Subject Matter Experts or Intimidating Puss Faces?

Sears has a long way to go to convince me that they’re the place to go for advice on home electronics. Quite franky the only thing I ever buy from them is a Craftsman screw driver or socket wrench every 5 years. So when I started seeing these “Blue Crew” ads, I really have to wonder why should I talk to intimidating looking puss face employees?

Shouldn’t they be warm and inviting and give me a sense of confidence? Shouldn’t they make me feel comfortable talking to an enthusiastic and knowledgeable floor staff who can demystify some of the techo-babble? Instead (in my opinion) they appear angry, condescending and don’t want to be bothered.

First impressions count. Whether you’re the size of Sears or a solo-preneur, your business needs to make a good impression from the top all the way down to the front lines.

So when was the last time you observed how your customer facing employees present themselves to prospects and customers? Not lately? Then why not conduct some secret observations to check how your business comes across to those who want to do business with you? Make some some blind calls or inquires through the website. Evaluate common points:

• Time to respond
• Enthusiasm
• Knowledgeable
• Attentiveness
• Was your problem solved to your satisfaction?

Document it. Share the results (and your expectations) with your staff. Then do it again next month.

What else would you suggest?

A Professional Email Account Adds Credibility

Notice to all “Professional” Service Providers, Executive Recruiters, etc. that contact me… I do not take you seriously if you contact me with your @aol.com, @gmail.com, @hotmail.com, @comcast.com, @verizon.net, etc. accounts.

I don’t care if you have the most amazing offer, you’ve place doubt in my mind about your credibility as a real business. So I delete your messages, unopened.

Why? Simply put, I don’t have the time. Nor do many others like me.

Here’s what you need to do:

• If you managed to register a domain name and build a website, there’s no excuse for you not to have an email address with that same domain name.
• Contact your registrar for help.
• Search for do-it-yourself solutions like Google Apps and follow the instructions.
• Hire a consultant who can have you up and running in a few hours.

Your professional email address is an extension of your personal and business brand. While it is one minor piece of your overall marketing effort, it’s part of your first contact with a prospect. Get it right and reduce one more barrier to a great conversation.

Thoughts?

How Healthcare Systems Waste Money

It’s outrageous. People are losing jobs. Families are losing homes and health insurance. Yet this healthcare company is sending out 100 page coffee table books. Read more

How to brand yourself and your small business online

This 12 minute presentation covers immediate steps you can follow to start your business and personal branding online.

It covers how to define what you want want to be known for, evaluating the competition, planning, where to create your online profiles, building your professional networks, participating in online conversations.

This was originally presented to a small business networking group on 04/24/2009.

Did you like this presentation? Was it helpful to you? Have additional tips to share? Then please leave a brief comment on this blog post. Thanks in advance!
-Roland

HSCS-007 – What do you want to be known for?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (13.4MB)

Every one of us should be able to instantly dictate we want to be known for. It’s a critical part of your core identity, your business goal, your personal brand identity, and your professional essence.

Welcome new listeners. Each week we look at simple strategies and tactics that may have been overlooked by you and your team. Sometimes we forget. Sometimes we get lazy. Perhaps we never heard of them before. Point is we’re hear to share information to do business better and become more successful. I’m not trying to sell you anything. The only thing I ask in return is your feedback. Comment on the blog. Record a voice message.

So, what do you want to be known for?

Sounds simple? But it may not be easy to answer.

I was recently advising an IT consulting business owner about his overall branding. Truthfully it was scattered and unfocused. So we tried to isolate what he wants to be known for from all that he can offer. It became apparent that he can’t be known for all. So we whittled the selection down to the core offerings. It may vary for anyone. But essentially it came down to what the majority of his clients needed and what he could deliver/support exceptionally. Everything else became upsell, cross-sell and added value. Once that distinction was made, the marketing materials become clearer. The communication points essentially wrote themselves.

I was at a recent networking event. One by one we each stand up and introduce ourselves to the group in 30 seconds or less. It’s a great exercise because I find myself continually honing my elevator speech to streamline and emphasize what I want to be known for. It’s not easy. I hate public speaking. I used to get terrified, even speaking in front of a small conference room of people. But over time and practice, I manage the anxiety. Ultimately I just remind myself that we’re all here to make connections. No one wants to see us fail.

Here are some typical examples of the introductions I hear each week:

• A few introductions are usually mumbled, half-hearted, rushed statement:
  “Hi, I’m Jim. I have a _______ company.”
• The more seasoned professionals and business owners say something along the lines of:
  “Hi, I’m John Jones. My company is ________. We provide ______ services to _____.”
• The worst (IMHO) are people like this:
  “Do you have dreams? I make dreams a reality. If you want to be successful, come speak to me.” — Just comes off as incredibly arrogant and probably an aggressive MLM person. Not that all MLM is bad, but some people get too swept up in the cult of personality.

So I asked a random sampling of professionals what they wanted to be known for and in most instances no one could give me an immediate answer. They had to think first and formulate a thought.

Quite frankly, every one of us should be able to instantly dictate we want to be known for. It’s a critical part of your core identity, your business goal, your personal brand identity, and your professional essence.

Examples:

• “The best pizza in Somerset, New Jersey.”
• “Our customer service is second to none in the email delivery industry.”
• “We’re #2. We try harder.” (Avis)
• “I’m the most affordable publicist for small business.”
• “I help business owners become more successful.”
• “We save business owners an average of $18,000 per year on their bookkeeping and payroll expenses.”
• “We found mistakes on 87% of the tax returns we checked.” (H&R Blocks claim)

See where I’m going with this? Take some time. Itemize your strengths and weaknesses and define what you want to be known for.

• Be clear
• Make it memorable
• Demonstrate value to the client

Thanks for listening/reading!

Read more

HSCS-006 – Controlling Chaos

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (12.8MB)

Are you offering your customers too many choices? The effort to please a few may damage your relationship with the majority you do business with. Simplify your offerings, to reduce chaos and ultimately become more profitable. Plus, Lucile in the U.K. asks how to make business contacts in new markets.

Controlling Chaos

Don’t make everything and specialize in nothing. Cut down the menu. It’s a classic K.I.S.S. strategy (Keep It Simple Stupid).

Reduce your core offerings. That can help cut down ordering time. Thereby reduces chances of mistakes.

An abundance of information can result in a scarcity of attention. In a retail setting, offering too much not only adds confusion for customer, it can cause chaos in the kitchen. It may also be less profitable. Do you find that you are giving too much away for free? (Comping) Perhaps if you solve another problem, their would be less waste, unhappy customers and hence the need to compensate.

Get rid of clumsy mechanisms and processes. Clear out the clutter. Get rid of things/people/vendors that prevent you from running your business properly. If something doesn’t work, vent out alternatives. Don’t just keep doing business as usual if it makes you angry.

Simplify everything and do it well. Keep it simple. Control the chaos.

Listener question: How to make business contacts in new markets?

Lucile from Grain Media in London, U.K. asked a great question. Grain Media produces a diverse range of programming from ethically minded documentaries and action sports films/series through to promos and music videos.

“Now we would like to expand and find places where we can pitch ideas or where we can get commissioned to make mobile content, more web content, advertising, etc… Would you have any ideas of ways I should go to be on pitching lists and make us known more around the industry?”

My thoughts…

• Post the question on Q&A boards for professionals, such as:
  • Linkedin Answers (http://www.linkedin.com/answers/)
  • MarketingProfs Know-How Exchange (http://www.marketingprofs.com/ea/index.asp)
  • SitePoint Multimedia Forum (http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=243)
• Contact the PR and marketing departments at various wireless/mobile carriers. Find out the process for pitching your capabilities to produce media content.
• Know anyone in Hollywood? (A screenwriter, grip, PA, foley artist, etc.) Check your Linkedin and Facebook contacts if anyone might be able to introduce you to someone or point you in the right direction.
• Find the industry/professional online boards for your specialty and be active contributing in those social networks. You never know how you might make a strategic alliance just from being an active participant and demonstrating your subject matter expertise.

Thanks for listening/reading!

Read more

HSCS-005 – Find a need, fill a need (Pt5, Run your business like Gordon Ramsay)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (9.9MB)

Last episode we talked about how to discover what your customers really want. Now we’ll talk about transformational change. Plus, I’ll share my recent experience providing feedback as part of a customer advisory panel. Finally, I have a few more online resources to discover networking events near you.

Topic #1 – Give your customers what they really want

During the last episode (#4), we discussed how to find out what the customers really want.

What will the market bear?
Are you charging too much?
Are you charging too little?

Once you have that directional knowledge, you have to take those learnings and fill a need.

I love the quote in the kids movie “Robots”: “Find a need. Fill a need.”

If there isn’t a good hamburger for miles, be known for serving the best one.

If the locals are all young bohemians, serve cheap good food that they can afford.

If the local butcher says thick steak is his number one best seller, and there are no steak houses in town, perhaps you should transform into a steak house.

“Find a need. Fill a need.”

Topic #2 – Learning what your customers want (continued)

I was asked to join an advisory panel for a service I subscribe to. In this case it’s regarding a mobile site for a service I use.

Survey was simple. It let me comment on specific screens/functionality. Gave me an open ended response field to type in a verbatim response — as opposed to closed ended questions where I can only choose from the answers provided. They even displayed screen shots of the mobile website as a reminder of the interface. (very smart)

It gave me a sounding board to provide three points of critical feedback about the user experience. But they might have lost out on my valuable input due to a stupid mistake on their part. The survey invitation email subject line simply said “WAP Survey”

Very careless. “WAP” is a meaningless term to most people. Speak to me in English, not acronyms. They’re lucky that I’ve worked in mobile marketing and know what it means. Otherwise I would’ve deleted the email without opening it.

Topic #3 – More useful online resources to find events in your area

During episode #3, we talk about how to use Meetup.com to find networking events close to home. Here are two more:

• Upcoming.org
• Eventful.com

Learned about them listening to CC Chapman’s excellent podcast on new media.

Personally, I got better search results on Meetup.com. But you might have better luck depending on where you live.
Read more

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