How to Up-Sell Change As Freud cautioned, it's insanity to keep doing the same thing and expect different results. You know things have to change. Business as usual is a guarantee to fail. Your boss supports you, but is fairly lukewarm about resources and time commitments. Your staff agrees but then claim they are too busy. Activity traps, inertia, disinterest, ambivalence, fear… people fabricate (consciously or unconsciously) lots of reasons to avoid making change. This is a frequent organizational dilemma: a needed change stalls before you even get started.
Your Secret Marketing Weapon As a professional service provider, you're paid for what you know. People come to your firm for the expertise you offer, first and foremost. Did you also realize that this is also your secret marketing weapon?
The M-Word (Marketing) Phase 2 Last month we looked at what you need to do before you spend money on marketing brochures, a website, advertising or even go out to network. During Phase 1, it's all about crafting your message. Key steps include getting clear about your market niche, developing a clear message about how you solve your target clients' problems, articulating what makes you their best choice, packaging your services so clients will buy, and demonstrating why they should trust you.
Differentiate or Die Sounds pretty harsh, doesn't it? Well, I can tell you from personal experience with both my own business and with my clients, "differentiate or die" is not an exaggeration. Whether you're a small one-person shop or a large government agency, solvency and the future of your business rely on you standing out in a competitive marketplace.
How to Profit from Your Expertise (Part 1 of 2) Are you looking for a natural way to market your professional services? What if you could exponentially multiply the number of motivated, pre-qualified prospects you reach in a fraction of the time that networking and referrals require?
Like Brushing Your Teeth What do the following things have in common: brushing your teeth, regular exercise, eating a balanced diet, paying your bills on time, cleaning your gutters, spending quality time with your spouse and kids…?
Getting Your Services Used Every day I talk with professional service providers who do great work, have a valuable service that really helps people…and struggle to get their services used as much as they'd like.
The Role of Marketing for Boards of Directors Small and emerging companies often do not put together a board of advisors or board of directors for many reasons. Some entrepreneurs believe that businessmen and women would not be willing to serve on their board of advisors for the little or no compensation that the new company can afford. Another reason small and emerging companies do not have boards of advisors is that often the entrepreneur does not want advice from others. In some extreme cases, entrepreneurs believe they do not need advice from others. GSI knows better.
How to Put Law & Order into Marketing Your Legal Practice Regardless of your law firm's focus - criminal, civil, corporate, family, business, etc. - the greatest challenge most small to mid-size firms face is the lack of a strategic and disciplined approach to business development. Relying on referrals does not a strategy make! And waiting to get serious about marketing until that major case is wrapped up is way too late.
The M-Word Let's play a word association game. Quick...when you think about marketing professional services, what words come immediately to mind...? I played this game recently at a networking event, and here are some of the responses I got... "referrals" "word of mouth" "don't have time" "expensive" "do you mean advertising?" "how do you do that?" "brochures" "logos" and "ugh!"
Network Your Way to Success- 12 Tips to Jumpstart Your Business Lots of people network but few reap the rewards of zeroing in on their potential when it comes to networking. Here are some tips to help fill the gap between where you are now and where you can be.
Burnout How do I keep from being burned out while cold calling? Phone work can be exhausting! It is an intense experience. You must stay focused, listen carefully, assess prospects and respond quickly.
Happy Hunting! Before you ever get on the telephone, send a marketing piece or
set up an appointment with a potential customer, you must first
identify whom that customer might be. To do that, you will need
to create an "ideal customer profile"—a profile of who would be
the best possible prospect for you and whatever you are selling.
Marketing For Just Cause Cause marketing is a relationship between a for-profit and a nonprofit that brings in money and resources for the nonprofit, while providing credibility and goodwill for the business.
Create a Blueprint for Your Success Having a strong foundation enables you to build a thriving,
profitable life and business. A simple method to create this
foundation is with Discovery, Vision, Planning and
Benchmarking, the four cornerstones of your life as well
as your business.
Marketing Strategy - Shift the Focus Most of the small businesses I've worked with don't like marketing or selling. In fact, many even say they "hate it." Shift your focus from trying to "market and sell" and start getting better results.
Send the Kids Outside! Chances are, some of your fondest childhood memories are of outdoor activities and places. Unfortunately, a great many of today's children will grow up withou...
Why Salespeople Fail The reasons why salespeople fail have to do with a lack of confidence; abdication of personal responsibility; and denial of the need to practice
Ten Tips For Starting A New Job Congratulations! You have a new job! Now is the time to get off on the right foot. Here are ten tips to help you.
A Trip to the Pantanal, in Brazil Imagine a place with 650 species of birds, 260 species of fish, an unknown number of species of butterflies, and caimans, anacondas, capybaras, agoutis, tapirs,...
Do I Have to Do EVERYTHING Myself?! It often seems, as small business owners, that we do indeed have to do everything ourselves. No one understands our business like we do, no one has the single m...
Avoid Bankruptcy Avoid Bankruptcy by following the simple and wise steps.
A Kiss is Never Just a Kiss! Most people want a lover who is a good kisser. How are your kisses? Do they make your lover sizzle and wanting more? Or are they more like a limp handshake? Deb...
Why Choose A Professionally Written Resume? Should you write your own resume or hire a professional writer? There are good reasons for either approach, depending on various factors. Here's how to decide w...
How Selling Vitamins can Bring you Financial Freedom Most people are becoming more health conscious. Many of the baby boomers are looking for ways to look and feel younger. This is where selling vitamins comes i...
How To Avoid Or Reduce Red-Eye Photography with the aid of a digital camera is beyond doubt very fascinating. However, it also has many a nooks that the users of the digital camera must be aw...
How Can I Transform Tragedy? Answers from Divine Source, Through Barbara Rose.
Let me give you an analogy that Barbara Rose actually went through as a perceived "tragedy" so that you can b...
Are You Willing To Pay The Price? Do you believe that there is a price to pay in anything and everything? I do. But I am not necessarily referring to monetary terms. You see, there is a price t...
CAN-SPAM Basics Thinking about doing an e-mail promotion campaign? Getting spammed on your office computers? You need to know the basics about the federal CAN-SPAM Act.
Crazy About Packaging Packaging makes a world of difference. It could be the same product, but with a different packaging and consumers go wild! Freelance Graphic Designer and Writer...
Poetry in a Nutshell Poetry is more than just rhyming and meters. It is life, happiness, anger, depression. Poetry is who you are and what you've become.
How to Make a Seductive Chili Dedicated Chili cooks always seem to be looking for an amazing recipe for a blow-you-out-of-the-water chili. Wouldn't it be exciting to UNLEASH your chili and r...
Why Should I Lose Weight? According to the Body Mass Index chart, if you are overweight, or obese, you may be more at risk of developing disease. That should be reason enough to lose wei...
Home Remodeling: Colors and Temperature Perception Colors contain underlying psychological meanings and evoke particular feelings when we see them. All of us have preconceived notions, learned from childhood mem...
Acne During Pregnancy Choosing the right topical acne cream during pregnancy is important because you want to make sure the medication is safe to use. The topical acne cream during ...
Effective Promotions Through Local Classified Sites Save thousands of marketing dollars. Take advantage by promoting your products and services by using local classified ad sites. Just because sites are free it d...
