Friday 31 July 2009

Join me on the West London NetWalk Friday August 7th

I am hosting a NetWalk on the afternoon of Friday 7th.

It's an opportunity to meet and network in a relaxed format.

Hope you can make it.

Details on Facebook

Thursday 30 July 2009

“How to Rod Sloane your Marketing!”

Hey my mojo's pretty high today, how's yours?

Now even me, in all modesty, I probably wouldn't run ad ad or workshop entitled “How to Rod Sloane your Marketing!” I'm too modest..but you could promote it for me, OK?

However I have a presentation entitled “How to Barack Obama your Business!” that people get excited about. What does it mean? Innovation, Story-telling, Change? So...

Why not turn a real name into a verb. After all people don't carry out a search enquiry on Google.com they just Google it.

If I put your name in the place of “How to Barack Obama your Business!” e.g. “How to John Smith your Business!” what would it mean?

Do you know?

Tip: Ask people around you...

Find out what your name means as a verb and you have some real currency with your marketing “How to Rod Sloane your Name!”

Wednesday 29 July 2009

Put your message on a t-shirt

Vic Osteen suggests that you develop a catch phrase for your business.
Brevity is key here, you should be aiming for around a six word phrase.

A phrase that not only describes what you do, but how you do it.

Both content and style.

You know "Don't leave home without it" "The World's Favourite Airline"

Now would you say your catch phrase, more importantly would others?

Now, the acid test, put your catch phrase on a t-shirt.

Would you wear it?

Would others?

Would someone spend £10 on it

That's what mine sell for!!

Great for summer, autumn and ...

Tuesday 28 July 2009

Start Ya Bastard!

How much time do you spend marketing?

You know if I could just get the work in through the door then I wouldn't have to any of that marketing, admin or planning stuff. Maybe I could just automate or outsource all that stuff. I just want to do the work!

Ring true?

Doh! That is dumb thinking in my view and probably means you ain't charging enough, buster!

Yes you aren't charging enough!

Now I don't believe in the the so called 4 hour working week, but I do believe in the 24 hour work week. You should be able to do all the work you need to do, make all the money you need to make in three days a week. Chris Barrow who works with dentists suggests you work three days a week for 40 weeks a year. That is 120 fee producing days.

The rest of the time is free, planning or marketing. Make sense?

Here is my tip for 2009.

Double the amount of time you currently spend on marketing.

Not sure what to do with extra time then call me and I will tell what to do.

Go on all me now 07957 422203 and I'll tell you.

As the Australians would say “Start Ya Bastard!”

Call me!

Monday 27 July 2009

How to Get Sales And Marketing Working Together

The biggest concern for any business is to make a profit.

This goes for any type and size of business. If the business is not in it to make profits, what good is it for them to be in business?
How can a business become profitable? It boils down to two important elements. In order for a company to make money, they have to sell their products.
This is where the sales team gets into gear. They provide the product to the customer and close the sale.
But how can they do this if no person sees the product. This is where the marketing department comes in.
As you can see, both the sales and marketing departments must exist and work together if the company is to make money.

There is one problem however. Many companies are going under because there is no unity or alignment, if you will.
This causes problems for the company. The sales department starts blaming the marketing department for not giving them
solid and reliable leads. While at the same time the marketing department blames the sales department for going after
the wrong buyer, or uses the wrong sales tactics to do the selling.

On the other hand, businesses that report huge successes and profits, have their sales and marketing aligned perfectly,
or have made improvements in the way they earn and keep customers.

Based on a survey that was done in January 2005, out of 1400 businesses that responded, 32% of them have their sales
and marketing aligned. In fact, they consider the alignment of the sales and marketing team to top priority for them
and for any business.

If you look at trends and compare companies, you will notice something of interest.
The companies that are doing well know who and where to market their products to. They present their company in the best light possible.
The sales department or sales team takes what the marketing team develops, and uses the leads they are given wisely.
They focus on what the benefits of their product are, understand what the customer is looking for, and deliver it each and every time.

Many fortune 500 companies are like this. They focus on keeping their marketing and sales aligned.
They know how vital it is to the company's bottom line. The more the sales and marketing team are in alignment,
the better chance they have to sell their products.

Based on statistics, those who have their entire business flowing smoothly find their business growth is about
5% faster each year compared to their competitors, who do not have their businesses aligned.
And of these businesses, they find that they close 38% more sales than those who do not have their sales
and marketing people working in harmony together.

This is an astonishing number. If you look at the above numbers closely, it really tells a true story about the
state of companies who keep their sales and marketing aligned as compared to those who don't.

What do you think is the difference between companies who do great and those who don't?
The biggest factor is the way the sales and marketing team work.
If the sales and marketing team work together, a lot can get done, which can work in harmony with the company.
Each person can work together with another with the goal of accomplishing one task, and that is to gain sales and make profits.

But if the sales and marketing team work against each other, you have what is referred to as an internal problem,
which if not corrected quickly, can escalate to the point the company can go bankrupt and close its doors for good.
This is why a great strategy for aligning the sales and marketing team has to be in place, for the company to succeed.
As you read through this book, you will better understand this process of alignment as you are presented with facts
and examples from both sides - those companies in alignment, and those companies not in alignment.
By looking at both sides, you will better understand why companies, who have their sales and marketing in alignment,
succeed, while those who are not in alignment end up failing. The information will also help you see how important
unification within the company is so important for the natural progression of the company.


This is an excerpt from my next book "Alignment: How to Get Sales and Marketing Working Together"
Copyright © 2009 Rod Sloane

Friday 24 July 2009

Please, Show Me How me to use Your stuff on Video!

Video is excellent for marketing because

1.It makes your product or service come alive. It;s the closest I can get to touching and playing without having the physical product.

2.It can work as a simple tutorial after I have bought yr product. Great for non-techies like me. How do I get your thing to work and do...

3.It's fun . People watch TV for fun, they equate video with fun and entertainment.

Here is an example of "How to" use a product I have bought the Zoom H2 digital recorder. 90 second video, enough!
N.B.I have no relationship with Zoom apart from being a customer.







Now it might seem a little cheesy but it does the job. Message to Zoom...Where is your YouTube Channel?

Thursday 23 July 2009

Branding is really just Storytelling

I'm not a huge fan of the branding culture.

And don't get me started on all that personal branding nonsense.

In my view there is a lot of hot air spoken by a lot of supposed experts.

However where I do agree with branding types is that there must be an idea at the centre of your business. An idea that is customer centric and then you must convey that idea to the market in the form of a story that your market gets.

So all branding is storytelling.

Is it that simple?

Remember simple is often not very easy!

Wednesday 22 July 2009

What is the most effective way to get a decision maker (Director or VP level) to respond for an appointment?

Cold calling can be hard.

Networking can be tiresome.

Why not save the planet and send more email?

OK, seriously.

Have you tried using Mike Southon's Magic Email?

It works, it's easy and you won't suffer rejection.

Check out the website below.

I get about a 14% response to cold emails when I am going after appointments and that was with Managing Partners in law firms.


http://www.beermat.biz/shop_item.php?id=8

Tuesday 21 July 2009

What is your best solution to marketing despite the economic downturn?

Live by your Marketing Plan

1. Agree your marketing strategy and stick to it.

2. Write your one page marketing plan that plans out the next 180 days.

3. Pick threeLead Generation tactics, mix online and offline, old and new technologies.
Do what others aren't!

4. Review and Adjust every 30 days

5. Hold yourself accountable to what you commit to.

6. Take action

"Unless you are doing everything you possibly can, you have a business development problem, not an economic one." Bill Bachrach

Monday 20 July 2009

Market like a Salesperson and Sell like a Marketer.

My marketing responsibility is to get prospects to Know, Like, Trust and Try my offerings.

Now you might argue that trust fellows the trial period, maybe.

Do you have a phrase that moves the prospect from marketing to customer. Stephen Shapiro's favourite phrase at this stage is “What do you think?” Simple isn't it.

My Sales responsibility is to invite prospects to Buy from me, Re-Buy and then to Refer me.

Do you or does your business have a system for doing this, or do you just wing it?

Please don't wing it...that's the style of the amateur

Please create and have a system, it might be simply ticking boxes or it might be a software solution.

Then you can “Market like a Salesperson and Sell like a Marketer.”

Friday 17 July 2009

The Big Leap of Faith

Marketing types (like me) will often talk about how prospective customers get to Know, Like and Trust you. They (and I) will bang on about techniques and tactics to lead prospects down this path as if at the end of it is something miraculous happens and they suddenly buy. Wrong!!

Have you ever bought a car from a car showroom?

Unless you had just won the Lottery, you probably don't walk into a car dealers you know, like and trust and say “I want that one in red!”.

What do you do?

You ask for a test drive. You ask for a try.

So how do prospects try you?

How do they sample you?

Do you offer a taster?

It should be simple, fun-size and no risk.

Go develop your “test drive” and market that.

Market the try!

Thursday 16 July 2009

The most effective way to get a decision maker to respond to your email?

Who wants more email?

Do you?

I don't, but there is a simple way to use email to generate business meetings.

It was developed by my mate, Mike Southon and it's free!!

Have you tried using Mike Southon's Magic Email.

Check it out here.

I get about a 14% response to cold emails when I am going after appointments and that was with Managing Partners in law firms.

Try it

Wednesday 15 July 2009

The "One-Thing" Marketing Tactic

I have said this before but I'll say it again...

"How many marketing activities do you do?"

I bet there's a lot both off and on-line.

Have you ever just stopped and listed them all?

My suggestion is that you bin a lot and just focus on the one that gets you and your sales force talking to more prospects.

Go for that one.
I bet you don't even know what it is?
Stop 99% of the others.

Focus on THE one, put your efforts there, get better at it, become the best.
When you have gone as possibly far as you can with the one.
Then, and only then is it time to start on number two.

Most of my new prospects first see me speak at an event such as “How to Barack Obama Your Business!”.
They try me many times before they even consider hiring me as a marketing aid.

You know the old adage that you have to stroke prospects up to nine times before they are ready to buy.

Get stroking!

Where do prospects want to try you and your business out?

I know that it's easy to be seduced by the latest fad. Instead, take your time and work on your best.

There are no silver bullets in marketing.
No one shot.

But you will be better off doing fewer things better.

You will be better off doing just one thing better.

What is that one thing?

Tuesday 14 July 2009

Stop emailing me...

...I won't open it

Stop tweeting me, I'll ignore them

Stop texting me. I can't understand your abbreviations.

Stop blogging, hey just stop blogging.

I haven;'t got the time for all this stuff!

If you are serious about talking with me, then pick up the phone and call.

Call me, it's the best way you communicate.

Call someone today, even better now.

Go on, make that call!

Monday 13 July 2009

Be on time!

Is there really any excuse to be late?

Is there?

Taking away the major exceptions of War and Terrorism is there any reason?

Traffic and transport aren't, leave earlier.
If you car breaks down or the train or plane are cancelled you probably have to reschedule.

The weather isn't, Watch the forecast.

Sorry no excuse for being late, just your bad planning and leaving lack of your time.

It's your fault

It's rude

It's discourteous.

There is no such thing as fashionably late in business.

Be on time

Even better, never be late

Five minutes early is on time!

Thursday 9 July 2009

"You're Born an Original. Don't Die a Copy"

That's the title of a best selling book by John Mason.

Says it all, have the strength to be yourself not what other think you should be.

What are you an original at?

Do you know?

That's what you should be spending your time doing, finding out, not copying.

When you tell me what it is, please drop me a line.

And please, don't copy me!

Wednesday 8 July 2009

Squeezing the Lemon

The Lemon Song is a famous Led Zeppelin song from their second album. It is in turn based on many earlier blues standards. Now the phrase “Squeezable my Lemon” has many, well let's just say, adult overtones.

That's not what I mean when I say Squeeze the Lemon.

To me it means you have to “work” hard to get the maximum from any of your resources. Just having them in itself won't bring results. This is particularity true if you want better alignment between your sales and marketing teams.

To Squeeze the Lemon, your sales and marketing have to learn how to work together, speak the same language and agree on what they both want.

Squeeze the Lemon for the juice NOT the pips!

Tuesday 7 July 2009

Is there More to Marketing than Lead Generation?

Leads
Leads
Leads

Who generating them in your business? Marketing or Sales.

Who is responsible for the quality of those leads?

It's all Marketing's fault isn't it. Those guys live in an ivory tower and are out of touch with real world of sales, aren't they?

But doesn't marketing have an even more important role than lead generation?

What am I talking about?

Marketing's real role is to come up with a single idea that you tell as a message, a story.

Tell your story and you will start to attract the right leads.

All you have to do is the your single idea right.

Tie it into nostalgia, fear or happiness

What's “As good for you today as it's always been?”

Simple, but not easy?

What your single message?

Monday 6 July 2009

How to Sell your Car in Less than Four Hours

It's 9.35am on Monday June 29th 2009. The MOT and tax on my VW Passat run out at the end of the month, that's tomorrow! Time to sell my motor, but can I do it in less than 24 hours? I call some bloke who runs a business called We Buy Your Car. After a few questions, he decides he doesn't want to buy my car. Then a brainwave, well I'm slow. I'll put a ad on Gumtree.com.

Now I have to confess I'm not sure how much my Passat is worth. It has 163,000 miles on the clock and the paint work is not A1. So I look at other Passats on Gumtree and come to a decision. I pop outside and take 3 pictures of my motor. Write the ad and upload the images. Easy peasy. Within an hour the phone starts to ring. Some chap wants to buy my car and can come over by 12.15. We meet he makes me an offer which I accept and he gives me the cash, I give him the log book, MOT certificate and the keys. Done. My car is sold by 1.30pm. Less than four hours. BTW, I received about a dozen calls!

My tips, keep the price realistic and make your headline stand out. I was really subtle with the phrase 'Bargain Price' in my headline.

When I told my wife, she was amazed, I got seven times more than she expected!

Friday 3 July 2009

My Twitter Follow Friday suggestions for July 3rd 2009

Follow Friday is a nice little tradition on twitter where you recommend others. @NikkiPilkington has come up with the idea of writing a blog posting each week that recommends others. The Reason? Because twitter can get a little full with people's recommendations and it can have the opposite effect i.e. it turns people off.

So here is my first list of people you follow:

@NikkiPilkington writes about how to make sense of all this Web2.0 stuff. Now I don't always agree with Nikki, but she does make me stop and think. She also informs and comes from a good place.

@VicOsteen part Moses, part Darth Vader. The Godfather when it comes to the marketing of a professional speaker. Always on the money.

@BernieJMitchell Talks about networking especially in East London and Essex and yes he promotes some of my events.

@MediaCoach will show you how to get your name in the media and how to be comfortable and confident about it and finally...

@PaulSloane yes he is my brother. Teller of corny jokes and master of innovation. You can never go wrong following a Sloane!

Thursday 2 July 2009

How to create a Big Mac for your Business.

Along with quarterpounder the Big Mac is one of McDonald's iconic products.

Now you probably thought that Ray Kroc, the Moses-type character, leading McDonald's, who came up with the Big Mac. That's what I tended to assume, but I was wrong too.

The Big Mac was created by a unknown and largely forgotten McDonald's franchisee, Jim Delligatti. And it took Delligatti two years to persuade McDonald's to accept his innovation.

At the Ray Kroc supported the introduction of the Hulaburger, which consisted of a slice of grilled pineapple, with some cheese, on a bun. The Hulaburger flopped!

So don't expect your leader to come up with all the bright ideas, it might just be time for the boys and girls in marketing and sales to come up with your next MoneyMaker product or service.

Step back, Moses!

Anyone fancy a Hulaburger?

Wednesday 1 July 2009

Make Sure there is no Moses in Your business.

Marketing and Sales can work Together to Develop and Execute a Profitable Business Strategy.

Yes, they can.

First though, we need to get past the centralised control v field operations barriers that exist.

This starts from having a open democratic company culture.

Do you have one?

If the culture is set by the business founder and distributed from a centralised temple, then it won't work.

You don't need a Moses coming down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments.

Centralised control of marketing doesn't work any more. That's so last century, man. Come on, you can do better than that. Marketing and sales are bright people they need to come up with the ideas.

Take a look at how Zappos.com have developed their culture, from the bottom up. Not top down.

It's the staff who develop their culture, who work on it very day and deliver that to customers.

Consider having your marketing and sales own the business development strategy and delivering it to your market.

Let them create the plan. You don't need Moses.

And if you are Moses, remember he didn't make it to the Promised Land!