Struggling w/Marketing
Randgee
I run a small leadership and team training consulting business. I've been
lucky becuase for the past 8 years all of my work has come from
word-of-mouth advertising. I'd like to expand my client base and
business. How are you advertising? What pays off for you?
Randgee @ aol.com
Dan Beaton
Randgee (ran...@aol.com) writes:
> I run a small leadership and team training consulting business. I've been
> lucky becuase for the past 8 years all of my work has come from
That's not luck! If you are getting most of your business from word-of-mouth,
then you must be doing a lot right. Before you go off advertising, consider
your existing base of customers. Is there more business available from
them, are there people to whom they would refer you, could you get a
letter from some of them saying what good work you do?
> word-of-mouth advertising. I'd like to expand my client base and
> business. How are you advertising? What pays off for you?
>
> Randgee @ aol.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Daniel E. Beaton, MBA ag...@ncf.carleton.ca
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 613 825-7608
> Management Systems and Services <
======================================================================
Robert Pelsang
Randy
I also run a leadership team and sales team in the thousands. My
wife and I have become Certified Trainers with a publicly traded company
called Market America Inc. We rely on expansion of our leadership team
as well as word of mouth. It is hard with advertising because it rarely
pays off. So my advice is to get out and meet more people. Develop new
friends each and every day, set a goal of 2-4 new persons per day. Let
them know you are looking for referrals and this referral marketing by
word of mouth can lead to many thousands of contacts over the year.
Sorry short got to go catch a plane.
Bob
Stephan Harold
ran...@aol.com (Randgee) wrote:
>I run a small leadership and team training consulting business. I've been
>lucky becuase for the past 8 years all of my work has come from
>business. How are you advertising? What pays off for you?
You are sitting on a gold mine with your referals...
try these eleven magic words with your existing contacts:
"I'm trying to expand my business and I need your help..."
Stephan
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* Useful Links for Business & Personal Success *
* at http://www.adgrafix.com/web/cashflow.html *
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eri...@cris.com
>> word-of-mouth advertising. I'd like to expand my client base and
>> business. How are you advertising? What pays off for you?
>> Randgee @ aol.com
This is the most effective Advertising you can do. Someone else braging
you up is not braging. - Everyone believes a satisfied Customer.
Just be available - Professional Society Meetings. . . Where their contacts
can meet you. Chamber of Commerce.
Mallard Electronics
You might check out radio - I have found that a large number of people are
listening to talk radio. Those who do tend to listen more (as opposed to
background music) and the cost per minute is very reasonable.
Ian Traynor
> I run a small leadership and team training consulting business.
I've been
> lucky becuase for the past 8 years all of my work has come from
> word-of-mouth advertising. I'd like to expand my client base and
> business. How are you advertising? What pays off for you?
*Very* carefully directed targeted marketing, involving direct mail
and telephone follow-ups.
For a detailed description of the process, including 'how to' have a
look at the two articles on Targeted Marketing in the archives on our
site:
http://www.u-net.com/tka/magic/archive.htm
Hope this helps
Ian
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Virtualoso
This sounds like MLM or "network marketing" of some sort. If so, it's
not representative of, nor relevant to, many other businesses.
Particularly not to professional consulting.
Halbert
Randgee wrote:
>
> I run a small leadership and team training consulting business. I've been
> lucky becuase for the past 8 years all of my work has come from
> word-of-mouth advertising. I'd like to expand my client base and
> business. How are you advertising? What pays off for you?
>
If you have word-of-mouth advertising working for you already, develop
the habit of getting referred leads. Often, letters of introduction
authored by happy clients and directed to their associates open doors
faster, and more efficiently, than many more costly and time-consuming
approaches. You'll likely get an audience - and a receptive one, at
that - with half of those referred in this manner.
If a client is reluctant to provide a letter, it's a good time to find
out exactly why and what can be done on your part to improve his/her
perception of you. Sometimes, they feel better simply phoning, but I
doubt they'll do it in your presence, and there's little assurance that
they'll get around to it later.
You can improve your chances of getting a written referral by mentioning
it to your client before beginning work ("If you're happy with my
performance on this, I'd appreciate a letter of reference from you. .
.") You might even mention that you prefer gaining clients by
word-of-mouth. In such cases, your image as a credible, competent
consultant offering valuable services is literally marketed _for_ you.
Regards,
Bob
--
Robert M. Pultz
http://Walden.MO.NET/~halbert
Lozlolovas
You're at a famous cross-roads.
You either keep on working the same contacts, or you reach for a greater
share. How do you do it? Oh, you can run ads in trade magazines - yuk!
You can send direct marketing letters - I write those letters, but I
wouldn't recommend that strategy to you.
There's something else you could consider. Write a book.
Picture a book signing party with heads of state and local reporters. A
huge relish tray. (just kidding)
Picture that book selling your service and expertise a full year after
you'd contacted that firm. You self publish the book and then give them
to the firms you most want to do business with.
I know what I'm talking about. I've ghostwritten half a dozen books and
authored another three. Questions? Give me a call.
Michael Lovas
G H O S T W R I T E R
TR Goblin
I recommend a book called Guerrilla Marketing Excellence by Jay Conrad
Levinson. His definition of marketing is excellent. His methodology
works, especially for small business.
There isn't one method of advertising that will work the best in every
situation. You may find that a direct mail campaign works well in the
fall but not in the spring. Your target should be well defined. The
best way to do this is to understand everything you can about your best
customers. Then you should use all possible means to reach the people or
companies just like them. Its not the direct mail campaign that works;
or the trade show booth; or the print ad in a trade journal; all those
things combined chip away at the stone and build your business.
Personally, I get referals by writing a marketing article each month in a
trade magazine. I have not done it, but running seminars to provide
information also sounds like a good idea.
Edward P. Conway
Vice President (Director of Marketing)
Arrowroot Standard Direct
David Hamilton
eri...@cris.com told us:
>>> word-of-mouth advertising. I'd like to expand my client base and
>>> business. How are you advertising? What pays off for you?
>This is the most effective Advertising you can do. Someone else braging
>you up is not braging. - Everyone believes a satisfied Customer.
>Just be available - Professional Society Meetings. . . Where their contacts
>can meet you. Chamber of Commerce.
I agree. Word of mouth is the best marketing method for consultants.
Show up at all of the clubs and professional society meetings and
volunteer to give a short talk on a topic of interest. Hang around
later and hand out business cards when asked questions.
Write an article for your local newspaper on a topic of interest and
make sure to give your web page URL in the article.
--dh
____________________________________________________________________
David Hamilton Ursus Information Technology, Inc.
Ian Traynor
> If a client is reluctant to provide a letter, it's a good time to
> find out exactly why and what can be done on your part to improve
> his/her perception of you. Sometimes, they feel better simply >
> phoning, but I doubt they'll do it in your presence, and there's
> little assurance that they'll get around to it later.
When I've *really* felt that a written reference is needed from a
client (mainly when they've been a 'blue chip' client), I've found
little resistance to the request.
What causes problems is the client's inertia to actually get around to
doing something about it.
One successful solution, I've found, is to actually write the
reference yourself and say "would you feel happy about sending this to
your secretary and asking her (sexism!) to put this on your
letterhead.
The main problem about this is that I can never be as enthusiastic
about extolling my own virtues as my clients can.
Ah well - can't win 'em all :-)
Raymond Lowe
In article <1.v-_...@gate.net>, lozlo...@aol.com (Lozlolovas) wrote:
>Picture that book selling your service and expertise a full year after
>you'd contacted that firm. You self publish the book and then give them
>to the firms you most want to do business with.
>
>I know what I'm talking about. I've ghostwritten half a dozen books and
>authored another three. Questions? Give me a call.
Woah! In which case you should know better than to recommend self-publishing!
I *DO* know the publishing world, I grew up in the academic and fiction
publishing world and now often work in with business and professional
publishing, both books and periodicals.
Self-publishing is a really really good way to donate your money to the
printers and vanity press companies. It is not a way to make money for
yourself, and I am highly doubtful about any publicity benefits.
Give the book away to people you want to do business with? And when they
see it is published by John Doe Publishing, PO Box 12341234, Empire State
Building... What sort of impression does that give? This guy thinks
so much of himself he is willing to pay someone to print his own books?
No doubt with his picture on the back cover... They don't call it
"Vanity" press for nothing!
R.
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technology Consulting, Project | Raymond C. Lowe
Management, Internet Marketing | PC Consultant
| http://www.hk.super.net/~rlowe/cv
Virtualoso
The best idea is to establish the criteria for "good ideas." The main
problem with the "guerilla" approach to "marketing" is that many
overemphasize arbitrary tactics, and a similar reliance on a rather
"hopeful" use of a large number of them, rather than the strategy for
selecting them and their execution. This is actually more of a lack of
truer "marketing," and attempting to replace it with raw promotion.
The essence of the formula is more like: identify your core,
secondary and ancillary market segments. Quantify them and build a plan
based on evidence of opportunity, rather than only intention. Qualify the
market, including a stepped category of prospects and understand their
demand for what you provide, as well as their preferences for how you do
business with them... even how you come to their attention. Meet those
well. Everything else is the detail which articulates and expresses that.
Anything else is not necessarily a "good idea," but more of a random
idea, until and unless it conforms to the formula... which all
"successful" ideas will turn out to do. But it's more efficient to first
work with the formula to then select the tactics, than it is to risk the
waste of trial and error tinkering with tactics to find the formula.
mall...@woods.uml.edu
In article <4mforf$20...@hopi.gate.net>, rl...@HK.Super.NET (Raymond Lowe) writes:
[quote from prior post snipped]
> Woah! In which case you should know better than to recommend self-publishing!
>
[B> I *DO* know the publishing world, I grew up in the academic and fiction
> publishing world and now often work in with business and professional
> publishing, both books and periodicals.
>
> Self-publishing is a really really good way to donate your money to the
> printers and vanity press companies. It is not a way to make money for
> yourself, and I am highly doubtful about any publicity benefits.
>
> Give the book away to people you want to do business with? And when they
> see it is published by John Doe Publishing, PO Box 12341234, Empire State
> Building... What sort of impression does that give? This guy thinks
> so much of himself he is willing to pay someone to print his own books?
> No doubt with his picture on the back cover... They don't call it
> "Vanity" press for nothing!
>
>
> Raymond C. Lowe
I beg to differ with you. My experience includes five books so far: two
with major mainstream publishers, two with smaller trade press publishers,
and one self-published. Based on this experience, and YMMV,
self-publishing (NOT vanity press publishing, which is a whole 'nother
ball game and often deserves its poor reputation) can be a legitimate way
for consultants to publicize their expertise.
In my case, I target a narrow niche: the analyst/consultant liaison
programs of computer and communications firms. There are not enough people
interested in this area to get a major publisher to give me a cup of
coffee, let alone a contract. Yet a book is an important part of my
marketing mix. So I published it myself - paid for the printing, handled
the sales, etc.
The result: success. The book was profitable in its own right, with
revenues well into five figures for an investment of about $3000. (Would
be more today since paper has gone way up in price.) More importantly,
business prospects who didn't know me were often quite willing to invest
$95 in finding out whereas they would be less willing to invest $800+ in a
workshop or more in something else. Once they read the book, they realized
that I did know something about the area and were much more amenable to
taking the next step. (I gave out the book at the workshop and gave people
who already had it a $95 discount on the workshop, so nobody felt they
were being ripped off.) There isn't much else besides a book that a
consultant can offer for a two-figure price tag.
I have had absolutely no negative reactions to the book's being
self-published. It's my product. People who get it see my name and
address on it. I have never tried to present it as anything else: no
book-signing tours, no appearances on the Larry King show. I want people
who pick it up to be able to contact me easily, not to have to contact a
publisher and hope they know where I am. I am packaging my expertise
between two pieces of cardboard and my name, as publisher, is the most
appropriate name to be there.
What this comes down to is you have to look at your market and your
prospects. If I were writing a book on (say) performance tuning of
Windows 95, with a potential market in the zillions, self-publishing would
be a red flag that no major publisher was interested in a book that ought
to appeal to a lot of people. If I wanted retail sales, only major
publishers are tied into this channel and it's a lot harder to penetrate
it on your own. (Stores tend to ignore vanity presses as well.) To extend
these concerns to a blanket condemnation of self-published books as part
of a carefully considered product mix is, I think, going too far.
My $0.02 worth.
Efrem Mallach
Kensington Group, Inc.
<mall...@woods.uml.edu>
Helping computer and communications firms work with analysts and consultants
Raymond Lowe
In article <1.732...@gate.net>, mall...@woods.uml.edu wrote:
[long post explaining the value of "self-published books" clipped]
>it on your own. (Stores tend to ignore vanity presses as well.) To extend
>these concerns to a blanket condemnation of self-published books as part
>of a carefully considered product mix is, I think, going too far.
Okay, I think this is another definition problem. e.g. we would agree
on the content but disagree on the words.
My background (UK style mainstream publishing) causes me to equate
self-published with vanity press. I understand what you are producing
and its value - it is just that (because of my bias) I wouldn't call it
"a book"!
Virtualoso
> In article <1.v-_...@gate.net>, lozlo...@aol.com (Lozlolovas) wrote:
> I *DO* know the publishing world, I grew up in the academic and fiction
> publishing world and now often work in with business and professional
> publishing, both books and periodicals.
>
> Self-publishing is a really really good way to donate your money to the
> printers and vanity press companies. It is not a way to make money for
> yourself, and I am highly doubtful about any publicity benefits.
>
> Give the book away to people you want to do business with? And when they
> see it is published by John Doe Publishing, PO Box 12341234, Empire State
> Building... What sort of impression does that give? This guy thinks
> so much of himself he is willing to pay someone to print his own books?
> No doubt with his picture on the back cover... They don't call it
> "Vanity" press for nothing!
Oops. I have a colleague that self-published and the book is doing
well on it's own. It's also the *only* item of "sales literature" that he
uses. And he's going great guns.
"Vanity" publishing is traditionally paying some other outfit, all
too often over-priced at that, to publish what is otherwise probably
unmarketable on its own merit: poetry, fiction, memoirs, etc.
Self publishing can be perfectly respectable, and even profitable and
effective for additional purposes, too... even as indicated above.
Yes, one needs to think it through real well. Yes, one should get a
number of opinions before commiting. Yes, one should handle production
very businesslike and carefully. But, in many cases, it's a great option.
Owen Greaves
Dan Beaton wrote:
>
I agree Dan, you will find more business from referrals of your
existing clients than gambling for new ones via the traditional
marketing strategies. Your clients, especially the satisfied ones will
give you names of those who might need your services.
Cya, Owen.
> Randgee (ran...@aol.com) writes:
> > I run a small leadership and team training consulting business. I've been
> > lucky becuase for the past 8 years all of my work has come from
> That's not luck! If you are getting most of your business from word-of-mouth,
TR Goblin
Identify, Quantify and qualify? These are the key components of your
strategy. You've used elequent rhetoric and managed to say nothing. I
think its excellent methodology, but tell us specifically how you would do
these three things.
The "Guerilla" approach may not be the approach of many large firms, but
it works for entrepeneurs and growing businesses. I've taken a small
business from 1.2 million in sales to 3.5 million in just two years using
these "arbitrary" tactics.
I suggest that the "Guerilla" approach is useful in accomplishing your
own
goal - "to Identify, Quantify and Qualify. The other option is to pay a
consultant like you who will advise him for a heavy price that he should
"Identify, Qauntify and Qualify".
Walter Daniels
In article <4mforf$20...@hopi.gate.net>,
rl...@HK.Super.NET (Raymond Lowe) wrote:
>In article <1.v-_...@gate.net>, lozlo...@aol.com (Lozlolovas) wrote:
>>do business with.
>>I know what I'm talking about. I've ghostwritten half a dozen books and
>>authored another three. Questions? Give me a call.
>self-publishing!
>publishing world and now often work in with business and professional
>publishing, both books and periodicals.
There is an enormous differnce between the "Vanity" press and real self
publishing. Vanity presee says "we will _print_ the book and then _you sell
it." not telling you that they charge ridiculous costs to print. Not to
mention that they are pretty obvious in design. Self Publishing means you
handle all the marketing/sales yourself, but you also contract with a printer.
There are a number of contract printers (look in Writers Digest to find them)
that will do an honest job. Many will even do some of the publicity ground
work: UPC #, Library of Congress #, bar code, etc. for a fee. Some very well
received books have been self published, but you have to research the work
involved first. _No_one_ will do the job right, for you, you have to do the
hard way. So, don't ignore the possiblity, but do find a good editorial
personality to edit the book.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
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want!
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You can order quantites of 1 to 100 for use by individuals, club, etc.
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Virtualoso
> Identify, Quantify and qualify? These are the key components of your
> strategy. You've used elequent rhetoric and managed to say nothing. I
> think its excellent methodology, but tell us specifically how you would do
> these three things.
Naturally, we're not going post books or primers on the newsgroups,
"guerilla" or otherwise, but the core importance here is that usually more
accurate definition of the likeliest customers is key, as is having a
pretty specific idea just how to reach them efficiently (i.e. identify)...
rather than over-emphasize shotgun promoting to as many as possible, which
I've seen all too often in what people regard as a "guerilla" marketing,
particularly when low cost and high activity is the main objective.
It's also essential to get as clear an idea as possible of just how
many core market prospects one has (i.e. quantify), both in terms of
number of potential customers and range of revenues. Surprisingly, I've
seen many businesses neglect going to the trouble of finding out.
Similarly, getting close to further details about sales volumes likely
within specific portions of them help allow a realistic marketing budget
to be formulated against more definite objectives of specific campaigns,
and in time... all of which can be planned to work together more
harmoniously and "leverage" investment and effort made. Sometimes it even
makes more sense to spend a bit more on a particular initiative, when the
higher returns justify it, too. "Guerilla" approaches are too often fueled
by very aggressive intention, sometimes mistaking the value of low-cost
over maximum returns, but run the risk of not being based on a measured
opportunity. That's "proactive", of course, but is vulnerable to
unsubstantiated (and unfulfilled) hopes.
Finally, in any market, there are those that are in different
readiness to buy one's product. It really makes the most sense to
concentrate on getting to the ones that are most ready, willing and able
to buy now, from you (i.e. qualify), as well as working ahead a little bit
to culture the future sales, too. "Guerilla" gung-ho type methods of
trying to get to as many as possible and very strongly promoting whenever,
wherever, even to those not very predisposed to respond, can neglect the
highest probability prospects in favor of misguided activity for
activity's sake. This can diffuse and dilute efforts and resources.
> The "Guerilla" approach may not be the approach of many large firms, but
> it works for entrepeneurs and growing businesses. I've taken a small
> business from 1.2 million in sales to 3.5 million in just two years using
> these "arbitrary" tactics.
Well, for one criticizing me for "saying nothing", I'm afraid it's
similarly unclear just what you might mean by "these tactics," in fact.
Congratulations on your success, at any rate. I'm sure that there were
many factors contributing to it. I'd hope that maybe you might spend a few
minutes on strategy, at some point, as well. Maybe that growth rate could
double.
It's frequently an over-emphasis on tactics, rather than a cohesive
strategy where I find most gains can actually be made. All tactics are
always available, anyway, whether or not one wishes to think of them as
"guerilla" or not. Selecting the best ones based on specific reasons,
executing in particular ways accordingly, and combined and sequenced in a
well-prepared and planned fashion tends to do better than just trying to
deploy as many as possible in as many directions as possible in vaguer
intentions of hitting some marks.
> I suggest that the "Guerilla" approach is useful in accomplishing your
> own
> goal - "to Identify, Quantify and Qualify. The other option is to pay a
> consultant like you who will advise him for a heavy price that he should
> "Identify, Qauntify and Qualify".
Perhaps you could offer some more specific detail or examples of just
how a so-called "guerilla approach" is useful to these?
You seem to be oddly presumptuous about what I may or may not do. I
can tell you that I've taken one business unit from $5 M to $20 M in the
same amount of time that you mention. And a startup from $0 M to
profitable concern in less than a year. And have had the pleasure and
advantage of working with quite a number of these, sometimes just tuning
performance, including cutting wasteful time/effort for yet better
measurable results. I usually well earn my keep. It seems we both have our
experience and achievements, to guide us.