Ian Brodie on October 23rd, 2012.
On Day 3 of Lead Generation Q&A we're looking at how to use “lumpy mail” to get through to difficult-to-reach prospects.
I'll show you what lumpy mail is, and the three critical success factors for using it effectively.
Ian Brodie on October 22nd, 2012.
On Day 2 of Lead Generation Q&A we're looking at how to use content marketing to grow your business online.
I'll walk you through a simple strategy for using guest blogging to build traffic, and my best tips on doing content marketing on a shoestring.
Ian Brodie on October 21st, 2012.
So here we are: Day 1 of our Lead Generation Q&A sessions.
In this video I cover one of the trickiest challenges for many businesses – how to find the right niche or specialism to fuel your growth.
You'll see me disagreeing with what almost everyone says about niches – and giving some practical tips to help you find the right one for you.
If you have any questions yourself on generating leads for your business, you can ask them here >> Ask Your Questions
…and I'll do my very best to answer them. Every day I'll post a new video answering the top questions asked.
And if you think others in your network would benefit from having their lead generation questions answered, then please share this video using the social media sharing buttons.
Cheers!
Ian
Ian Brodie on October 19th, 2012.
When I surveyed my email subscribers a couple of weeks ago to ask what their biggest marketing and sales challenge was, the biggest answer by far was Lead Generation. It got more votes than all the other answers combined.
I hear the same thing on webinars, in discussion forums and social media. The biggest problem most people face is generating leads: that initial meaningful contact with a potential client.
As a result, I'm launching Lead Generation Q&A. For the next 5 days I'll be posting a video a day answering questions on Lead Generation. More details in the video below:
So if you have any questions on generating leads for your business, pop them in the comments below and I'll do my very best to answer them. Every day I'll post a new video answering the top questions asked.
And if you think others in your network would benefit from having their lead generation questions answered, then please share this video using the social media sharing buttons.
Cheers!
Ian
Click here to ask your questions in the comments section >> Comments
Ian Brodie on October 10th, 2012.
(This blog post was named as “Blog Post of the Year” for 2012 at the Top Sales and Marketing Awards – enjoy!)
If you want to succeed as a consultant, coach or in any profession, you need to be able to build strong relationships with your potential clients.
There's an approach to building relationships that helps to get them established fast. Yet almost everyone gets it completely backwards (me included). In this episode of More Clients TV I show you what it is and how to apply it.
Ian Brodie on October 6th, 2012.
There's one simple mistake that most people are making with Linkedin that just tosses away about half its value for generating leads and clients.
You can find out what that mistake is – and get a “fill in the gaps” template you can use right away to avoid that mistake by watching this very first episode of More Clients TV – hope you like it!
Ian Brodie on September 29th, 2012.
When what we do is complex and intangible we rely on our communications skills to get our message across to our clients.
They can't touch, kick or properly test drive what we do. So the largest part of what they think of us and whether think they want to hire us is driven by how well we're able to get across our message.
Only it turns out that getting our message across is a lot more difficult than we think.
Here's an example.
In their book, “Made to Stick”, Chip and Dan Heath tell the story of Elizabeth Newton and her research at Stanford in 1990.
Newton created a simple game where she assigned people to one of two roles: ‘tappers’ or ‘listeners’. Tappers received a list of 25 well-known songs, such as “Happy Birthday to You”. Each tapper was asked to pick a song and tap out the rhythm to a listener by knocking on a table. The listener’s job was to guess the song, based on the rhythm being tapped.
In the test, tappers tapped out 120 songs. And listeners only managed to guess 3 of them.
But that wasn't the point of the test. The real purpose of the test was to see how well tappers thought they'd do.
And the tappers predicted that the listeners would guess right 50% of the time.
50% vs their actual score of 2.5%. Huge difference.
Turns out the problem is what's known as “The Curse of Knowledge”.
Once the tappers knew the tune they could hear it in their head. It was obvious to them that the taps sounded like the tune. They couldn't understand how anyone wouldn't be able to pick it up.
But to the listeners it was just random taps. They rarely had a clue what it was.
The same thing applies to our communications. Once we have an idea in our head we're staggered that everyone else doesn't “hear it”. That they don't understand what we understand.
As a result, our communications far too often assume a level of knowledge and familiarity that just isn't warranted.
If we want our ideas to get across then we need to turn them from the abstract to the concrete. Something our listeners can picture for themselves. Something it's easy for them to grasp.
The Tapping Game story is a great example itself. I could have just talked about how it's easy to make assumptions and about how much other people understand. But that's an abstract concept. Illustrating it with a story brings it to life. Makes it memorable.
Or as the Heath brothers put it – it makes it “sticky”.
So how do you score on the Tapping Game? how many of your messages about your business get through?
50%, or nearer 2.5%
Worth thinking about.
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Image by Brian Auer
Ian Brodie on September 11th, 2012.
Today's blog post is a guest article from Michael Zipursky. A good friend and real expert in marketing and sales for consultants and other professionals. Take a special look at the “Clear A Path” section – simple to do but an area where most people go wrong.
It's not uncommon for consultants and independent professionals to find their pipeline full of leads and prospective business, though not enough of that business is being closed.
Imagine a funnel being filled with small marbles from the wide end at the top. Each one represents a potential client and project. You know that the majority of these should be coming out the bottom in the form of a sale…yet nothing is moving.
When you find yourself in this situation, it's important to sit back and analyze the situation. Often one or more issues are at play. Once you deal with the issues it's like you've greased up all the marbles and they start coming out the bottom at a quick rate.
So how do you identify the problem in your sales cycle to fix it and grow your business?
Here are several strategies to help you get started…
In fact, maybe you have more than one. The problem I'm talking about however is not a problem with YOUR business. I’m referring to the problem your prospective client is facing. Once you've identified the real issue they are having, you can ensure that you focus your language and communications so that you're addressing it. To uncover what's really going on and how big of a problem the issue is, consultant and author Andrew Sobel suggests asking questions like: ” “What is this costing you right now?”; “If you don’t fix this problem, what will the consequences be?”; “What do you think this opportunity is worth to your organization?”; “What other issues is this causing for you?”; and “Would you say this is one of your top two or three priorities?” As soon as you've discovered the real issue and what it is worth to your prospective client you will be well on your way to moving the sales cycle along.
Neglecting to outline the steps involved in the sales process clearly for the client is a mistake many consultants make. At the end of every meeting you need to inform the client what the next step is and when it will happen. In addition, you'll find it valuable to walk them through a step-by-step of what your sales process is. That may be starting with an Analysis, and then on to a Review Meeting, then a Recommendation Session with Discussion on Investment and so on. The better your prospective client understands your process the more likely they will be to move along it.
Another common challenge you may face is questions around your authority. If a prospective client doesn't have full trust in you, they will find it very difficult to engage you. In fact, this is one of the key reasons sales cycles can take so long. If the client is not convinced that you clearly are the best option for them, they will put off making a purchase. In this situation you need to do all that you can to educate and provide value to your prospective client to prove to them that you are an authority, that you get results and that they can trust you. Think case studies, testimonials, reports, demonstrations.
If you've ever sat a boardroom table and had a feeling that too many people are present you know what I'm hinting at with this point. When you are moving a prospective client through the sales cycle, it's critical that you are speaking directly with the decision maker. Anyone that doesn't need to be there ideally shouldn't be. If they can add value to the conversation and process, then value their input and attendance. If not, focus your energy on speaking directly with the decision maker. You will find that as soon as you talk to the right person and get on the same page with them, the whole sales cycle will speed up.
Sometimes asking a simple question can provide you with extremely powerful information. For example, “What would we need to have ready in order for us to start this project at the beginning of next month?” The goal here is to figure out what your prospective client's real objections are. You can then figure out how to remove those objections and create a clear route to win the project.
It's a great question, right? If there is no scarcity involved then your prospective client has no reason to move quickly. Scarcity doesn't have to be a ‘limited-time offer'. It can be something as simple as “We can only accept 2 new projects next month so if you want to do this soon it would be best to get moving quickly…” Or scarcity can be focused more on the company. “How much is this issue costing your company each day it is not dealt with?” If it's a big problem, finding a solution and having it implemented ASAP becomes valuable.
By looking at your current sales cycle and your prospective client and referencing each of these points you'll be able to uncover the current roadblocks in your path, remove them, and be well on your way to closing more sales.
Michael Zipursky is a strategy and lead-generation consultant, author, and founder of Consulting Success, a leading resource to help you become a consultant, and FreshGigs.ca, a jobsite for marketing and creative professionals in Canada.
Ian Brodie on September 2nd, 2012.
My first love, way before I got into marketing (even before I met Kathy) was magic. Particularly sleight of hand, close up magic.
I devoted hour after hour to practising techniques and tricks. I devoured every latest book and video and every clever new move.
But over time I learnt an eternal truth. Your level of performance isn't dependent on learning a host of tricky new techniques. It's based on how well you do the “basics”.
All the great masters, David Roth with coins, Juan Tamariz with cards, Dai Vernon with pretty much anything. All of them know (or knew) the clever techniques. But what makes their performances so sublime and their magic so, well, magical, is their mastery of the basics.
The first thing you learn in coin magic is how to palm a coin. David Roth doesn't palm a coin any differently to me. He just does it better. He does it so well and so naturally that even if you know all about palming, you still don't get an inkling that he's doing it.
Growing your skills in any field isn't primarily about learning new things. It's about learning to do the “classics”, the important core skills, at a higher level of performance.
In business development, the first thing you learn is that asking good questions is the key to winning sales.
Watch a master rainmaker at work and of course they'll be doing some subtle things that you're not. But the most important thing they do, the thing that makes the difference, is they ask better questions.
More insightful. Better chosen. More suited to the situation. Braver.
And that's what Power Questions, the new book by Andrew Sobel and Jerold Panas is all about.
You won't find any fancy new techniques you won't have heard about in it. Just detailed descriptions of how to ask insightful, thought provoking questions that will get your potential clients engaged and opening up.
If you've ever wanted a replacement for the corny old “what keeps you up at night” question, you'll find a bunch of much better alternatives here.
There are questions that will get clients to open up and tell you what they really care about. Questions to find out what they're looking to see from you. Questions that help you recover from bad starts. Questions to ask yourself to make sure you're on track.
Each chapter focuses on a specific type of question with an explanatory story, details of how to ask, and alternative phrasings and follow-up questions.
If you're looking for a book full of new approaches to marketing and selling you've never heard of, you'll be disappointed.
But if you want a book that'll help you progress to the higher levels of skill that mark out the true masters – then this is a book you'll want to have in your library. And it's one you'll keep coming back to.
As one of Andrew's clients in the book, the CEO of a $12-billion company, explains: “I can always tell how experienced and insightful a prospective consultant, banker or lawyer is by the quality of their questions and how intently they listen. That's how simple it is.”
This book will help ensure you're one of the ones that CEO rates as insightful and experienced.
You can find out more about the book and watch Andrew talking about some of the content by clicking here:
Disclosure: Andrew sent me a free copy of the book for review.
Ian Brodie on August 31st, 2012.
Ask most professionals and business owners what their biggest marketing challenge is and the answer you'll hear more than any other is “lead generation”.
Ask what they mean by a “lead” and the answer is always “contact with someone who needs my services” or something similar.
Dig a little deeper and ask over what timeframe, and the answer is always “now” or “soon”.
And that's the problem.
The reason we don't have many leads is that we focus on trying to connect with people who are ready to buy right now.
There just aren't that many of those people.
Go through this thought experiment. If you think of all the businesses or individuals in your market who are a great fit for you. Right size of company, right geography, right sector, right attitude. Whatever defines your ideal client.
Out of those people – what percentage will believe they have a need for your services or those of someone like you right now or in the next couple of weeks?
For most people it's a small percentage. 1%. 5%. 10% at most.
Then think of those same businesses or individuals – what percentage of them will come to believe they need your sort of services in the next year? The next 2 or 3 years?
The number rises dramatically. Maybe to 30%. 50%. 80%
So in other words, when you first connect with a potential client. Be it at a networking event, via a sales letter, or them coming to your website. The chances are very slim that they need your services soon – that they're a “lead” in the commonly used sense.
But the chances are very high that they'll need your services in the next 3 months, 6 months, 1 year or 3 years.
What's the difference between the two? Time. You'd ideally like to be talking to that person in 3, 6 12 or 18 months time when the time is right and they're ready to buy.
What's the best way of of getting to speak to them then?
Keep talking to them. You've made your initial connection – now build a relationship. Demonstrate your credibility so they call you when the time is right.
What do we actually do?
We ignore them. We focus our energy on finding people who are ready right now. Trying to find the needle in the haystack rather than nurturing relationships with potential clients for the future.
Lead generation is tough if you only see leads as people ready to buy right now.
If you switch your mindset to leads being people who will buy in the future, there are many, many more of them. Orders of magnitude more.
Nurture those relationships and you'll have a ton more leads when the time is right for them.
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Image by rightee