One of the most recent social media marketing opportunities, Google+ has sparked considerable controversy for seemingly receiving priority in Google searches. For an in depth discussion of this topic, you may want to check out Danny Sullivan’s article on the Search Engine Land website at: http://searchengineland.com/examples-google-search-plus-drive-facebook-twitter-crazy-107554

Pros and cons of the controversy aside, as a marketer, any tactic that gives you more visibility than your competition is worth trying! Let’s face it, it’s free, takes a relatively small time investment to set up and post to, and could provide a competitive advantage – what’s not to like!

For good or evil, Google+ is a marketing weapon small business owners should consider.

The author uses contrasting pairs of words to illustrate her point in each chapter, and chapter 4 is called Action vs. Delay. Interesting, I thought. One usually compares action with inaction or delay with speed.

There are a lot of people with good ideas and plans, but very few of us actually take action. When we take action all kinds of things begin to happen. Here are some examples:

• Schedule sales meetings and Sales increase
• Ask clients for referrals and business increases
• Action leads to more action

The list goes on. But Action can also leads to opportunities that we never imagined. Let me give you an example.

Rich & Lisa Hanson are successful music teachers and own Lakeview Music. Rich teaches guitar and Lisa is a vocal teacher. They are also worship leaders and have a band, Search No More.

Their goals included increasing the profitability of the teaching business and marketing their ability to provide substitute worship leading to area churches to cover regular staff’s vacations.

At one of our coaching sessions we were talking about their desire to lead worship at churches and retreats and also find more places for the band to perform. As we talked, it became apparent that they needed professional recordings to help promote their worship leading and band.

As we discussed the process of putting together a recorded sample of their music, Rich informed me that they already had ten original songs written that they had been performing live for years.

I said, “Great, now all we need to do is record them and produce a CD.”

Next, Rich confessed, “Five years ago I purchased a multi-track digital recorder, but have not recorded any of our music yet.”

The next step was clear, Rich needed to take some action and record something. I asked Rich if in the next two weeks he could record 30 seconds of one song and the recording must include at least 3 tracks. Each track is an instrument or vocals. Rich agreed to do this. Two weeks later Rich showed up with a 30 second recording that included five tracks. This action lead to more action.

By taking regular steps forward from that point, in about a year, Rich & Lisa produced a professional CD that has the potential for radio play, marketing songs to nationally recognized musicians and supporting the marketing of his business. Check out the results at: http://www.searchnomoreband.com

Moving beyond Delay and taking action has resulted in: excitement in his current students and their parents; credibility with potential students; increased visibility, reputation and income from church venues. 

This was what we expected from producing a CD.  But his action has led to more opportunities than we never dreamed of for Rich. 

In July the bass player in his band recommended Rich to the president of Trinity Lutheran College in Everett, WA for the Guitar and Modern Worship Professorship.  The president contacted Rich and when they met Rich was able to give him a CD.  A few weeks later they hired Rich as a Professor! 

Taking action will open all kinds of doors, sometimes ones that you never dreamed of.

Are you stuck in delay? Take some action next week and see what doors it opens for you.

As a business coach, I am often mistaken for a business “consultant”. I am quick to make the distinction of the stark contrasts between the two professions.

Before I dive into the differences between the professions, it is important to note that they do have at least one thing in common: both business consultants and business coaches are agents of change. They have been hired to help move an individual, group or company from where they currently are to where they want to be. The differences lie in the inherent relationship between the client and the consultant/coach and the tactics used to achieve change.

Let’s look at this in more detail.

Accountability
The biggest difference between coaching and consulting falls under the category of accountability. In my opinion, 50% of the results one gets from coaching is a result of the coach holding their clients accountable to the actions they pledged to take. This dynamic is completely missing from the consulting relationship.

Collaboration
Another powerful attribute of coaching that is missing from the consultant relationship is its collaborative nature (between the client and the coach). It is a relationship between equals. Consulting is rarely collaborative nor a partnership of equals.

Specialization / Expertise
Consultants are specialists or experts. They are hired to analyze and make recommendations based on their expertise. A coach does not need to be an expert. Many of the most effective coaches you will ever meet are generalists. They employ their natural curiosity, ability to ask great questions and actively listen in order to guide their clients toward their own conclusions while helping them create a plan of attack.

Breadth of Engagement
Consultants typically work within precise, narrow parameters and deliver a very specific recommendation, report or deliverable. A coaching engagement is more fluid with very few predefined avenues in which to take. A coach looks at all areas of the business and supports their clients through a process. They evaluate, guide, motivate and help improve both their client and the business.

Term of Engagement
A good coach is purposefully trying to make himself obsolete. A consultant leaves once a specific project is completed.

Methods/Tactics
A coach often acts as a teacher or trainer helping their clients to make improvements. A consultant delivers a report telling their clients what the consultant thinks they should do. Coaching does NOT involve making a diagnosis or giving advice. Good coaches shun the words “you should….” A coach encourages their clients to set their own agenda, reach their own conclusions and set their own plans of action. A consultant provides their own opinion, reaches their own conclusion and delivers their own plan of attack.

While coaches and consultants have in common their broad mission as agents of change, the bottom line is consultants do not coach and coaches should not consult.

About the Author: Shawn Brodof

Shawn Brodof is the President and Head Coach of Clarity Coaching and the author of The Termite Effect – 25 Common Business Mistakes and Their Hidden Consequences. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, he is dedicated to improving the lives of business owners, entrepreneurs and sales professionals by helping them take their business to the next level.

He is passionate about helping his clients capture their opportunities and overcome their obstacles while providing clarity, structure and accountability.

He is also a keynote speaker, adjunct professor at Catawba College, and trainer offering training and workshops on various business-related topics.

Bill and a partner started the business in 1996 as a paving company. By 2001, they had purchased two paving machines and had about 28 full-time employees on the payroll. They also had a smaller concrete crew they kept busy with curb and gutter work and the occasional flatwork, and also employed one grading crew.

Their favorite jobs were “turn key” projects; ones in which they take a project from the ground, or in this case, underground, up. With their particular mix of employees and equipment, these jobs proved the most profitable. However, they accepted many other assignments where final paving was the only portion of the contract they got.

As an example of the type of jobs they were doing in 2001, two projects demonstrate their versatility.

• In Coachella, they placed concrete flatwork on a project involving three schools,
• In Victorville, it was 100,000 sq. ft. of asphalt in a residential tract.
• They also placed 4,500 lineal feet of curb and gutter, and sidewalks as well. On the paving portion, they used 1,500 tons of asphalt over a 12-inch, class 2 base. After final construction of the housing tract, they overlaid the final 1-inch layer of asphalt as a finish coat to bring streets to final grade.

But around 2006 things begin to change, jobs were harder to get. At bid openings, where there used to be five or ten contractors bidding a job, there were now 20 to 30. When there are that may contractors bidding on one job, someone is bidding low and not making any money.

Bill didn’t want to work for free, so he began looking around for different types of work. What he found was park construction. He had been doing jobs with underground work (power, water, drainage and sewer), grading, cement work, asphalt and planters. A park has all of the same components, but instead of lots of asphalt with a few planters it is a lot of grass or sports fields with parking lots around them. The best part about the parks is there were not a lot of contractors bidding on the work.

From 2006 to today Bill has been building parks.

I have never heard Bill complain about the state of the industry or the economy. He has always been watching and listening to what was happening in the world around him.

• In 1996 there was a place for a small niche Asphalt paving contractor and he filled it.
• In 2006 that niche was disappearing so he began looking for his next niche. What he found was park construction.
• Now in 2011 the work on parks is slowing down and Bill is already looking for his next niche.

This story illustrates how successful businesses need to always be aware of change and be proactive in response to new opportunities. Take a fresh look at your industry. How can you position your business to ride out change and prosper in a changing world.

I recently taught a Guerrilla Marketing Jumpstart Class in Duvall, WA.  The Duvall Chamber of Commerce is committed to the success of the businesses in Duvall and put the class together and brought me in to teach it.

The attendees of the class all left with a marketing plan and calendar.  The Guerrilla Marketing plan is less than one page.  The plan is one paragraph made up of seven sentences.  Each of the sentences answers the following questions. 

1.      What is the purpose of your marketing?

2.      What are the benefits of your products or services?

3.      Who is your target audience?

4.      What is your Niche?

5.      What weapons will you be using in your marketing attack?

6.      What do you want your identity to be?

7.      What is your marketing budget?

If you thinking this is too short and simple to be an effective marketing plan, think again. It never ceases to amaze me the impact producing this marketing plan can have on a business and its marketing efforts. The act of putting a plan in writing will bring clarity, purpose and direction to your business and marketing efforts.

One of the attendees in the class was Susan from the Northwest Art Center. The Northwest Art Center provides art classes and mentoring programs for preschoolers through adults.

After attending the class and writing her marketing plan and calendar Susan sent me the following note:

“The Guerilla Marketing class really helped me to focus on the benefits of our organization and to define our niche. That list of marketing weapons is awesome. We created our own document by refining some of the suggestions, adding our own and deleting the ones that don’t apply. Then we divided them up amongst our board and are still farming some out to volunteers. My assistant and I have blocked out an appointment a week, specifically to talk about marketing.”

As you can see the creating the marketing plan provided clarity and direction for the Northwest Art Center. It took the big endeavor called “ Marketing” and broke it down into specific smaller tasks that can be more easily executed or delegated. Taking the time and energy required to build a marketing plan for your business will make your marketing efforts more focused and effective – which ultimately makes your business more profitable.

1. Give better value than is expected for your industry. Don’t be a Scrooge – give guarantees, give your client a little more than they expect, be faster, cleaner, more contentious than anyone else they can choose for a comparable product or service. Making your clients happy will produce repeat business, enthusiastic referrals and will grow your business. 
    
2. Encourage Joy in life – Like Fezziwig, Scrooge’s old Boss, say thank you to your employees and customers – Reward and encourage loyalty and referrals. People buy from those they know, like and trust, so build those attitudes by treating them joyously and kindly.  
    
3. Provide a job for someone – as you focus on giving value and being a positive person to do business with, you just might find yourself more profitable as your favorable reputation spreads. This is the perfect point to hire someone. Even if you are not in the position to bring someone on full time, you may be able to hire someone who specializes in doing some of the tasks you have been handling – like a bookkeeper, an HR specialist or IT service. Bob Cratchet’s salary provided for his family, kept merchants in business, and contributed to the general welfare through taxes. The better the standard of living is in our community, the more our businesses grow.
     
4. Give more generously – As business leaders we have the opportunity to see and solve the needs in our community. Tiny Tim and those in the workhouses of Scrooge’s day are with us still. The more profitable we can make our businesses, the more generous we should be to less fortunate. Just as many business owners designate a percentage of sales to marketing, let’s designate a percentage of profit to philanthropy.
    
5. Pay more Taxes – Support government through a larger tax basis. The more profitable we are, the more dollars we contribute to support our government through taxes. The more we employ people, the more taxes they contribute. The more times a dollar changes hands, taxed at each transaction, the more is contributed to the IRS, States, Counties and cities.

So don’t feel guilty for striving for a more successful business. Focus instead on using your business as a means of prospering all those around you.

Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!

The first post Are you “Stalkable” How’s your online Presence? talked about why you want to be professionally “Stalkable”. 

The second one Becoming “Stalkable”, How are your online profiles? looked at how Facebook ‘Like’ pages, Biznik, LinkedIn and others are a great way to allow prospects to get to Know you.

So let’s continue by looking in to the ways we build up the areas of Like and Trust

Like – Recognition

Whenever you create a profile on a website do you include a picture? People find it hard to like someone they cannot visualize. Be sure your picture is current. Significant weight gain or loss can drastically alter facial features. Changes in hair color and length can also affect someone’s ability to recognize you.

Have you ever looked at someone’s picture on line and then when you meet them you do not recognize them because the picture is 10 or 20 years old? I have. In my case, I was looking for a group and the host did not look anything like her picture, so I was not able to join the group right away. I wandered around the restaurant for about 10 minutes before I found the group. How do you think this experience impacted my first impression of this person?

Be sure your picture enables someone to recognize you when you meet in person. A professional head shot is best, but at least make it a current picture.

Trust – the key to a satisfied customer

Articles and blog posts are a great tool for helping prospects get comfortable doing business with you. You can convey your personality, business philosophy and your passion for what you do in a manner that builds trust by sharing your insights.

Many business owners are afraid they aren’t “good enough” at writing to attempt this, but being genuine and writing just how you would talk to a person face to face is really very effective in developing trust. Sharing your experiences, business knowledge or even explaining how you got into business or why you are passionate about what you do can help build trust.

Remember, people buy from those they know, like and trust. Using your web presence strategically can help prospects “Stalk” you online paving the way for easier sales.

In this article, we will look at what you can do to make sure prospects can find out enough information about you so they are comfortable contacting you.

Remember, as a professional, you want to allow prospects to get to know you via your online activities and public profiles. Let’s take a look at on line activities that will allow your prospects to get to know you better.

First off, we are going to limit this discussion to information a prospect can find out about you without you having to give them permission. Examples would include:

• What you are posting on a Facebook Like Page
• Any articles you are writing and posting on line
• Public profiles
  • Biznik
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Meetup
  • Twitter
  • Google Profiles

There are many other places you can have a public profile, I have just listed a few here. The information you include should be chosen with the intent to develop the prospects sense of who you are – to allow them to Know Like and Trust you. Let’s break this down further into some concrete strategies you can employ.

How people get to Know you – your profile information

Take your time and complete all of the profile. Remember, if someone is taking the time to look at your profile they could be thinking about purchasing one of your products or services.

As you complete your profile you want to write it like you are talking to a prospect. Provide the information prospects would want to know about you before they purchase your products or services.

I would recommend that you revisit your profiles once a quarter and update them. Include answers to questions to you are currently hearing from prospects.

Remember the purpose of the profile is to introduce yourself to someone without you being present. The better written your profile is, the more likely someone is to contact you.

That is it for now, next time we will look at establishing like and trust with your online presence.

If you are providing a professional service such as a Financial Planner, Professional Writer, Accountant, Bookkeeper, Consultant, Business Coach, etc. you need to develop a relationship with your prospects before they will do business with you.

People buy from those they ‘know, like and trust’.

Traditionally creditability is built by meeting prospects at networking events and setting up meetings with them so you have the opportunity to get to know them and develop a relationship. Once the relationship has been developed, you will be able to determine if your service is a good fit.

This process works, but you are always involved in the process. If you want to attract more clients you will need to improve the process. You will need to find ways to meet with multiple people at once or ways to develop the ‘know, like and trust’ without being present.

One way to develop ‘know, like and trust’ with more than one person at a time is to give free or paid seminars. This allows you to build your ‘know, like and trust’ with a group of prospects. This works great if you are able to get a group of prospects together and you have good material to present. Giving presentations is a great way to build a relationship with a group of prospects.

What if you could start the process of developing the relationship without being present?

Your social media presence, website and blog posts can be used to introduce you to prospects. You want to create an online presence that allows the prospect to “stalk” you and start to build the relationship before you ever meet them. If you allow prospects to learn about you from your online presence they will be a warm lead when you meet them. It is a lot easier to close a sale with a warm lead than a cold call.

One of the reasons a Blog site can be so effective is that prospects can “stalk” your website and learn about you, your business philosophy, your product/service offerings, how easy you are to do business with, your commitment to causes and what your satisfied customers say about you.

Often prospective buyers return to a website several times before they make any personal contact with your company. An effective Blog site, written in a conversational style using personal stories with a picture of the owner or staff can be as valuable as a personal referral from a satisfied customer. People buy from those they ‘know, like and trust’. If you give them the opportunity to get to know you via your online presence, you are likely to find them ready to buy the moment you meet them.

Become professionally “stalkable”. With a plan you can maintain your online presence in fifteen to twenty minutes a day. The best part is that this is a very inexpensive way to build relationships and attract more clients.

He proceeded and asked a second series of questions.

“What are you expecting to get out of today’s session?

Who would like to go first?”

Then he pointed to someone (a shill) and said, “Come on Joe, why don’t we start with you?” The response was,

“Oh, man do I gottu go first?”

The speaker stopped him and said

“No, that’s OK Joe, not to worry.”

Turning to another, he asked, “How about Mary, why don’t you start?”

Mary (the second shill), leaped to her feet and said with great enthusiasm,

“Great, now I gettu go first!”

Can you see the difference? Allowing for the grammatical assault, his point was made.

Quite simply put, some of us are Gottu people and some of us are Gettu. Many of us are frequently thinking, “Oh boy, I’ve got to do this” or “I have to do that.” It really colors the way we go about doing things and it makes us, in almost all cases that much less effective. Others cannot wait to sink their teeth into new or even every day projects and frequently and conversely exclaim, “YES, I gettu start working with this client!” or “I gettu finish up this project!”

Ask yourself, who would you want to spend any time with if given the choice? That’s right, the gettu people every time.

Do you think anyone chooses to work with those Debbie Downers of the world? No “expletive deleted” way. As you can imagine when I write this or any of the articles you are reading, I can’t wait to get to them. Hopefully you’ll think about this the next time you need to do something because, here’s the beauty of all this, you get to choose who you are going to be each and every day.

Why not make it the most effective choice you can make?