More than a Few Words

There are lots of good reasons to create content for your website, social media and email newsletter.  In this episode, Lorraine chats with Louis Dalton about how to write content for a very specific purpose, converting prospects and strangers into customers.  Content created for this point in your sales process needs to focus on short benefits and results.  People don't want to wait six months to...

Once upon a time marketers ran television commercials and put ads in newspapers and simply waited for the phone to ring. But that was a long time ago.  It was so long ago that it seems like a fairy tale, an expensive fairy tale at that. Today, consumers fast forward through ads and change the station on their radio. They don’t want to be interrupted by your marketing. They want to be free to look...

I know you think we've talked SEO to death, but the field keeps changing and there are different approaches. My guest Meg Casebolt explains many people think think SEO is incredibly complex and you need to have an expensive team come in to fix your website for it.  They also assume you must produce boatloads of content to be successful. She doesn't think either of those things is true.  Today, the...

In this encore episode, we talk about how to use the frustrations, fears, wants and aspirations or your audience, as the foundation of your marketing.    You have probably heard multiple times you need to start your sales process by defining your niche because when you do, you can create more relevant content.   But our guest Leon Streete, says just defining the “who” is not enough.  The demograph...

Once you're done writing your business plan, pulling together all the numbers, charts and other information the most important thing you can do is share it with other people. Reach out to the smartest people you know, even if they're not in your industry and get their feedback.  Share it with your employees and with your family because they're going to be involved in supporting you as you implemen...

Most people think about email marketing as a sales tool. But my guest, Jeff Felten thinks it is so much more.  Email can play a valuable role as a way to build trust and relationships with your audience.  He believes trust is the currency of business.  Without it people don't make buying decisions. So your sales process needs to start with trust. One of the best ways to build trust is with social...

What is the right price for your product or service? Most business owners struggle with this question because they confuse the cost of producing the product, with the value that it brings to the customer. Establishing prices for your goods or services  relatively little to do with what it costs you to make it. The real value is how much you help your customers save, increase, reduce or improve . I...

Returning guest Ross Keating says that sales is a people business.  While people may say it is the product or the features, it ultimately comes down to people and how well you connect.  The more you understand about your customers, the easier it is to connect.  And Ross shared how using the BANKCODE method can help you do just that.  The simple assessment takes less than 90 seconds to help you dis...

In this encore episode, our guest, author  Matthew Turner doesn’t think owning a business needs to feel like your are on a treadmill running hard, and never reaching your goal  In his book Beyond the Pale, he explains that many of us think we own a business, but somehow it starts to own us. When you make a decision to work less, if forces you to think about who do you want to work with? If you hav...

While I think business goals are important, there is more to life than checking things off your list. If you never stop and celebrate the win, it all becomes really tedious. So find a way to reward yourself, when you actually achieve your goal. It doesn't have to be a big deal. It doesn't have to be very expensive. Pick something that's a little treat or a little reward that will make the moment s...

What is the marketing flywheel?  A real flywheel, that builds energy, as you push it slowly over time it gets faster and faster and faster.  A marketing flywheel will do that as well. With consistent action, the marketing flywheel will deliver more and more results.  Out guest, Josh Ramsey explains there are three parts to the marketing flywheel that work together to accelerate your business. Buil...

 It would be wonderful if you just hung a sign out, opened your doors and customers came.  Unfortunately, for most of us that's not how it works.  You don't accidentally bump into business on a regular basis. If you want a sustainable business you need to have a sustainable process for your sales.  That process includes a standard  procedure to generate leads and then  screen and identify who's a...

Maybe you think your business is too small to take advantage of PPC.  Our guest, Ameet Khabra doesn't think that is true. You can use this powerful tool as long as remember that Google is not doing something out of the goodness of their heart.   Google is not a charity, it is a business.  Everything they do to improve search and analytics is ultimately designed to increase their advertising sales....

I am an optimist. I believe things will work out.  However, when it comes to my business I also know that things can go wrong, and planning is not being negative, it is being prepared. Accidents happen. Even minor mishaps can be major catastrophes for small business owners. Every year, thousands of companies are unprepared for the interruption caused by a minor fire, flood, and burglary or compute...

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

From our archive:  You have only a few moments to make that great first impression and you  won’t stand out by sounding like everyone else.  You need to find a way to be first, best or different. And if you choose different, make sure your point of difference is actually relevant to your customer.  Beyond that first impression, our guest Mike Verret explains that your words will have an effect on...

I spent the early part of my career in manufacturing. One of the most important lessons I learned was that of capacity.  When you know how much you can produce you can set realistic targets for your our sales team, making sure they don't  sell more than you could produce. At the same time you don't want them selling so far below your capacity you are sitting around twiddling your thumbs. Understan...

Influencers, people who have a following comprised of people who pay attention to who they are and what they do can help you deliver your message.  In this episode, Madison Masterson explains how those people can impact your marketing, even if you have a small business. You may not be able to afford a celebrity for your brad, but that doesn't mean you can't find someone who has influence with your...

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

Stacey Hall wants to shift your paradigm on the role of the salesperson. She believes traditional, old school techniques of always closing and working to overcome objections just aren't the best approach for the majority of salespeople and their customers.  Instead, she has developed a new approach she calls the ABC's of selling : Alignment, Belief and Consistency.    About Stacey  Stacey has coac...

I a sci-fi geek.  As a kid I discovered Isaac Asimov's stories of good robots who were driven by a code driving them to helpful an supportive of human beings and dystopian sci-fi with the rise of evil machines that take over the world. As I'm evaluating the emergence of A.I. in content creation, advertising and search I'm trying to decide are we in the era of Isaac Asimov's good robots or there dy...

I have often been told that I have a strong personality and it kind of came through in my business but I never really thought about the fact that all businesses have personality. Guest Naomi Garza talks about the  importance of including ourselves in our business strategy. So many business schools teach us to get to know our ideal customers and competitors but none that I've seen start the process...

From our archive - Originally broadcast on 2/14/2020 enjoy this encore conversation with Matt Nettleton.  Sometimes, as a sales person heads out to make cold calls, it feels like they are trying to storm a castle.  They prepare to battle their way in the door.  My coach, sales professional Matt Nettleton says it doesn't have to be that way. Armed with a series of strategic questions, and a willing...

As you start working on the product portion of your overall business plan do not start with the features.  Go back to your customer research. What is most important to your customers?  Focus on the elements of your product or service that line up with those needs.   Demonstrate how the features that you are selecting for your product or service help you achieve something customers are going to buy...

When it comes down to closing, people buy from people.  So before you can make a sale, you almost always need a relationship.  In B2B sales one of the best places to build that relationship is on LinkedIn.    Relationship pro, Janice Porter shares some of her  favorite relationship building strategies.   She believes LinkedIn is underutilized by many sales professionals, who miss the opportunity t...