John Jantsch is teaming up with the Verizon Small Business Center to bring you a series of webinars focusing on the networking and collaborative tools small businesses can utilize to grow their businesses.
The first presentation in the series takes place on Wednesday, June 3, 2009 2:00 pm
Eastern Daylight Time (GMT -04:00, New York).
For can learn more about the webinar series, John, and Duct Tape Marketing here.
Here are some of the most common mistakes I see when it comes to marketing a professional service practice.
Skipping strategy and charging straight ahead to tactics – One of the fastest ways to lose money and become frustrated with marketing is to fall into the “marketing idea of the week” syndrome. Resist the temptation to “just do something” and spend time developing a strategy.
Not Finding And Communicating Their Remarkable Difference – To our prospects, one accountant looks like another, one attorney looks like another, etc. The most powerful marketing strategy you can employ is to find and communicate how you are different from everyone else who claims to do what you do.
Confusing Expectations With Differentiators – Quality work, good customer service, fair pricing – these don’t set you apart from the crowd. They are table stakes – expectations for being in the game.
Creating “Me” centric marketing materials – one of the best ways to stand out from the crowd in terms of your marketing materials is to stop touting your abilities and focus more on the types of problems you solve for your particular type of clients and how their life is better after they work with you.
Failing To Have A System for Referrals – most accountants and attorneys tell me the #1 way they get business is through referrals. However, very few of them have a system in place to make sure referrals happen consistently. If your referrals seem to come “feast or famine”, you probably need to review your referral system.
Having An Invisible Website – Over 70% of US adults begin their search for local services by searching the internet. Do they find your website when they search for “accountant in Kansas City”?
Not Marketing to Existing Clients – Don’t forget to keep marketing after the sale. You can’t get angry with clients for buying other services you provide from someone else when you didn’t tell them you offered those services as well.
Failing to Use A Marketing Calendar – Successful marketing isn’t about hitting the home run. It’s about doing a few things well and consistently. Get in the habit of working on your marketing system.
What other challenges do you face that I left off this list?
Visit our main website to learn about marketing programs for CPAs, accountants, tax preparers, and financial planners.
Network Solutions, LLC and the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business recently teamed up to conduct a baseline telephone survey of 1,000 small business owners with the goal of taking the pulse of small businesses and track their competitive health over time.
American small business owners scored highest in customer service and compliance (defined as the ability to understand and comply with laws and regulations, including ensuring data security).
The study gave small businesses the equivalent of a "C-" in the Marketing and Innovation. According to the study:
“Small businesses are not as successful as they would like to be in effectively marketing themselves to grow their business beyond their current size.”
According to the report, small businesses can improve their competiveness grade by ramping up its Internet business solutions. “Internet business solutions” include more than just a website, but also making a commitment to online advertising, allowing customers to view and order products online, providing email customer service and self-service options to customers.
We Duct Tape Marketing coaches, are big believers in harnessing the power of the internet when it comes to small business marketing. While some of the conclusions of the report may seem a little self serving given what Network Solutions sells, I think the advice related to creating internet business solutions is sound – when viewed in the context of creating a marketing system.
Websites, blogs, social media, etc., can all be effective marketing tools. However, one of the easiest ways to waste money and become frustrated trying to market your small business, is to charge into implementation before developing a sound marketing strategy.
If you would like to be more successful in effectively marketing yourself to grow your business beyond your current size, create your marketing strategy first, and then search for the tools and tactics to help you implement that strategy as efficiently and effectively as possible.
You can find the report referenced above in NetworkSolutions Research Library.
The Economist recently published a piece entitled Primates On Facebook that described some research done by the Facebook Data Team. The graph below depicts something active Facebook users probably already suspected – we passively engage 2 – 2.5 times the number of people we actively communicate with in our network.
So Facebook and other technologies are making it easier to "keep up with" a larger network of people, even if we don't actively communicate with them.
If you are interested in learning more about the data behind Facebook, make sure to become a fan of the Facebook Data Team
Today's KC Star has an article discussing how some Kansas City area businesses are using Facebook. They were also kind enough to quote yours truly, along with friends Bethany Spilde and Lucy DelSarto. You can read the article here – http://www.kansascity.com/business/story/1204309.html
Join the ACA Marketing Club this Thursday to discuss contact management systems for small business owners.
Rick Sheahan will lead the discussion where we will review the basics of Contact Management Systems and explore cost-effective ways to keep in touch with clients and prospects.
Meeting format:
15-20 minute presentation
10 Q & A
45 Work period focusing on topic
15 Wrap-up
The meeting is from 11:30 AM to 1 PM at the Shawnee Library located on the southwest corner of Pflumm and Johnson Drive in Shawnee.
Click Here to Register or follow the link below.
http://tinyurl.com/pup2e8
No Charge for ACA Members – $5 for Guests. Public is Welcome.
My friend Dan Stalp of Brooks Associates, Kansas City’s Sandler Sales Trainers, is conducting his Immediate Impact Prospecting Session in a few weeks. The year is flying by, and this is a great way to make sure you set and meet your sales goals for the year.
There are only 20 seats available for this event, so contact Dan today at dstalp@brooksassociates.us to save your seat.
Tell Dan I sent you. Here are the particulars for the event:
When and Where
Wednesday, June 3, 2009 1:00 – 4:30 pm
Sandler Training/Brooks
10955 Lowell Avenue #650 – Overland Park, KS
(Limited to 20 Participants)
What’s In It For You
Investment:
$295 with check/credit card by Friday, May 29
$345 after May 29
Sorry, no refund – credits will be issued.
Call for discounts for 3 or more attendees in a group.
RSVP Today (20 participant limit)
Please RSVP (Yes or No) by replying here: dstalp@brooksassociates.us
Yesterday, I was involved in a great discussion about how small business owners can take advantage of social media tools (blogs, LinkedIn, etc.) to grow their businesses while still balancing all of the other hats we have to wear.
My answer to this question is social media tools are just that, tools. In order to use them efficiently and effectively to grow our business, we have to connect them to our strategy – in this case, our marketing strategy.
In very basic terms, you marketing strategy answers these two questions – 1) Who do you want to talk to and 2) what will you say to show you are different from everyone who claims they do what you do?
Two common questions that I hear when talking to small business owners who are thinking about jumping in to social networking are – 1) Where should I start? (which tool) and 2) what will I say?
When you know the answers the the first two questions, it is much easier to answer the second set of questions. If your ideal prospects are doctors who are 5 or fewer years away from retirement, MySpace may not be where you want to spend your time.
Tim Berry has a nice post discussing the importance of having a strategy for blogging and other social media. As Tim states, having a business strategy for your blog doesn't mean you have to sell something on your blog – but you do need to have a business purpose.
So, why do you blog? How do you determine that your blog is "good business" for you?
This week, I’m trying to work a couple of win-win-win deals. My friends at Palo Alto software could use a few more sample marketing plans for their mplans.com web site. So here’s the deal, I’ll help you create your marketing plan in Marketing Plan Pro through my Marketing Plan Quick Start Program for half price if you agree to a few simple conditions.
Here’s the catch – you must:
That’s it, easy-peasy.
I’ll only be doing one plan per industry, on a first come, first served basis.
Just give me a call, leave a comment, or drop me an email if you would like more information or want to sign up.
Smart companies are always looking for ways to make it easier for people to buy their products and services. Many businesses considering purchasing Intuit QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions (QBES) are not accustomed to purchasing the services of valued added resellers (VARs) who sell and install this software. Intuit is working with their partner VARs to soften the blow to the end customer while still allowing the VAR to earn money for their services.
According to Accounting Technology, Intuit is providing assistance to firms that sell its QBES applications by paying them $800 for typical first-day services, such as configuration, training, and setup.
Does your business rely on others to sell your products and\or services? If so, are there things you can do to make it easier for them to make the sale? If you sell your own services, what barriers that are keeping customers from purchasing can you remove?
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