Marketing and PR pros widely agree there's a new disconnect these days between what we do and what clients THINK we do. Here is a basic problem scenario in which business leaders often find themselves, and strategies for improving your outcomes. Check out this common dilemma, and discover what you can do instead to increase the value of your investment in self-promotion.
The Problem Scenario - The "Cast a Wide Net" Client Conversation
You're an entrepreneur or small business owner...
If you're Stagnant Stan, you've found your established business is stagnant or dropping in returns. Those print ads you've run for years are no longer performing at the same level, and you're not sure about all this internet stuff, even though you have a website. That's how you know you need help with marketing. Instead of accessing your network, you go at this old school, and read through the yellow pages. Then, you call up a couple of friends to see if they know someone. Maybe you even meet to talk about it over lunch. Then, at their recommendation, you call up three local folks to get bids.
Okay, maybe you're a Stagnant Stan or a Someday Susie, and maybe you're not. But in any event, you make a decision to seek help. But when you reach out, your questions are too general, and the professional on the other end of the phone spends an hour figuring out what it is you're really asking them to do. Depending on the level of the person you've managed to reach, they've just spent $100-500 worth of their time advising you, and they already know you likely won't call again - and if you do, you won't be worth the time investment. They'll refer you to someone less capable down the road.
Success Strategies to Try Instead
Best strategy #1: Find the Right Practitioner
Access your local network on Linked In, and ask for referrals, then use the profiles function to research individual practitioners with whom you may want to consult independently. Email or message them to ask for a strategy session or consultation and make an appointment to speak on the phone.
Best strategy #2: Communicate Value
Offer to pay for the hour. It shows you understand the basic rules of business, and that you value their opinion and their time. Often, the practitioner will waive the fees for that first hour, and you'll close the meeting with a sense of mutual respect that could actually lead to referrals and new business for both parties.
Best strategy #3: Figure Out What You Want in Advance
Make a list of all the promotional strategies you think would work well for your business. Divide them into two lists, short term and long term, then number them in order of priority. Formalize your ideas by roughing out a time line with the long term intervals on top, and the short term intervals on bottom. Place the details on the timeline in order of your priorities. Divide the work into quarterly increments. Share the entire list at the meeting, but focus only on your most pressing needs in the first quarter of your plan. Remember, a picture is worth 1,000 words, so using a graphic organizer (a timeline) or mind map (chart or diagram) accomplishes a lot, fast.
Best strategy #4: Ask Targeted Questions about the Scope of Work
To target your questions about the scope of work, decide what your primary objective is; that is, get clear about what you want to accomplish. The strategies and tactics a professional recommends depends entirely on the result you wish to achieve. That's where you start. Not with the technology.
Best strategy #5: Meet the Money Question Head On
In a recession, small business owners tend to "poormouth," as my Daddy would say. They talk about how little money they make, and how little they have to spend on promotions. Instead, make it clear that you see having a clear promotional strategy as an investment in the longevity of your business. You may have a modest budget, but suggest your willingness to break larger projects into chunks so you can plan to meet the investment.
Best strategy #6: Measure Successes
Each tactic in promotions can be measured in more than one way. There's your return on investment, the value of each client on your list, the number of click throughs from an ezine, web impressions, backlinks to your site, and more. Ask the practitioner how the success of each tactic will be measured. This informs your future choices, maximizes the success of your investment, and customizes your strategies to your unique business. If the practitioner cannot explain at least the basics of how they'll quantify results, it doesn't matter how talented they are. Seek help elsewhere.
The Problem Scenario - The "Cast a Wide Net" Client Conversation
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| Susie checks her free ad. |
If you're Stagnant Stan, you've found your established business is stagnant or dropping in returns. Those print ads you've run for years are no longer performing at the same level, and you're not sure about all this internet stuff, even though you have a website. That's how you know you need help with marketing. Instead of accessing your network, you go at this old school, and read through the yellow pages. Then, you call up a couple of friends to see if they know someone. Maybe you even meet to talk about it over lunch. Then, at their recommendation, you call up three local folks to get bids.
Or, you're Someday Susie. You want to help people and make money doing it. So you quit your day job, hand paint a shingle to hang over the side door to your home office, and just "put it out there." A few people find you, if you put out brochures, put a free classified advertisement in the local daily, and hang out fliers in coffee shops. When you're networking, business cards always seem just out of reach, and you make a lot of excuses as you ink in the correct phone number and your jazzy email address: stanNsue at wherever.com. You know you need help with marketing, because your phone bill is past due, and how will you get clients if you don't have an answering machine? Your friends say things like, "have faith in the universe," but they're not actively sending you referrals, so that's no help.
Okay, maybe you're a Stagnant Stan or a Someday Susie, and maybe you're not. But in any event, you make a decision to seek help. But when you reach out, your questions are too general, and the professional on the other end of the phone spends an hour figuring out what it is you're really asking them to do. Depending on the level of the person you've managed to reach, they've just spent $100-500 worth of their time advising you, and they already know you likely won't call again - and if you do, you won't be worth the time investment. They'll refer you to someone less capable down the road.
Success Strategies to Try Instead
Best strategy #1: Find the Right Practitioner
Access your local network on Linked In, and ask for referrals, then use the profiles function to research individual practitioners with whom you may want to consult independently. Email or message them to ask for a strategy session or consultation and make an appointment to speak on the phone.
Best strategy #2: Communicate Value
Offer to pay for the hour. It shows you understand the basic rules of business, and that you value their opinion and their time. Often, the practitioner will waive the fees for that first hour, and you'll close the meeting with a sense of mutual respect that could actually lead to referrals and new business for both parties.
Best strategy #3: Figure Out What You Want in Advance
Make a list of all the promotional strategies you think would work well for your business. Divide them into two lists, short term and long term, then number them in order of priority. Formalize your ideas by roughing out a time line with the long term intervals on top, and the short term intervals on bottom. Place the details on the timeline in order of your priorities. Divide the work into quarterly increments. Share the entire list at the meeting, but focus only on your most pressing needs in the first quarter of your plan. Remember, a picture is worth 1,000 words, so using a graphic organizer (a timeline) or mind map (chart or diagram) accomplishes a lot, fast.
Best strategy #4: Ask Targeted Questions about the Scope of Work
To target your questions about the scope of work, decide what your primary objective is; that is, get clear about what you want to accomplish. The strategies and tactics a professional recommends depends entirely on the result you wish to achieve. That's where you start. Not with the technology.
Best strategy #5: Meet the Money Question Head On
In a recession, small business owners tend to "poormouth," as my Daddy would say. They talk about how little money they make, and how little they have to spend on promotions. Instead, make it clear that you see having a clear promotional strategy as an investment in the longevity of your business. You may have a modest budget, but suggest your willingness to break larger projects into chunks so you can plan to meet the investment.
Best strategy #6: Measure Successes
Each tactic in promotions can be measured in more than one way. There's your return on investment, the value of each client on your list, the number of click throughs from an ezine, web impressions, backlinks to your site, and more. Ask the practitioner how the success of each tactic will be measured. This informs your future choices, maximizes the success of your investment, and customizes your strategies to your unique business. If the practitioner cannot explain at least the basics of how they'll quantify results, it doesn't matter how talented they are. Seek help elsewhere.
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