibration exercise for Millward Brown's Link pre-test, for example, identified the creative factors which explain most of the variation seen in levels of viral viewing.

While there are likely to still be more misses than hits in the viral space, the opportunity of being next year's T-Mobile "Dance" orEvian's roller babies is something many marketers will plan for.

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Gaming gets more social and mobile.
The ability to access Twitter and Facebook from the Xbox game system is one sign console gaming is becoming a lot more social. Games such as "Uncharted 2" already allow you to tweet your progress from within the game and we anticipate seeing these features implemented in more games. Microsoft's Project Natal promises to bring even more interactivity to gaming by supplanting controllers with your actual body movements, improving immensely on a model created by Nintendo. Perhaps the most promising and category-busting idea appears to be OnLive, a games-on-demand service that allows you to play any console or PC game on your TV or computer, without the need for a console at all.

Gaming's reach is already significant - "Modern Warfare 2" is the biggest entertainment launch ever - but the social elements are going to make the growth exponential. The proliferation of mobile games such as Doodle Jump for the iPhone, which allows the user to interact with other players, brings gaming to the masses.

Dynamic Logic's research has already shown that gaming can be very effective in increasing brand metrics. As interactivity increases and gaming becomes ubiquitous, we expect more advertisers to enter this space. For example, in the fall of 2010, Disney will launch "Epic Mickey" for the Nintendo Wii, the first major communication vehicle for a significant repositioning of this much-loved global brand.

Mobile takes a bite out of online.
According to the Mobile Marketing Association, total U.S. spend on mobile marketing will grow from $1.7 billion this year to $2.16 billion in 2010. Google's $750 million purchase of mobile ad network Admob reinforces that 2010 will be a significant year for mobile. We expect to see more consolidation in the mobile space.

With Apple's iPhone, Google's Android and RIM's BlackBerry platforms making the smartphone choices more attractive to consumers and cost of access slowly coming down, mobile web usage numbers will increase. The iPhone alone has now reached 57 million units worldwide, the fastest uptake in the history of technology. The real innovation will be increased adoption of the next-generation mobile browsers that will make the mobile web look and feel more like the applications we know today.

While web-based mobile, despite its growth, still only reaches a relatively small number of people, this niche audience can be particularly attractive to some brands and we've seen many targeting successes. Mobile provides the ability to target by site, phone model, demographics and location, all of which can be useful to advertisers. In addition, Dynamic Logic's normative advertising effectiveness data already suggests that mobile is two to five times better at driving brand metrics than online, and we expect this differential to remain consistent in 2010.

All of this means that mobile may well start to take ad dollars which would previously have been spent online. Since it's a new medium, there remains some consumer resistance to mobile advertising, so we advertisers will initially favor the soft-sell approach of providing useful content in this space, rather than pushing hard-sell messaging.

Here I am. Over here!
The promise that technology would enable automated direct-marketing messages to be pushed to consumers with GPS-enabled mobile devices has yet to come to fruition. Consumers are understandably reluctant to broadcast their location randomly or to be interrupted by unexpected messages without their consent. Instead we're seeing a variety of innovative solutions created to facilitate geo-targeting of marketing messages (when in-aisle, in-store or in-proximity) as the number of GPS-enabled devices continues to rise.

Services such as the mobile game FourSquare contain a social-media element that allows users to broadcast their location to a network of friends and other users in their respective cities. The social element of this voluntary disclosure has allowed marketers to tap into an engaged network of users and offer special promotions based on reported location. We expect FourSquare and other apps with a hybrid location/social-networking component to grow significantly in 2010.

We also expect to see utility-focused location applications gain popularity on GPS-enabled mobile devices during 2010. ComScore has reported that 11% of their mobile panel is currently using map or direction-based applications on their devices, representing 41% year-on-year growth and potentially stealing market share from standalone GPS devices. How these applications are eventually monetized remains to be seen, but the "Minority Report" scenario of "push" location-based advertising is starting to become a reality through voluntary user disclosure of location.

Even if consumers won't share their location with brands, brands can share their locations with consumers. In this vein, marketers will increasingly make location a feature of their campaigns, as the recent Levi's Twitter promotion in Australia demonstrates.

Success In Marketing Today – It’s NOT About Force, It’s About Building Trust

Terry Brock | SmallBizLink — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:19:00 -0800

A while back I remember going to a seminar which had a variety of speakers. One of those speakers advocated using pop-ups on a website to “grab people” and get them to buy. He bragged about a new technology that used pop-ups to grab people who attempted to leave his site without buying. I guess his idea was that by annoying the daylights out of people you’d get more sales.

I don’t like that approach – at all!

You might agree with me that it is more important to build trust and a strong relationship with buyers rather than annoy the daylights out of them or force them into buying from you. Too much of what we see in many areas of business today employ the principle of force rather than persuading people through trust.

Long-term relationship marketing and building a solid business require trust. You build this by consistently watching out for your customers’ best interests.

Trust is required even for quick transactions. I could run into a convenience store and quickly purchase a bottle of water without the transaction taking a lot of time. Sometimes that is what I want. If I’ve just filled my tank with gasoline, am in a hurry and wanted to grab a bottle of water to drink on the next portion of my trip, I don’t want to stop and talk at length with the clerk.

However, even in that situation, trust has to exist. I can trust the manufacturer of the bottled water. For me, I like Aquafina bottled water and trust the people who make it. This is based on past experience with many good bottles of Aquafina I’ve consumed! I also have a relationship with the convenience store because I’ve been to that chain before.

Too many people in business try tactics like the Internet Marketer I discussed above. He giggled about how he “tricks” people into buying and using these pop-ups. Well, the marketplace has a way to stop that. Most browsers now have a pop-up blocker. The techniques will change. What matters is the attitude of the marketer. Successful Relationship Marketing is interested in a long-term, mutually beneficial tie between buyer and seller.

I’m reminded of the sites on the web where you see someone walk out from the edges of the web page and begin shouting at you. Yes, it seems like nice technology but it is annoying at best and disgustingly irritating in most cases. When something is forced upon us, we tend to avoid it in the future. Let the user choose to play that or any other video. Don’t start it automatically!

A good example of how to do it right is Amazon. They don’t shout and yell at you when you come to their site. I particularly like that they keep a record of what I’ve purchased and what I reviewed recently. They do this with my permission (most important!) and are there to help me as I make selections. They are serving me as their customer and I’m glad to shop them and spend lots of money with them. I often find that I purchase from them because of the high level of trust I have with them and their affiliates --- even if the price is a little more than the competition. [widget:sales__marketing__in_article_tech]

Trust is the key to building quality relationships in business. You begin by helping people know you as someone who is trustworthy. This is demonstrated in all you do.

The next step after someone knows you is that they grow to like you. They have favorable reactions to what they have seen. They like the way you run your website. They like the content you create. It is your job to create lots of ways for people to like you.

After they know you and like your business, you want them to trust you. If you’ve done your job properly they will see that trust as the next logical step.

Then there is another critical step after they trust you. You want them to become engaged with your business. You can start small with a lower-price sale and build. This is the ladder that all businesses must ascend.

Know. Like. Trust. Engage. These steps have to take place. The speed at which they occur varies but they have to take place for Relationship Marketing to exist.

So, what can you do today to get more people on your ladder? Think through the strategic process and involve your prospects and customers at the appropriate level. Remember that the steps are repeated and you have to continue to let people know about your products, like what you’re doing and trust that you’re still dependable.

Somehow this makes a lot more sense than the force and trickery method employed by that Internet Marketer I mentioned. Somehow I think his website visitors used a “blocker” on his marketing style and methods.

Copyright (c) 2009, Terry Brock and Achievement Systems, Inc. Terry Brock is an international marketing coach and professional speaker who helps businesses generate profitable results. He can be reached by e-mail at terry@terrybrock.com or through his website at www.terrybrock.com. Join the Twitter adventure with Terry through his Twitter address: TerryBrock