Brent Allan - the Small Biz Marketing Wiz

Being a Referral Magnet - Part 1

Mar 12th, 2010

Let’s Give Em Something to Talk About . . .

One common complaint I often hear is that people ask for referrals but rarely receive them. Is this how you feel?

One of the first keys to being flooded with referrals is to not have to ask for them. People will be enthusiastic sales people for you if you are really worth that enthusiasm.

Why aren’t people talking about you? For starters, you have to ask yourself a very harsh and humbling question. “Is your business even worth talking about?”

Consider this scenario. Let’s say you and your family go to the new Mexican restaurant “El Chupacabra.” You go for dinner, and the food is good, the waiter was on top of things, and it was an overall pleasant experience.

Do you immediately go tell all of your friends about it? Of course not, unless they specifically ask. Because all of those things are assumed to be present. You automatically assume that a restaurant will have good food and excellent service.

But imagine if the waiter brought a rose to each lady at your table, and they had a mariachi band play your favorite songs, and when they brought you your check they took your car keys and pulled your car up to the door for you? Such amazing service is out of the ordinary, and then you may be inclined to spread the word about the restaurant.

In today’s highly competitive business environment, having a good product and offering good customer service is no longer a differentiating factor. That is considered the cost of entry into the business world, and you are only conspicuous if you do not provide both good service and a good product. They will definitely tell their friends about your business if they have a bad experience, which obviously is not the type of “word-of-mouth” we want.

Are you offering a level of service that is way beyond what people expect? If not, people probably won’t talk about you. And if they don’t tell their friends about you, their friends are far less likely to become your customer.

So what is the takeaway to this post?

Be remarkable in a way that makes people want to talk about your product or company. Be the juicy gossip they can’t wait to share with their co-workers when they get into the office on Monday.

Now, it is possible to ask for referrals, and receive them. I will address that formula in another post next week.

Posted in: Buzz, Networking, Sales.
Tagged: Networking · referrals · Sales

How to Bribe People to Give You Money

Mar 1st, 2010

by Brent Allan.

No comments yet

Recently, a local department store sent me a coupon for $10 off a purchase of $10 or more. Now, this is not a store that I shop at regularly. I think at one time I may have had a credit card with them. Or maybe they just sent the coupon based on demographics to everyone in the neighborhood. How they knew who I was is unimportant.

The important thing is that I thought to myself “Sweet! $10 of merchandise for free. I can swing by on my way someplace and see what there is to see.” My intention was to go and maybe pick up a few pairs of socks. I planned to spend maybe a dollar or two, depending on what I chose and what the total came to after sales tax.

So, I walk into the store and head to the menswear department. My eye immediately spies a tie that is a color I have been searching for without success for a very long time. And it was on sale, where you got a tie half-off when you bought one at full price. So, I chose another tie as well. Plus, I found a nice tie for a ridiculously low price in the clearance section. (I was so convinced the $2.98 price tag was a mistake that I took it to the customer service desk. Sure enough, it was a $30 tie marked down to $2.98.)

After the dust had cleared, my bill came to about $40 AFTER the $10 discount was applied.

This store definitely did it right. They made me an irresistible offer to get me in the door. All it stood to cost them, in the worst case scenario, was a $10 item (which probably carried an actual cost for them of about $4.) But now that I have seen the merchandise they have, where do you think I may shop next time I need a new tie?

Plus, they ended up getting me to spend $40 above what I went in planning to spend. The profit they made on that more than wiped out the loss for the $10 discount. So right off the bat, the made profit off me that they normally would not have.

This whole situation is a classic example of making a sale to get a customer. They recognized that the potential lifetime value of me as a customer far outweighed the risk of $10 in retail merchandise. Their offer got me in the store with the intention to make a purchase. They had instantly converted me into a customer, and now have hopes to make more sales with me in the future.

Most businesses do that backwards. They get a customer in order to make a sale. Then, after the sale, they move on to win the next customer, and hope the last one may come back for another transaction some time in the future.

If your business is faltering in this economy, this may be something to look at. If you find yourself believing that you can make more sales if only you can get enough people to check out your product or service, then make an offer that will be irresistible. This type of ethical bribery is the basis for many highly successful business models. Give it a try.

Posted in: Marketing.
Tagged: bribery · coupon

How to Create Customers for Life

Feb 15th, 2010

by Brent Allan.

No comments yet

I dislike having to compete on price. I don’t want to keep my clients based on how thin I can cut my profits. And I also don’t want to be the “discount consultant.”

Over the years, I have learned how to transcend price. I have discovered the secrets of building loyalty and trust from my clients, and now I want to share it with all of you. (At least those of you in the Chicagoland/Southern Wisconsin area.)

Please join me on March 3 at the University Center of Lake County for a free seminar on “Creating Customers for Life.” I will tip my original FAST system for getting more referrals for your business and becoming the “go-to business” for the people you know so that you won’t have to worry about losing your clients to a competitor.

I will cover topics like:

The top reasons why businesses lose customers.

Easy strategies for making sure your clients know what you can offer them.

The biggest reason why requests for referrals fail.

How to stand out from all of your competitors.

And lots more.

I can’t show you everything I know in one hour, but I will be sharing some rock-solid information and some of the key tools I have used to grow my business.

And want to know the best part? Waaait for it . . .

I am giving it all away. Like, for free.

That’s right. There is no charge for the event. But I will happily accept gifts of sour candies.

Be aware, however, that the room only holds 40 people, so you have to pre-register. And I’ll let you in on a little secret. Nearly half of those spots are already filled. So, best not to wait.

OK, so here is the nitty-gritty. Time, location, etc.

When: Wednesday March 3, 2010

Where: University Center of Lake County. The address of which would be: 1200 University Center Dr., Grayslake, IL 60031.

Who: Me, and possibly you. Depends if you give a rodent’s hindquarters about creating long-lasting relationships and loyalty with those you do business with. If you don’t care, then this will probably be a waste of time for you.

How: I assume you will drive there. I know I am.

Why: Haven’t you been listening? Go back and read it all again if you still don’t know.

Sadly, I have to ask one more favor of you. I have to make you undertake the rigorous task of clicking a link to another page to register. But I believe in you. You can do this!

Here is the link: www.SuccessSeminarSeries.com

Go for it. You can do it. Do it right now before it slips your mind because you are thinking about how it is the final season of LOST. (Love that smoke monster!)

If you wait, it might fill up before you can get in. And I will not let anyone in who hasn’t pre-registered. And 40 people isn’t a lot. As of me writing this, 18 of those seats are already accounted for. Yep, people with the “inside track” have already claimed nearly half the seats. (The “inside track” being that they have seen me in person at an event and I have said “Hey, you should check out this seminar I am hosting.”) And, as much as I hate to say it, if you miss out because it filled up, you might cry. And I hate to see businesspeople cry. (Except the utility companies. And the banks. I would love to make them cry.)

OK, I am going to stop writing now, so you won’t be distracted and tempted to scroll down and keep reading. Here is that link again.

Go now!!

Posted in: Business Concepts, Networking.
Tagged: customers for life · loyalty · Success Seminar Series

Green Slime Networking

Feb 10th, 2010

by Brent Allan.

No comments yet

One of my favorite horror movies of all time is The Exorcist. For those who may not have seen it, there is a very memorable scene where a priest is interacting with this little girl who is possessed by a demon, and her face is all gnarly and gross.

Anyway, the priest is talking with the devil-girl, and she projectile vomits at him, spewing green slime right in his face. It’s kinda gross, kinda funny, and downright freaky in the context of the entire movie.

By now you may be wondering what any of this has to do with marketing or networking. Quite a bit, actually.

I was recently at a networking event, one that I had never attended before. Except for the person who invited me, I knew nobody in the room. I went and worked the room, meeting people, asking them about their businesses, etc. Normal networking stuff.

Then a woman approached me. She smiled, I smiled back, and she thrust a business card into my hand. Uh oh.

Then, before I could protect myself, Bleeeaaaaaarrrrgh!, the networking equivalent of spewing green slime. She begins telling me all about the business opportunity her MLM offers, about what a great product they have, blah blah blah blah BLAH!

I could go into numerous reasons why this is a huge turn-off, but I will narrow it down to three points.

#1 - I have a business already.

At the networking event, I clearly told the group about my business. For you to try to thrust another business upon me is slightly insulting. Just because your plan A didn’t work and you needed an alternative doesn’t mean I need a new plan.

#2 - Why would we want to team up?

This person seemed nice enough, but really. I just met her a short time ago. As an entrepreneur attending a networking event, she could probably assume (rightly so) that I already know plenty of people who have home businesses who would absolutely love for me to team up with them. Why would I choose someone I just met? As far as I know, most people do not become business partners with someone they know nothing about.

Likewise, why would you want to team up with me, if you know nothing about me? I could be a serial killer who is out to make a quick buck off of you and your contacts, and then be on my merry way to leech off the next eager entrepreneur. Would you really want to invest your time and energy in someone like that? And if you are not planning to invest time and energy into me, then we are back to the question of why I would want to team up with you.

#3 - Enthusiasm can only take you so far.

I totally understand what it is like to have a new business, or a new group of people to share your business ideas with. Many people are out of work, or their Plan A is not getting them to their goals. So they start a home business and are excited to share it.

Enthusiasm is one of the best selling tools out there. When you are enthusiastic about your product, others can’t help but catch that enthusiasm.

But you have to be careful. Such enthusiasm can be perceived (correctly or mistakenly) as desperation. And if I perceive you as being desperate, regardless if I am correct or not in that perception, it sends up warning signals. Why are you so desperate? If I join you, will I end up in a similar desperate situation? It certainly doesn’t inspire confidence.

The solution is simple.

So many times, we do business like a big-game hunter. We are after that big trophy person that may join our business or become a customer and show us the money.

But the truth is that we should not be hunters. We should be farmers. We plant a seed, nurture that seed into a relationship with trust, and then when the time is right, we harvest. Some of those crops we nurture will yield nothing, but in the end, we will reap a bountiful reward from these relationships we have developed.

Instead of pouncing on me, get to know me. Let me get to know you. Nurture the relationship and someday I may see how successful you are and all of the others who have joined you. Then I may be interested in getting on board with you, as I have seen what you can do and have come to like and trust you.

I usually do such planting and nurturing. I love meeting new people, even if they may never do business with me. I love to have a vast network of people I can refer, so that my friends and associates know that if they need anyone in any type of business, I am the go-to guy who can connect them. It makes me look good, and it makes those I refer look good.

But right now, after our first meeting, I am afraid to farm in your field. There is just too much danger of that seed being washed away in a flood of green slime.

Posted in: Networking, Small Biz.
Tagged: MLM · Networking

Superbowl Ads: Marketing Bonanza or Money Pit?

Feb 7th, 2010

by Brent Allan.

No comments yet

The Superbowl is in the books. Congrats to the New Orleans Saints. Everyone (except those who live in Indiana) loves to see an underdog success story.

Over the next few days, you will see about 944 blog posts about Marketing during the Superbowl. I wanted to be among the first, so that I don’t have to try to outwrite some of the best out there. If I go first, they have to outwrite me. Mwahahahaa! (By the way, I don’t think “outwrite” is actually a word.)

First off, let’s address the obvious. The average cost of a 30-second commercial spot during Superbowl 44 was around $3.01 million. Some companies and products had three or more spots, such as Denny’s (advertising their Free Grand Slam on Tuesday) and Bud Light (who just had a bunch of random commercials that tried to be clever). So, that is over $9 million spent by just those companies.

Dorito’s also had several, along with Hyundai.

We got to see the Tim Tebow ad, which stirred up tons of controversy for no good reason. We got to see Coke team up with the Simpsons.

In all of these, very few of the ads directed viewers to go to the Internet, where they could offer incentives for joining a mailing list or fan page on one of the numerous social media sites. In other words, the ads may have been entertaining (and I use that term loosely), but were completely useless in accomplishing what ads should do, which is get someone to take action.

Speaking of soft drinks, where was all of the social media stuff that Pepsi was going to be doing in lieu of spending millions on TV spots. I haven’t seen anything on Facebook, Twitter, or any of the other sites I frequent. Have I just missed them, or was Pepsi just trying to build anticipatory buzz? I sincerely hope it was not the latter, especially if they didn’t follow through. They may have stuff out there, but I didn’t see any of it, and I am their target audience.

All in all, Superbowl advertising has gotten worse every year. The first few years of entertaining ads, where we saw Budweiser frogs and Spuds Mackenzie, were interesting and fun. Then in the years following, it was no longer about informing and more about trying to be unique and clever. People tune in who aren’t football fans, just to watch the commercials (which are waaaay to frequent for my football-loving tastes).

The advertisers have succeeded in making people want to see commercials, but have failed in delivering memorable messages. In this new era where every commercial is bizarre and intended to be entertaining, nothing sticks out anymore. It is just another flake in the avalanche of advertising we get bombarded with.

Posted in: Advertising, Buzz, Marketing, Viral.
Tagged: Advertising · Super Bowl

How to Make Ends Meet and Still Save Face

Feb 2nd, 2010

by Brent Allan.

No comments yet

istock_000004571059medium I was recently talking to an entrepreneur who is really struggling in this economy. The truth is, many of us are. Yes, even me, I admit it.

One of the concerns she expressed was that she would love to take a second job to supplement her income, but if any of her clients or associates see her working that other job, they may infer that she is not successful and therefore not very good at what she does.

First off, you need to do what you need to do. It isn’t easy having your own business, and even harder if you have a family that relies on you to bring home the bacon. If you need to find an additional source of bacon, so be it.

Second, there is very little chance that many of the people you know are going to happen to come to your other job and see you. Granted, you probably don’t want to go work at Starbuck’s in the same community as you do business, since that is a place where many small business people frequent.

But hey, if you got a part-time job waiting tables at the local Pub n’ Grub, the likelihood of someone you know coming in and seeing you is not very high.

For awhile after I had started my business, I had a job at a book store. I was there for about 9 months. In that period of time, I had exactly ONE person come in who I knew. Which brings me to my third point.

Let’s say that someone does see you. So what? When they say “Oh, you’re working here now?” you say “Just to add some extra income. The economy is tough, so I do this to fill in during my slow times during the week.”

People understand. Many of them wish they could find a second job. Some of them wish they could find a FIRST job. Anyone who tells you that they are doing just peachy during these times is either very lucky or very lying. (It’s my blog, so I can use improper phrases like “very lying.”) They too may be trying to save face, and don’t want to tell you that the bank just repossessed their car. Yes, it is important to look successful, but people can often spot a phony.

The bottom line is that you can’t let what someone MAY think of you IF they happen to see you working another job interfere with your primary directive, which is paying the bills and taking care of your family.

Posted in: Small Biz.
Tagged: saving face · second job

Following Through

Jan 26th, 2010

by Brent Allan.

No comments yet

I am up to my ears in projects. I have new things I am working on, old things I am refining, old clients I am helping, new clients I am helping.

And they are all in process as I sit here and type.

I just spent the past few minutes staring at the screen, trying to figure out what to write. Because I needed to give you guys something to read. I have a few really great blog posts in the works, but simply haven’t had time to finish them.

So I decided I would just write about this mountain of tasks, and how I feel a bit overwhelmed.

I am writing this because it is real, and I am sure many of you reading this can relate. There are times when your “to-do” list is like 309 pages long, and just looking at it makes you want to throw up.

It happens to us all. It is not a good thing, but it is part of life.

So don’t beat up on yourself about it. I’m not. Just roll up your sleeves and get to work. Like the old adage “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer being “one bite at a time.”

Take your mountain of projects one bite at a time. I promise that I will post here when I finish a project. I hope it will be in just a day or two.

Thanks for reading. Now time for me to get back to work. (And I am watching re-runs of South Park.)

Posted in: Time Management.
Tagged: overwhelmed · tasks

The Lack of Influence of Naked People

Jan 21st, 2010

by Brent Allan.

No comments yet

“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.”

- Mark Twain

Recently, I was having a discussion with a business associate of mine. She had recently gone on a business trip, and when she got back, she promptly went out and bought some new clothing.

Seems like an odd chain of events, right?

No, her luggage wasn’t lost. No, she didn’t spill wine into her suitcase.

She told me that, on the trip, she had to attend a cocktail reception where people were networking and meeting each other. This was a reception of people in her field from all over the country.

She said that she just felt like people were looking right past her, not even noticing. She wasn’t dressed casually, but she wasn’t dressed as well as she could have been as appropriate for the occasion.

I was once given the advice to try to determine what the level of dress may be at any event I may be attending, and then go one step above. If most people will be dressed business casual, I wear a suit. If it is a “Black Tie Optional” event, I am always in my tux.

Another bit of advice that essentially says the same thing is “Always dress as if you have someplace fancier to go to afterwards.”

My associate also mentioned how she often doesn’t like to dress up, that it makes her feel phony, that such a look “isn’t her”.

Something that is important to keep in mind is that your clothing is just the packaging. It doesn’t change the product inside. It merely makes people form a positive first impression.

When you are shopping for something at the store, and you have no preconceived notions as to which brand may be best, don’t you look at the packaging? If a product came in a very nice package and another came in a very plain package, and both were the same price, which would you choose?

It is true that you only get one chance to make a good first impression. People DO judge a book by its cover.

Posted in: Miscellaneous.
Tagged: clothing · dress · first impression

Your Prospects are Lying to You

Jan 14th, 2010

by Brent Allan.

No comments yet

crystal-ball

You have a product or service. You are trying to market it to the adoring public, who have cash that you want.

But the real reasons they want your product may not be the reasons they are telling you. They may not even be admitting the real reasons to themselves.

For instance, let’s say you own a dog-grooming service. Your prospect tells you the reason he wants your service is because he wants the family dog to be clean and have short hair.

You, in turn, believe him and that is the type of things you address in your future marketing, because obviously that is what your customers want.

The truth may be far deeper. He may not care about the dog, but his wife wants those things. So, the REAL reason he wants your services is so that his wife will stop nagging him!

Now, what is the practical application here? Am I telling you that your next ad should say “Stop Your Wife’s Nagging, Get the Dog Groomed Today”?

No. I can’t give you a specific solution, but I wanted to make you aware of the problem. You have to become a mindreader. You have to learn to look beyond what your customers tell you to their real thought processes behind their words. It isn’t easy, I know. But if you are able to get into your prospect’s head, find out what really motivates his behaviour, then your sales will soar.

How do I get into my customer’s head?

Well, that’s the real trick, now isn’t it?

Nobody said this marketing stuff is easy. But here are a few pointers.

Remember that your customer is a human being, with hopes, dreams, fears, etc. The first thing I would do is paint a picture of your customer.

I’m not talking about getting out a canvas and brushes and actually making a painting. I mean describe your customer in as precise a level of detail as possible. Figure out who your ideal, perfect customer is. What is his or her life like? What does this person do for a living? How big is his or her family? What does your customer do with free time on the weekends? What is his or her hobby? You may not think these details are important, but they are. A simple distinction between whether you are targeting men or women can mean a tremendous shift in thinking.

You may be saying to yourself “I am an insurance agent. My customers are both men and women.” And that may be true, but you have to decide on one to target. Because the way you communicate with a woman, what her “hot buttons” are, what her fears and dreams are, are vastly different from how you would most effectively communicate to a man.

Once you know all of this information about your ideal customer, you can begin to see what is important to him. Maybe his family is important. Maybe, if he has a good job but no family, then he likes to buy expensive gadgets. Maybe if she is a twenty-something recent college grad, then her focus is on carving out her place in the “real world.” She is afraid that she won’t find a good job and her student loans will come due and she will have to admit failure and move back home with her parents.

These are all things that your prospect may feel to the deepest core of her being, but she would never tell you that. She may not consciously be aware of these reasons and motivations herself.

Don’t just figure out what your customer wants to buy. Seek to understand the true motivations, the reason WHY he or she wants to buy.

Posted in: Marketing.
Tagged: inner thoughts · Marketing · motivation

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Feb
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31

Brent Allan - the Small Biz Marketing Wiz

Being a Referral Magnet - Part 1

Let’s Give Em Something to Talk About . . .

How to Bribe People to Give You Money

How to Create Customers for Life

Green Slime Networking

Superbowl Ads: Marketing Bonanza or Money Pit?

How to Make Ends Meet and Still Save Face

Following Through

The Lack of Influence of Naked People

“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.”

- Mark Twain

Your Prospects are Lying to You

How do I get into my customer’s head?

Blog

Search

Categories

Archives

Calendar

Pages

Meta