There are two walls colliding in the information world.    Today the amount of information coming is faster than ever and our thirst for it seems unquenchable.    On the flip-side this has greatly reduced the amount of time we allow ourselves to focus on a single piece of information, before we move on to the next.   I was reminded again this past week, if you don’t grab your viewer attention in the first few seconds, they are gone.

Are you still there?

So if we screwed up that first paragraph, you probably aren’t reading this sentence!

If we still have you, the biggest obstacle is already passed.   Now we must keep you engaged so you hear what we have to say.   For you to want to listen, something about the message needs to pique your interest and intrigue you.   And lastly, if we have created an effective message, you have learned something that could potentially benefit you or someone you know.   When this happens, you remember it and are more likely to tell others about it.

Will you remember?

Often explaining how we work as business coaches is difficult to do in a short period of time. Making it memorable is even more challenging.  Of course, we’re not alone – there are many industries that face this same challenge.   So this week, we are highlighting one of our most powerful products and have tried to explain and educate through a powtoon’s animated video.

If you can’t see the embedded video – you can click through to YouTube here: http://youtu.be/CefPMY89iTE

We would love to hear your thoughts and give it a “Thumbs up” or “Like” if you think it is effective.   As always we appreciate any comments.

Photo by Keoni Cabral via Flickr

Chris Steinlage, Kansas City Business Coach

Picture by woodleywonderworks via Flickr

A few days after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the Gulf States, I joined my brother and group of his restaurant peers in a storm relief effort their steakhouse chain had developed to quickly mobilize and feed First Responders during rescue operations.

Our camp was set up in Baton Rouge and over the next several days we cooked thousands of hamburger meals, carefully packed them in a trailer, and our Humvee towed the donated food into New Orleans.   Each night we slept on a gym floor knowing our accommodations were 5-Star compared to the estimated 15 million who were affected by the storm.

By the end of the second day of our relief effort, power had been restored to one of the chain’s local restaurants in Baton Rouge and although the staff and menu was limited, the demand was anything but!  All the Utility Lineman and Arborists sent in from other states redefined the word “H-U-N-G-R-Y” when they stopped in to eat.  Many of our guests were coming directly to the restaurant from their work trucks, so as you can imagine the restrooms were getting a workout.  Most specifically, the sink areas were literally serving as a “wash bays”.

Uncovering a “Wow!”

With only a short staff available, everyone in our group was doing what they could to create a sense of normalcy in the chaos.  Once the restaurant opened, one of the top priorities was to keep the bathrooms clean.  Regardless of the how the restrooms were being used they were expected to be clean when the next round of dirty arms, hands and faces entered.    Why?  The bathroom acts as a mirror for the overall operation.

Through experience, this particular chain restaurant had identified this perception of quality.  When customers see a clean restroom, it also reflects the quality, care, and cleanliness of the food being prepared and served from the kitchen.  Likewise, a dirty bathroom reflects a lack of care and quality.  With or without a natural disaster a clean bathroom was still a very important message they wanted to make sure their customers received.

I was reminded of this experience at our last Aspire Business Book Review as we were discussing “Start With Why?”.    When we were talking about great local examples of companies we all admired, a local convenience store chain was referenced positively by several people.  An example of their clear commitment to excellent service that was mentioned more than once was simply that the restrooms are always clean (a pleasant and unusual surprise in that industry).   Though the price of their gas, quality of food options, and other merchandise they “sell” were also mentioned, it was the clean restrooms and professionalism of the employees that was repeatedly identified as the “wow” that set this chain apart from others.

So What’s your Wow?

Depending on your business, clean restrooms may or may not be applicable in your message.   But I assure you, there are opportunities to build your business that have very little to do with the actual product or service you sell.  In fact it’s often the smaller details that really stand out to people…the things that get talked about, the things that people remember.  Have you identified what makes you stand out?  What is your strategy to create or capitalize on your Wow?    We’d love to hear your comments – let us know what you think.

Chris Steinlage    Kansas City Business Coach

Cartoon by Tom Fishburne at Brand Camp

It was short, succinct, 10 question survey; each question followed by a 1 – 10 rating scale. The survey participants were all seasoned business professionals and business owners. The theme of the survey was referrals or intentional “word of mouth” endorsements recommending another business. In a perfect world a rating of all 10’s would have been the desired outcome.

But we all know perfect 10’s are hard to come by and this survey was no different. In reviewing the results, the two most notable numbers the survey produced were 9.4 and 5.6. Of the 10 questions on the survey, those two numbers represent the highest and lowest of the combined total averages of each question. The averages for the other questions were fairly evenly spaced between these high and low anchors.

The next logical step was to take a closer look at the two questions that generated the survey’s most and least desirable averages. What survey question scored more 10’s than any other and which question struggled to score ratings higher than a 6? Was there a connection? Did one relate to the other? Could improving one help benefit the other?

The 2 Questions with the highest and lowest averages…

     How important are quality referrals to your business?     -   9.4

     The extent you feel people can easily refer you?     -   5.6

The Interpretation…

The survey participants were not confident others could easily give quality referrals and recommendation about their business, but they overwhelmingly acknowledge the importance of getting quality referrals and recommendations as an important marketing strategy for their business.

Are you seeing an opportunity yet?

It should be noted, this survey spanned a limited demographic of business owners and industries but the range was broad enough we can discern a useful message from the results.

A Two Step Solution…

First, others need to Know, Like and most importantly Trust you and your company.

• Do you operate your business with integrity?
• If your products are tangible, are your customers raving fans about them?

Second, make sure your “Trust” list can confidently recommend you and your business. YOU also need to make it easy for them to recommend your business.

• This is important for any business; it is critical when you sell something that isn’t tangible.
• Have you ever asked someone on your “Trust” list to explain what you or your business sells? It is a great way to find out what they would say to someone else.
• Recommend others, by recommending others they are more likely to recommend you.

Anytime someone endorses, refers, or recommends you, your product, or your company there is little any other advertising media can do to compete with that. So make sure you are doing your part to make it easy for others who already believe in you to tell others about you and your business.  Some quick ideas:

• Use social media sharing buttons on your blog and website
• Send out consistent, great email newsletters that add a lot of value and can easily be forwarded
• Hold value added events that your customers / clients can attend and invite others to.

What about your situation?  if you are ever asked to rate yourself “The extent you feel people can easily refer you?” Would your rating will be closer to 10 than 5.6?  If you’re on the low end of that scale, what are you going to do about it?

Please share your comments in the space below.

Chris Steinlage    Kansas City Business Coach

There’s no doubt that growing your business is an uphill battle.  It’s a challenging economy and the rules have changed for marketing and sales.  Gone are the days when you could just run an ad somewhere and expect your phone to ring. 

Effective marketing (and sales) today is a much different game than it was even 5 to 10 years ago.  Interruption tactics (like cold calling, direct mail or blasting advertisements) can still work but they are less effective every day.  Instead you have to find ways to attract your prospective clients – get them to hold up their hand and show they are interested in learning more.  Bottom line?  You have to think through your marketing and approach it strategically if you want to generate leads.  There’s no room for mistakes if you want successful marketing.

That said – here are 5 things that small business owners are doing to sabotage their marketing success in today’s environment.  Do any of these apply to you?

5 Marketing Killers

Not following up or following through

This one is a cardinal sin and it’s so stupid…but you see it happen over and over again.  A potential client expresses interest or a need in your products or services…and they don’t get any follow up or response.  It may not be a guaranteed sale, but interest is interest!

Personal example:  I recently needed to hire a caterer for an event.  A friend of mine recommended a local caterer and introduced her to me.  I expressed interest in learning more and received a quick (but friendly) response a few days later suggesting a call for more details. 

I gave her several times I was available for a call.  I received no response. 

A week later, I tried one more time to engage (running out of time for my event) and the only response I got was a phone call on a Saturday several days later during a soccer game.  Not being able to hear while at the game, I recommended a call on the following Monday…and received no response after that! 

Obviously I went with another provider – maybe my business didn’t matter, but Kansas City can seem like a small town and this particular caterer now has a bad reputation for professionalism with me (and others who I might talk to).  If you’re too busy to follow up, then you need to rework your business approach and try something different.

Recommendation – Are you following up (in a timely manner) on all of your potential leads and introductions?  If not – make that your top priority.  Not only are you potentially missing out on business, but you’re burning a referral source as well.

No consistency on marketing activities

Arguably the most important thing you can do for your marketing is to be consistent.  A great marketing message will fail if it’s not in front of people in a consistent way.  An excellent marketing tactic that’s not executed consistently is a waste of time.

How many business owners do you know who have a blog or a newsletter but rarely if ever actually update it or send it out?  Life and your business is crazy with lots of ups and downs, but if you don’t figure out how to consistently apply your marketing, you will never get out of that roller coaster world.

Recommendation – Identify at least a few tactics that you can reasonably achieve and make a black and white commitment to do those activities every week or every month.  Build on that once you’ve got the basics down.

Marketing to Everyone!

“So who do you work best with?”  If your answer is some variation on anyone who breathes, then you have already failed at your marketing and your wasting a lot of time and money.  By marketing to everyone…you are marketing to no one!

We are all getting inundated with literally thousands of marketing messages every single day.  A generic message that could apply to anyone is never going to break through that noise…and is never going to be heard.

Recommendation – Who are your BEST clients?  Carve out a subset of them and get really specific about who they are and what they’re looking for?  Try crafting a message just for that niche and see if you don’t get a much better response.

Not using Content /Educational approach for your marketing

Buyers are looking for solutions to their problems and most of the time they have several choices when it comes to providers.  Who are they more likely to choose – Company A who clearly understands the problem and provides lots of educational materials and helpful ideas or Company B who only has feature descriptions on how cool they are?  Who would you buy from?

Content and educational marketing makes you relevant to the large majority of potential clients who aren’t ready to buy yet.  If you can educate, inform and maybe even entertain someone who isn’t ready to buy yet, you stay in the running and likely top of mind for when they are ready to buy.

Recommendation – Start thinking like a consultant.  What’s the last thing you did to help educate your target market?  What could you create that would add value and establish you as an expert?

Not being found online

Quick – do a Google search on your company’s name.  Is your website on the first page of results?  If not…or if you don’t show up at all, then you don’t have any marketing.  The vast majority of buyers use online search as a key step in their decision process.  If they see your company in an advertisement but can’t easily find you online then you don’t exist and you wasted that ad!

Also do a search on the problem you solve. Does your company come up on the first page in that case? It’s more likely people are searching on problems or outcomes (keywords) than for your business name.  This is a bit harder to solve, but carries a lot more weight.

Recommendation – Quick fix…make sure you and your business have a presence on LinkedIn and Facebook – both are good sources for Google.  Longer term fix – leverage content and education based marketing (blog or articles, whitepapers other content) to address your keywords and the problems your prospects are searching for.

It’s Not Rocket Surgery!

None of the above ideas are rocket surgery…or even brain science!    However most small business owners are failing at least one of the above five ideas and many are missing on 2 or more of them.

How about you?  Are you onboard and in good shape with all 5 of the ideas above?  Anything else I’m missing that’s a critical marketing step?  I’d love to hear your thoughts – leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Shawn Kinkade   Kansas City Business Coach

Photo by Alex E. Proimos

Any small business owner who wants to grow their business and eventually free themselves up from the day to day grind is going to have to solve a few things.

You’re going to have to learn how to market your products and services effectively.  I’m differentiating marketing from sales as the activities and efforts that draw interested, qualified buyers to ask about your product or service.  Without marketing…the process of getting people to come to you, you have a major uphill battle when it comes to growing your business with strictly outbound sales efforts.

You also have to figure out how to systematize and automate all the major components of your business.  Ultimately it needs to run like a machine…you build the framework and all the components, set up the systems that other people can run (or are automated) and it continues to generate money (and grow) even without your daily input!  It’s the only way to scale your business.

One step in this direction is the combination of these two things – Marketing Automation…building a marketing machine…a system and automation that will help your marketing run (mostly) on it’s own.

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