Networking: The Insider’s Guide to Finding and Leveraging Your Best Opportunities

Kim Lysik Di Santi increased her credibility tenfold when she sent me a note, Thanks for heading this up,” she said. The follow up indicated to me Kim walks her talk in networking.

One of nine coaches who collaborated for the book, “A Guide to Getting it: Branding and Marketing Mastery,” (see Monday’s post) Kim’s chapter emphasizes the often undervalued marketing component of networking. One of the important steps to success in networking, according to Kim, is follow up.

Although I’d spoken with her on conference calls, we connected on LinkedIn this week. When I received her note I read her chapter, checked her profile and then “Googled” her for good measure. After all, LinkedIn can be networking on steroids.

There was plenty of proof of Kim’s successes: articles she’d written, newsletters featuring her as speaker, organizations such as National Association of Women Owned Businesses or Business Network International to which she belonged. I had a solid picture of Kim without the advantage of a website, proving the power of social media as a contributor to networking.

On the other hand, I lunched with a corporate executive who lamented that he was invisible on the internet and discussed how that might affect hurt him as he changed careers. I suggest that hurt may be too strong a word unless his total networking effort is non-existent. We move too quickly not to take advantage of every opportunity possible to “stack the deck” in our favor.

What message does your presence send? Even on the Internet (or, especially on the Internet) networking is important.

Get Branded! New Book on Branding and Marketing Mastery Gives Ideas and Tools

Does the quest for Branding and Marketing Mastery keep you up at night? With thousands of businesses opening every year, that question looms large for entrepreneurs. So, nine business coaches collaborated to share their stories, perspectives and specific tips about an internal approach to marketing and branding in the newly published book, “A Guide to Getting it: Branding and Marketing Mastery.”

In this book, the power of authenticity sets the stage for a marketing and branding strategy that builds business in an authentic way. You’ll discover perspectives to create more visibility and make your business more accessible using creativity, common sense, and insight based on values to establish your message in the marketplace. Inspirational stories from women who’ve “been there, done that,” (including yours truly) will give you new ways to view marketing and branding.

This book is the tenth in a series of Guide to Getting It books written by Life and Business Coaches to help improve business and personal life.

Chapter titles and authors include:

• Creating A Visionary and Focused Marketing Strategy by Marilyn Schwader
• Mass Appeal Equals No Appeal: Discovering Your Niche Market by Cheri Alguire
• Attracting Baby Boomer Women to Your Business by Jane Lee Williams
• Branding: The Soul of Your Business by Judy Winslow
• Authentic Branding by Dawn Andrews
• The Evolution of Loyalty: Five Steps to Branding by Mary Ellen Merrigan
• The 7 Marketing Archetypes and How to Deal With Them by Dr. Miriam Reiss
• Networking: The Insider’s Guide to Finding and Leveraging YourBest Opportunities by Kim Lysik Di Santi
• Quantum Marketing by Jille Bartolome

Pre-order the book and save shipping and handling charges. Check back for related workshops and product offerings to help you implement the information.

Drivers, Schedule Your Tune-up

Imagine this message flashing across your computer screen: “Marketing plan 15% life expectancy; B-1 Service due.”

Why not? My car flashed that message and I obediently called the dealer, scheduled and paid for the service. So I found myself wondering about the feasibility of a systematized marketing maintenance plan. I can hear the screeching of disbelief now.

“If marketing were an exact science, we’d all be doing it better.”
“Doing business without advertising is like winking in the dark. You know what you’re doing but no one else does.”

Granted, it’s a crazy idea. Even with a fairly limited number of clients, I find systematization difficult to achieve. On the other hand, fantasize. Just for a moment, think about the following sub-service or maintenance categories:

• Customer Survey – What do users of your product or service have to say about it? (Capture real words, not ones from an actor’s mouth in radio or tv commercials) Are there any recent testimonials of customers? Are those words incorporated into the marketing plan? Like an oil change, a survey can provide basic information and ensure that your marketing and advertising is on track.
• Branding Examination – When did you last review every piece of collateral? What needs updating? Can your materials be improved? Does every piece carry identification – specifically, name, address, website and phone? Is there a look and feel to the overall presentation? Have prices changed or people moved? All too often I see businesses with shabby, incomplete, or incorrect items.
• Referral Language – Do your customers know what constitutes a good referral? Have you asked them to give you one? No, not just thought about it…really asked.
• News Release – How do you let the general public know about events? Written any news releases lately? What about submitting calendar items? The outreach responsibility is ongoing and if you did something last year, it’s probably time to update it.
• Touch Points – From the appearance of the front lobby to the design and quality of your business card, each touch point lets you communicate sincerely with your customer. What message are you sending? Is it extra value every time? What about customer care?
  Website – Ever had the feeling that it looks good but doesn’t do much. What action do you plan to take?

Endless possibilies for the marketing service check exist. Then, consider the major tune-up or main service that a car requires. Your firm deserves the same minimum. With that in mind, can you discuss:

• Your ongoing plan for news releases and general publicity with a news conference thrown in just for good measure.
• Budget and plan for advertising with a list of every organization to which my firm belongs. Wait. A colleague tells me this fantasy is getting way too specific. Maybe I’m dreaming about a goal for the year and a method of evaluating every expenditure. You’re right. I’m dreaming.

Regular preventative maintenance for your car is the best way to ensure reliability and safety. Likewise, regular maintenance for your marketing plan can ensure reliability and effectiveness. So marketers, when will you schedule your tune-ups?

Marketing 101 - the Mini Marketing Plan

The success of marketing plans, in my opinion, comes from consistent and persistent adherence to a plan. And, the secret of planning lies in keeping it simple. Remember that acronym K.I.S.S.? Keep It Simple, Sweetie.

Because yet another association asked me about a marketing plan, I’m reviewing the “how-to” steps for a mini marketing plan that I refer to as Marketing 101:

1. Pick three tactics. Three gives you a specific number on which to concentrate. It’s enough to allow for a mix and not so many as to get one mixed up. For a trade association, the marketing plan tactics might look like this:
   a. Email notices to membership
   b. Website – posting of updated information
   c. Postcard/flyer/brochure – collateral materials for board members and other involved parties to use
2. Once tactics have been identified, schedule a timeline for implementation, setting dates as far into the future as necessary to meet the goal.
   a. For example, the trade association promotes an annual conference. Identify the weeks (by date) between now and conference and note what tactic (if any) will be used each week.
   b. Define themes for the communiqués in order to create more impact. A repeated theme provides effective frequency – people have to hear something at least three times in order to get it and seven times in order to act upon it.
   c. Note due dates by project parts: for instance, a flyer requires graphic production, then committee approval before it can go to press, so a “real” deadline might be 10 days in advance of the due date.
3. Assign responsibilities for each tactic and begin to move your project forward. In other words, implement the plan.

One caveat: know there will be other opportunities, other tactics that beg to be incorporated. It’s possible to change and be successful, although not likely. In today’s world, there are simply too many variables. Instead, it’s KEY to move forward, based on a plan that works adequately. You can enhance, improve upon and revise your marketing plan at any time. Just don’t neglect, abandon, or abdicate without realizing your outcome will be severely impacted.

By the way, I can hear the hooting from my friends in the business who think that this is far too simplified …kindergarten, not marketing 101. Simple works, people. Could the K.I.S.S. Marketing Plan work for you?

Still chasing Your Online Media Room?

One hundred forty seven days into the 2008 and what reasons excuses do you name for not having your media kit complete?

Memorial Day, the summer kick-off holiday, marks the timing for this post, the time to evaluate progress year-to-date and the time to plan the second half of the year. Bottom line: if these statements sound like you, it time to make a change:

• When I need a media kit for some big event I’ll pull one together; no need to work on that now.
• I don’t have time to do this; there are other, more important priorities for my business right now.
• This doesn’t apply to my business; engineers (or accountants, or nurses, or, put in the name of your profession) don’t do it that way.
• I don’t know where to begin; building a media kit or an online media room sounds overwhelming.
• I can’t afford to do that; even though I don’t know what it costs, it sounds expensive.

OK, I get it!As a small business owner, you have every right to protest another piece of work, especially one that seems so simplistic. Your marketing designee is working on a “campaign” after all. Brochures. Collateral. Big pieces.

I understand how you feel; I’ve even felt the same way and in the process deflected my own deadlines. (Read one of my previous posts - Saturday May 3, 2008 about taking my own medicine.) So, are you sick of taking the easy way out?

Cynthia Morris, author, speaker and creative writing coach, offered a perspective on projects with this comment on Copyblogger recently:
Is the “F-Word” Really So Bad?

It seems to me that applying the “F-Word” to your media kit or online press room might move the project forward. In fact, I challenge you to use the five step method Cynthia recommends. Here’s how it might look in practice if you were considering applying her system to the online media room project:

1. Identify your motivation.
   Visibility begins at home; I now make my business a priority for additional publicity as I complete my own online media room.
2. Commit to a project.
   I complete the official biographical sketch for my media kit on or before 5/31/08 and post it in two places.
3. Build structure.
   I spend the first 30-minutes of each day on media kit/online media room marketing activities for me. Each evening before I finish for the day I list my first marketing task and leave that folder on my desk.
4. Stay on track.
   I set a timer and work against the countdown in order to meet my goals.
5. Acknowledge and celebrate completion.
   My reward for completing this project: Tuesday, June 10th off from work.

How do you feel about applying the “F-Word” to your project?

Let the Customer Make your Case with a Case Study

“…there is tremendous value in the true words of your satisfied customers. When they are willing to talk about their first-hand experience with your company, product or service, and share the value they have seen, their words carry a lot more weight than any collateral materials ever can.”

I met Blogger Casey Hibbard on the web this week. We discussed Compelling Cases, her company, and how relationships connect an audience to a business. Casey explains case studies in such a way that I’m surprised more people don’t use the tool.

Case studies offer customers an opportunity to see your product in action, understand the problem(s) it solves and evaluate whether the solution could work for them. This non-threatening, persuasive approach is particularly effective for those selling a high end product or one with a long sales cycle. A case study can be an effective tool for each of a company’s critical audiences. Consider:

• Stakeholders: major vendors, bankers or friends and family can be overlooked in company communication. A case study brings this audience up to date and offers a different view of “their” company.
• Feedback from employees not connected to the sales process indicates that case studies offer insight and information; the understanding that such knowledge fosters translates to better teams.
• Customers also appreciate the opportunity to understand the application of a product or process in the field. Presentation of case studies can add to the credibility of the seller as well as his/her firm. The case study may reinforce a purchasing decision or sway one.
• The general public can view case studies on the web; once again, such information adds to understanding and continues to market on a 24/7 basis for the company.
• Case studies provide the media with specifics they love: background for a feature story, additional information about a business, and so on. The well written case study can even offer story angles that the media can then present to their audience. Trade magazines sometimes feature case studies because they provide interesting examples of a product in action. In the process, the case study enhances company visibility.

If you haven’t considered a case study, think again. It may be a new tactic to add to your marketing tool chest. In a world where mass marketing is becoming less and less effective, could a case study sell your story to potential customers?

Theory of Customer Communication Explored

Typically businesses concern themselves with customer communication. The experts remind us that that is or should be priority one. We talked about the challenge to this theory at a gathering of Independent Business owners - Albuquerque Independent Business Alliance or AIBA.

In the space of a few minutes, these faux paus of business-to-business communication emerged:

• No response to voice mail
• No response to a service request
• No return call when promised
• No product delivery as promised
• No call or notification about it
• Excuses for everything - regularly
• Finders fee requested long after the fact and with no preliminary discussion
• Missed scheduled appointment; failed to call, email or follow up the same day
• Attitude - rolling of eyes, sighing, obvious boredom with the question and/or situation
• No responsibility for agreements

Reputation is everything in business. What does your reputation say about you? Moral: Do what you say you will do.

Public Relations Continues to Win as a Media Strategy

Getting the word out about your business...bang for the buck...difficult to measure...These are the commentaries about public relations - PR - one of the most misunderstood and maligned marketing strategies in business today.

David Meerman Scott has written a complimentary e-book that explores PR and how it changes. Download your free copy from WebInkNow, his blog. "The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing & Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly" comes out in June.

One hint about his material: prepare yourself to think differently about press releases. More on this in coming posts.

Welcome to the new ProfitMeister blog!

Hi and welcome to a new ProfitMeister blog, that looks at business from the standpoint of profit, not just the “cash in the till” profit, but the profit gained from reflecting on the meat of the lessons learned. It’s become a habit with me, one developed early in life. During those times when I hit pause, I know that my experiences are simply a microcosm for all business. I stretch, recommit, review, and then do it again.

My mission for this blog is to look at our five critical points of communication – stakeholders, customers, employees, media and general public – and the stories and shared experiences that come out of each. As such, my blog becomes the story of relationships (only a contract has facts) and in the process business and life balance out for profit!