Small Business Marketing Tips & Strategies

PR for Professional Service Firms

Public relations is an important and power lead generation tactic for professional service firms. The press release is still a powerful tool for reaching out to the media. Just like any other marketing tactic, we need to be strategic about how we use press releases in order to effectively generate leads.

In order to be strategic about PR, we need to focus on the needs of our audience. In the case of PR, writers want to provide useful information to their audience. Therefore, the important question is, how can we help them help their readers?

 This requires us to spend some time learning about writers and their audience. Luckily, the internet makes this relatively easy. Do you target writers have blogs? Do you read their articles on-line? Using tools like Google Alerts can help you find and keep up journalists who write about your subject matter expertise.

Take the time to learn about them, what they write about. Figure out how you can become a valued source for them. Work at becoming the person they turn to when they have a question about your area of expertise rather than being the guy who sends them a release once a year about the company picnic.

To get better results from you PR efforts, focus on the needs of reporter(s) you are pitching.

Networking - Getting Your Turn To Talk

During a recent presentation about referrals and networking, the subject came up about what to do when someone you meet doesn’t let you talk.

We were discussing a technique in which we begin by asking someone what they do for a living. The  expectation being that after answer, they will return the favor and inquire about what we do. The question came up about what to do when that person doesn’t make that inquiry.

I'm not sure I did a good job of answering this question at the time, but I think you have two main choices, 1) force the issue or 2) cut bait and move on.

I say force the issue, but of course you need to have a professional way to go about it. In my experience, when someone doesn’t return the “what do you do” question, they usually are not comfortable with networking. So our first job is to make them more comfortable.

Start by asking permission to ask a question - “would it be ok if I ask you a question?”. Then give a short explanation of what you do, followed by your usual question(s) that you use to determine if this person is someone who may do business with you.

Every once in a while, you will run into someone who just isn’t interested in having a conversation. They may be interested in doing a lot of telling, but that isn’t a conversation. In these cases, you may just have to politely excuse yourself and move on. Excusing yourself may sound something like “I’m sure you came here to make contacts, so I won’t monopolize your time”.

Remember, the goal of networking isn’t to make a sale right then and there. Rather, you goal should be to identify people who look like the types of folks who may do business with you or are able and willing to introduce you to others who will.

Marketing for Accountants, CPAs, and Professional Service Firms - New E-Book

Marketing for Accountants, CPAs, and Professional Service Firms - New E-Book

Free e-book outlines what works and what doesn't when it comes to marketing professional services.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) – Jul 05, 2009 – Professional service firms have traditionally relied on referrals to grow their practices. However, for many firms, referrals may not bring in enough new business to meet the firm's financial goals.

According Kansas City area Duct Tape Marketing Coach Bill Brelsford, "Many professional service providers believe marketing (other than referrals) won't work for their type of firm. It's not unusual for them spend a lot of money on a campaign that produces little or no results, causing them to sour on marketing."

In his new e-book, "Saying the Wrong Thing Louder Doesn't Make It Right", Brelsford outlines why referral marketing works and how most frustrations related to professional services marketing are caused by failing to stick with what works for referrals when engaging in other marketing tactics.

The e-book starts by telling the story of a typical accountant who starts his own practice and then challenges he faces while building his business. A discussion of why referrals work, why the "other marketing stuff" doesn't. The e-book outlines the elements of a successful referrals and concludes with a discussion of how to apply the principles of successful referral marketing to a firm's other marketing activities.

The free e-book “Saying The Wrong Thing Louder Doesn't Make It Right” can be found and downloaded at http://www.rebarbusinessbuilders.com/freeEbook.aspx

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About Rebar Business Builders

As an Authorized Duct Tape Marketing coach, Rebar works with professional service providers to install marketing systems that allow them to spend less time chasing business and more time working with profitable clients.

Free e-Book - Marketing Professional Services

I just posted my first e-Book on my website. In it, I discuss marketing for service professionals – specifically, why referrals work, how to get better referrals consistently, and how to apply what works for referrals to the rest of your marketing activities

This e-Book is totally free. No registration required.  You can download it here.

7 Tips For More Productive Networking

Recently, I've been talking to several business owners and independent professionals who are frustrated with the results they get from attending networking events. Networking came become a huge drain on our time - particularly if we are not consistently generating business from these events.

Networking is one of those important business skills that they don't teach us in school. Here are a few tips both I and my customers have used to achieve better results when attending networking events.

Go in with a plan - What is your goal for this particular event? Have you identified specific people you would like to meet?

Have something to give - the golden rule in networking is "give to get". I find that following this rule makes me a better listener, which in turn makes me a better salesperson. One of my favorite ways to give at my regular networking events is to act as a connector. Because I attend these events regularly, I have a good idea of what everyone does, which helps me introduce people who can help each other in their business.

Form a tag team - Some people are uncomfortable talking about themselves, but love to make referrals to others. If you fall into this category, trying going to your next networking event with a "tag team" partner. Spend a little time learning about the types folks each of you would like to meet and then spend your time at the event looking for great contacts for your partner.

Qualify - We all have a limited amount of time, so it is important to qualify the people you meet before you let them into your prospecting system. I don't mean qualifying as we normally think of in selling. Rather, you should be prepared to have a structured conversation that allows you determine if this person is available to "date" before you automatically add them to your prospect list.

Don't sell at the event - Similar to a cold call, the goal is not to make the sale, but to get an appointment. You may not be able to set the exact date and time of the appointment but you should create a clear expectation of how and when you will follow up to set the appointment.

Follow Up - It doesn't do any good to go to a networking event, collect a bunch of business cards, and then leave them on a pile on your desk. Create a system to make sure you consistently follow up with everyone you have qualified to be in your prospecting system.

Cultivate - If people aren't thinking of you before they have a need for your services, do you think they will think of (or remember) you when they do have a need? You need to have a system in place to first achieve "Top of Mind" status when you meet a new contact. You also need to make sure that once you achieve "Top of Mind" status, that you stay there.

Promotional Products Distribution Telesummit Recordings Available

Back in March, I participated in The Business of Promotional Products Distribution Telesummit. I was one of six panelists that led discussions related to marketing and sales for the promotional products industry.

Each of the six sessions were recorded and are now available from PPDGYM. You can purchase an individual session, or all of them as a group. PPDGYM.com gives you the option to instantly download your files or you can order the recordings on CD.

For more information about the The Business of Promotional Products Distribution Telesummit recordings, visit the PPDGYM web site.

Why Referrals Work and the Other Stuff Doesn't

Referrals and face-to-face meetings are the preferred tactics for marketing professional services. Most professionals will tell me that the "other marketing stuff" doesn't work, but if they can get in front of the right person, the usually close the deal.

Have you ever thought about why that is? Here are some of the reasons meeting face to face, whether by referral or not, tends to be the most effective way for us to gain a new client:

• We are specific about who we help
• We are specific about the types of problems we solve
• We talk in plain English – not in corporate marketing mumbo-jumbo
• We tell our story – People remember and connect with people through stories
• If we are successful generating business from our local chamber or other networking groups, it is because we are consistent. We show up regularly and participate often.
• We listen to the client’s issues, show them that we understand, and explain how we help them solve their problems.

Why the other stuff doesn’t work

Many of the frustrations professionals have with traditional marketing stems from doing the opposite of what works for referrals.  

• We are too general – we try to create marketing materials that appeal to everyone and end up being special to no one
• We create materials that are filled with jargon, buzzwords, nonsense, and fluff
• Rather than telling our story, we talk about “fair pricing”, “good customer service”, and “quality work” – just like everyone else
• We are not consistent. We do one mailing and stop. We don’t follow up. We fail to continue to market to our existing clients

For some reason, when we start to create “formal marketing materials” we stop talking to people and start talking at them.

Create more effective marketing materials by focusing on your potential client rather than lecturing them on how great you are.

One + One + One = $329 of Savings For You

This is one of those deals that almost seems too good to be true, so I had to triple check to make sure it was right before I passed it on.

Through the synergies of a couple of different partners, small business owners can get a great deal on some great software tools to them grow their business.

The first deal comes from Palo Alto Software, who are bundling their Marketing Plan Pro software with ACT! 2009. The price of this bundle is $259.95 – a $150 savings over the price of purchasing them separately. You can learn more about the Marketing Plan Pro & ACT! 2009 bundle here.

But the deal gets sweeter because Swiftpage is offering a free one year subscription to their service ($179 value) to owners of ACT! 2009.

What that means is for $259.95 you get three great software tools to help you create and implement your marketing system AND you save $329.

I use and support all three of these products, so feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need help determining if these products make sense for your business.

Becoming A Duct Tape Marketing Coach

Regular readers here know that I am a member of the Duct Tape Marketing Coaches network. My job as a coach is to help business owners install their own Duct Tape Marketing System – applying the principles, strategies, and tactics outlined in DTM to each businesses individual needs.

From time to time, people ask me what is included when someone joins the coaches network. Here is a list of some of the benefits coaches receive:

• License to use the Duct Tape Marketing Name and Brand
• License to sell and promote Duct Tape Marketing ebooks and audios
• License to offer Duct Tape Marketing teleseminars
• License to use the Duct Tape Marketing system to work with clients
• Complete set of tools to deliver 1-on-1, group, workshop and virtual coaching
• Complete lead generation training, support and leads
• 1-on-1 Mentoring from a Successful Duct Tape Marketing Coach
• Participation in the Duct Tape Marketing Coach Network
• Internet marketing training, implementation and support
• Access to new products, services and marketing opportunities
• Full access to Duct Tape University - interactive video and audio training

If you are interested in becoming an Authorized Duct Tape Marketing Coach, visit the Duct Tape Marketing Coach website and sign up for the next Coaching Discovery TeleSession.

ACT! + Swiftpage = Great Small Business CRM

As part of the Authorized Duct Tape Marketing Coach network, I recently became more involved with a couple of tools that, when used together, provide a very robust and very affordable CRM system for small businesses and independendent professionals.

Swiftpage, the number one integrated email marketing solution for ACT! by Sage, introduces a marketing automation platform to its already robust service - giving you the tools to automatically reach out to your ACT! Contacts, Groups, Look Ups and Companies.

Regular readers here know I have a passion for technology and automating systems. I've written about small business CRM here in the past. I was critical of ACT a couple of years ago when the version at that time did not work with Office 2009. It also had some serious performance issues at that time. I'm happy to say I've been using ACT version 11 for a while now, and all of those issues appear to have been fixed.

I also used to write about Outlook with Business Contact Manager, but I eventually stopped using that product because of the lack of Activity Series and some other automation shortcomings.

So far, I am very pleased with the ACT \ Swiftpage combination. Swiftpage provides very robust campaign management and allows you to work with your ACT contact database, so you can avoid the issue of having customer data in different systems (a pet peeve of mine).

Here are a few things that Swiftpage can help you do:

On Demand Marketing - World -Class Email Marketing - Integrated into your ACT! environment gives you the ability to Create, Send and Track Email Marketing blasts.

Survey Tool - Gather valuable data from prospective or current customers and automatically build new or update your existing ACT! contacts.

Sales Force Automation -

1. Swiftpage Call List - A ranked list of your most interested contacts based on the way the interacted with your email marketing blast.
2. Send As - Allow one user to send on behalf of your entire sales team
3. Snapshot tab - Gather valuable contact profile information from the web with a single click and more.

Marketing Automation - Swiftpage Drip Marketing - Swiftpage Drip Marketing blends simple functionality, like the ability to automatically send a sequence of marketing messages to a contact that fills out a form on your website, with intelligent technology that will send different messages to contacts based on their previous actions. For example, send a postcard to those that did not open the previous email - automatically!

I'll be posting more about this great combo and how to use it to grow your business. In the meantime, I'd love to hear about your experience using these tools.