Author: Paul Tagent

Overcoming the dreaded answerphone

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voicemail message

How many times do you pluck up the courage to make a sales call either as a cold call or as a follow up and you are met with the answerphone?? It is definitely one of my pet hates as there is no industry standard procedure with regards to what to do and how to deal with it…! Calling at the best time when answerphone might not be on is definitely one of the key objectives, but knowing when this is is hard, in fact it is pretty impossible.

So………..how do you not only meet, but actually beat the dreaded voicemail?

Certainly the nervous “Hello xxxx, this is yyyy and I would like to speak to you re zzzz and my number is 01225 xxxxx ” is likely to have limited if not any effect at all. After all, how many of us have actually called back someone who is obviously selling something?

But how about giving this a go…………when the answerphone beep sounds, you deliver your script in a clear and steady voice, spelling your name etc, but, emphasizing that, if you do not hear from this person by a specific date, you will call again. This is not meant as some sort of threat!
As you cannot “close” in this situation, you have to give specific details of when you will call back so that you can try and achieve your goal of making an appointment. When you call again…..as I am sure you will have to……you open by referring to the previous message. If need be, repeat the process and make a joke of it!

If this situation continues, make each message more lighthearted and emphasize the importance of the chat you are looking to have. Maybe even drop in the odd benefit the call will bring to the person. In my experience, this procedure should result in actually speaking to the required person within about 4 or 5 calls and it is actually possible to develop a sort of “virtual” relationship.

This is not pesteting. This process is about you overcoming hurdles/obsticles that are in your way. But, be warned, if the prospects does actually call you back, make sure you are fully prepared and know who he or she is. This might sound obvious, but I know from bitter experience that, not recognising a persons name when they call back and treating it like a sales call can actually undo all the good work you have put in!

Bath Marketing’s next post could be on the answers you can give to questions like “who are you” and/or how to fill your diary. What do you think?

The Christmas period and how it impacts on the Small Business

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After one of the most hectic ends to one month/start to another I have ever experienced on both the professional and personal front with some large projects coming to fruition, a number of new client wins and a new baby, I am back on the blog trail and have decided to write about………this time of year and 2011 as I am very interested in hearing any thoughts on the below….

Christmas Party

Traditionally the Christmas and New Year period become labelled the “silly season” where people in business let off steam after a hard 12 months and generally work a 2 or possibly 3 week month before taking time off to recharge for the next working year.
This was very much my experience of corporate life; an easy month for the same disposable income as the busy months with the possibility of a bonus and always a very good pi** up at the end. In addition, being senior management for a long period of time, I knew that any Christmas/New Year work wouldn’t fall onto my lap as I was off from Christmas eve until Jan 2nd at the earliest!!

However, is this really the case for the small business owner? Do we also see December as a time to take it easy (…sorry, easier) or do we see December as a nightmare month where time available to do things is dramatically reduced, income potential is reduced, bills take longer to be paid, the people we need to get hold of are very rarely available and the chance to have an office party is non existent?

The Grinch

Well, I am afraid that after 16 years of corporate life, for the last 2 years I now fall into the category of December being a very hard month as the person who owns and runs Bath Marketing Consultancy. That is not to say that I am a “Grinch” when it comes to the Christmas period! No. What I am saying is that when a working month is dramatically reduced and the workload stays the same or actually increases, it makes it very hard to let off steam in the traditional way!

When it comes to the industry I operate in – Marketing – I am already seeing a trend towards some businesses taking a serious look at their Christmas marketing with email marketing, Christmas cards, gifts,  new initiatives etc and some of my clients are looking at 2011 in terms of putting together a strategic plan focusing more of SEO or Social Media.

Unlike the vast majority of my blog posts, I am not going to give advice on what to do. What I am interested in however, is your experience of December. Are you taking the foot off the pedal or are you furiously working at home late into the night?!

p.s. don’t feel too sorry for me as I am going to the Sole Traders Christmas lunch at Babington House on Friday and will not have my phone on…….purely to support my clients of course!!
     

Social media – a case study

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What do you do when one of those notification emails arrives in your in box letting you know that another person/business is “following you” or that someone has left a comment on your blog? Do you simply delete it feelign quite smug that someone else has noticed your business, do you make a note to look at it later or do you click on the link to see who they are are and what they may have said?
The power of Twitter
If you are a small business, time sometimes comes at a premium so actually acting on one of these notification emails might not be at the top of your list. However, I wanted to share with you a little story about what happened to me as a result of a notification email.
Many months ago, Bath Marketing Consultancy received an email saying that someone else was “following my tweets.” I immediately clicked on the link of this persons profile to see where they were based and if they had a website. What I found was that this particular follower was Bristol based graphic designer. I then looked at their website and it looked really quirky and cool.
Now I am not ashamed to admit that I outsource to people when I identify a particular marketing need for a client such as graphic design, back end coding or print and thought that being “connected” to another graphic designer who was local to me was probably a good idea. I, therefore, followed this person back.
Now as you fellow social media people probably know, Twitter is a platform that allows people to interact with each other over the internet and allows you to develop sort of virtual friendships online. It also provides a platform for businesses to manage their reputation and to stamp their personality on their brands. I am not a fan of the “it is cold outside” or “I am off to make a coffee” tweet so I tend to post (what I feel) are useful snippets of marketing information as well as links to my Blog posts and I also enter the odd online conversation.
When I noticed @mangoink (the business in question) Tweeting, I sometimes retweeted or made the odd comment and Mango Ink also retweeted my tweets etc….a relationship developed. I also noticed that @mangoink were on Skype so I added them to my Skype contact list. I then thought to myself, why not call @mangoink to see what they are like and to see whether it was worth meeting up as I knew I was heading into Bristol for a meeting shortly….
What resulted was a lovely, lenghty conversation with a lady called Emma Lewis @mangoink. (You can probably guess where this is go….and, no, not a date!!).
We did cross paths at Emma’s offices and swap notes and got on like a house on fire. So much so that Emma emailed me at the start of November about a pitch she had been invited to do for a prospect in Bristol. Emma said that there was a graphic design + a marketing requirement and would I be interested in getting involved.
We went through the brief together and bounced some ideas around and then Emma and her team started putting together brand identity visuals and ideas while I looked at the prospects’ online offer and made some suggestions about mystery shopping and gathering existing marketing material.
We pitched the prospect in Bristol yesterday morning as a “design and marketing team” where both Mango Ink and Bath Marketing Consultancy presented their skills. We were up against an incumbent plus one other “agency.”  The result………………………..we have been awarded the account where both Emma and myself will work together to deliver the full suite of design and marketing initiatives. Welcome to Abode Property Management in Bristol.

For those people who do not believe in the power of social media, I hope this gives you some cause to re think!

Marketing. A cost or an investment?

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With pretty much any marketing activity that is undertaken, it is likely that there is some sort of cost to the organisation either as a physical cost or as time spent. Either way, you must feel confident that everyone within your organisation is committed to the long term and perceives what you are doing as an investment.

Plan marketing.

As stated previously, marketing is not a “quick fix” born out of a time when business is slow. It is not an activity to be regarded as a distressed purchase. It should be seen as a fire that needs constant attention to keep burning and without it, it is highly unlikely to stay lit. 

If you are the person at whose door marketing has landed, you must become a centre of excellence covering all sales and marketing skills. It is therefore, highly unlikely that you have all the skills needed to facilitate effective marketing and sometimes engaging outside help is required. This does not mean that you are a failure! Quite the opposite. This is actually a good thing as you have identified that you need help and can then survey a number of companies to see which one fits with you and your organisation.

Whether you are doing the actual selling activity yourself or motivating others to do it, always see marketing in the context of your overall plan and believe in its ultimate success! Remember marketing is not just about putting together a pretty brochure! In fact the actual process should include:

Winning new business
Understanding your market
Building your brand
Planning your strategy
Managing existing clients
Internal marketing

When putting together your plan, I tend to use the following:

S – make it simple
M – make it measurable
A – make it achievable
R – make it realistic
T – add a timescale
……but above all, markting is NOT a cost; it is an investment in your business!

Need help? Get in touch with me…

Website, Blog, News…..why all 3?

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A great deal has been written about the merits of creating quality “inbound” links with regards to boosting a websites performance within search engines and I wanted to clarify how I position 3 possible activities within your marketing to facilitate this.

We all know about websites, but what is a website for? In my opinion, a website is your 24/7 shop window and as such, it should contain the factual information about you and your business. i.e. what your business is called, what is does, who is involved in the business + their background, the benefits your business brings, the costs, where to find you etc etc. This information is very likely to change periodically so having some sort of content management system within your website that allows you to make these changes is a facility I would very much advocate. Not only does this facility mean that you can time proof your website, the activity within the pages (i.e. the changes you make) will get noticed by search engines and, as such, will benefit you.

My final word on a website is DON’T scrimp on yours. Take pride in it and invest time (and money) to get something that you are proud of. After all, you might “know someone who knows IT” like a friend of a friend or your son, but would you trust this person with your company?! No.

“What about a Blog? Do I need one??”…are 2 questions I regularly get?!” I have actually written a post answering these a while back. See http://www.themarketingexpert.net/2010/01/what-is-blog-and-why-do-i-need-one.html but the content of your Blog should contain a more light hearted tone than your website. i.e It doesn’t have to be factual or contain lots of information about you or your business. In fact, it doesn’t have to be used to “sell” you or your company and, as such, I actually see a Blog as a way of demonstrating ones credibility within a sector and even a way of opening a discussion with readers. A Blog must therefore be, interesting to read and short enough to get your message across. In addition, a Blog will allow the Blog owner to create “links” to wherever they want…..such as your website i.e create quality inbound links Do this by hyperlinking certain key phrases within the copy and/or by linking images.

And finally, my suggestion is to have some sort of “news” section within your website. “Do I really need a website, a Blog AND news???”

The answer in my opinion is yes.
A news section allows the site owner to keep customers and prospects up to date with what they are up to. Yes, a news section may also well mean competitiors can see what your up to, but so what? I am personally proud of being busy and having news within your website allows continual updating (which Google and its friends can see) and it also means that you can keep people informed.

These 3 elements, if used properly, can make a big difference to your marketing and how customers and prospects “see” you and your business. Remember the world wide web is exactly that, “world wide” and means anyone can see what you write and do so use it properly!

If you need any additional advice about online marketing, please get in touch with me via my website………………………………..and feel free to see my news and blog at the same time!!

Talk about the benefits NOT the technique or features!

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The Laddering” approach

Bath Marketing Consultancy received a call recently from a lovely lady I have met at Networking asking my advice about a new venture she is looking to launch. One of the questions she posed was about “cold calling” or “tele marketing.”

I have written an article previously on my top tips when making a cold call, but I think it is worth re emphasizing the importance of stressing what benefits your product or service will bring to the organisation you have called.

As a professional, features interest you. As a potential buyer, the prospect may share your interests – but equally they may be solely interested in the end result. It is YOUR job to make that benefit clear and unambiguous – “and this is what you get” rather than “and this is what it does.”

For many clients what you actually do (or offer) may be of no interest (to be honest, I have a client in the legal sector who goes to sleep when I explain HTML or Social Media!), so the results and what is in it for them are the top of the list.

My suggestion is to adopt the “laddering” approach; moving from feature to benefit with transitions. For example – 

“…..and this provides you with…..”
“…..which means you’ll be able to….”
“…..allowing you and your company to….”

Why not give it a try? Oh, one more thing, remember to use the “you” or “your company” words for that personal focus!

Good luck and if you feel like it, why not leave a comment re any results below.

Every (prospective) client is different

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The subject of this post might sound obvious so why on earth did I pick this topic and what am I on about?!
Well, I thought I would share with you my recent experiences in relation to the differences in personalities and ways of workings from new clients that I have come across and how to prepare for the first meeting.

As expressed on my website, experience has taught me that every client is different in terms of their requirements, their industries, their expectations, their experiences and of course, their budgets. With these in mind, I feel that it is essential that the small business owner can adapt to these inconsistencies, especially if service is core to their offering.

What do I do to give myself the best possible chance of working with this prospective business?

Well, I feel preparation and research play a vital role in preparing for each meeting. Really invest time to get to know the person or persons you are about to meet. Make sure you know their role within their business, their job title, their background and, wherever possible, try and make sure that you know as much as possible about their business. To do this, look at any biography they might have on their website. In addition, do some online research into what they might say on Twitter or Facebook or……..what is said about them. Maybe you could add a Google alert based on any postings, press releases or even trends within their market. Or even, try and get hold of any current marketing material.

Secondly, to demonstrate your credibility, do you have any examples of working with similar organisations or even examples of working within similar markets. Presenting case studies can really help your cause.

Thirdly, not every prospective client will come into a meeting wanting to simply give you their business so it is up to you to convince the prospect that you are a worthy appointee and the right person to deal with. Try to find common ground with them – mirror what they drink if need be – and try and develop a conversation about personal issues. After all, your personality and character are huge influences in the decision process.

Fourthly, try and ascertain exactly what they expect from the relationship – timescales & deliverables. I always take very specific notes so that I can email over a contact report bullet pointing what I got from the meeting. This acts as a point of reference if they decide to appoint you.

Finally, if the meeting moves towards costs, this is actually a good sign. BUT, be very careful not to buy business. Most organisations will respect a business that offers a fair price and will not respect one trying to buy their business. After all, if you don’t value what you do, no one will.

With competition in pretty much every industry and sector increasing, potential clients hold most of the power and are more than likely to be speaking to a number of people offering what you do. The fact that you are sitting there means that you are in with a shout so do your research, be yourself and be confident.

Working on holiday. Right or wrong?

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After my first official break with my family in nearly 2 years (Devon Mon-Fri last week), I found myself in a panic when the cottage I had rented had no mobile phone signal and no wi fi. 

I have read numerous articles since going into business for myself about the importance of finding the balance right between working time and home/switch off time, but it really alarmed me at how naked and exposed I found myself. In addition, every time I entered an area where I did get a signal, there was inevitably numerous emails and voicemail messages on my phone that needed actioning. For example, on Tuesday morning last week, I went to Woodlands Park and my phone flashed up 14 emails and 3 voicemail messages by 10am.

That was the final straw.

My decision was to set aside time every evening to go to the local pub (it was the only place that had wi fi – honest!) and work from 6pm until 8/9pm on my laptop so that I could try and clear the decks. This meant that I said good night to my kids early and left my wife to put them to bed. It also meant that I could sleep properly at night and knew that I would be able to at least start each day without stress knowing that I had done what work was required.

Some of you might say that I should have warned clients that I was off last week – I did. Some of you might say that nothing was that urgent that it couldn’t be left until I got back – I am afraid there was some media advertising work that needed doing that was time sensitive. Others might say that I should’ve got cover – who do I get as I am my business??! 

What I am getting at here is that I think going into business for yourself means that this sort of thing is to be expected. I have worked with over 40 businesses since I started Bath Marketing Consultancy and a number of these clients I work with on a monthly basis so they have a right to have access to me. 

In addition, why does something like the iphone sell over 51million units if people didn’t want to be pestered on their holidays?!

What do you think?? Please leave me a comment as would be very interested in what you think.

Don’t be afraid of commitment!

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Sometimes people see marketing as more of a quick fix process; a sort of knee jerk “distressed” purchase typically after experiencing a slow period in their business. However, marketing is very much a long term commitment that takes time to yield and I feel it is in every businesses interest to embrace marketing and get on board for the long haul. The high's and low's of being in business

How many initiatives can you name in one breath? SEO, advertising, e marketing, newsletters, direct mail, networking, article posting, Blogs, referral marketing………phew! Each one of these can be a very useful way of marketing your business. But, which one or which combination will be the most successful? The answer to this is to test each one and see what happens. If you are going to do this yourself, then dedicate time to do it properly. If not, buy someone in to help you. (After all, that is what marketing consultants are there for!)

As per a previous post, marketing is much more than sales, it is about forming a dedicated plan of action; researching all aspects of your market, defining your business and establishing what you have to offer.






Twitter Facts for Internet Marketers

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I recently came across a very interesting article by By Anna Johnson about Twitter based on Twitter’s recent 2010 developer conference, Chirp, the company’s co-founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone revealed some intriguing statistics about the company.

Here are some facts and figures of interest to Internet marketers:

Twitter has 105,779,710 (just under 106 million) users
Twitter is growing by 300,000 users per day
Twitter gets 180 million unique visitors per day
75 percent of Twitter’s traffic is outside Twitter.com i.e. one out of four Twitter users accesses Twitter via a third party like Tweet Deck
Twitter users post 55 million tweets per day
Twitter’s search engine gets 600 million search queries per day and are expected to rise to 1 billion per day by May 2010

If anyone is ever in doubt about the use of Twitter within online marketing, I think these should dispell any negative myths!