Linda's Marketing Leverage Blog

Disciplined Marketing: A Better Way to Build a Professional Services Practice

 

My colleague, Robbie Kellman Baxter and I have noticed that many consultants get stuck trying to market their practices--not because they don't have enough ideas for marketing, but because they have too many.

We see consultants with stacks of half-finished marketing campaigns, assorted white paper ideas, lists of potential speaking opportunites, or piles of new content. The problem is they never get these things organized, prioritized and completed in a way that helps them grow their business.

That's why Robbie and I have created Disciplined Marketing,^TM a focused approach to marketing that;s designed for consultants and small business owners. The core of this approach is a sound strategy for attracting, winning and retaining great clients in your target market.

To introduce this new program, we'll be offering a one-hour teleseminar on Thursday, June 27 at 11am PDT. We'll cover:

• What is Disciplined Marketing and Why is It so Important
• The 7 Elements of a Disciplined Marketing Plan
• Case Studies of Consultants and professional service providers who are using discplined marketing practices successfully
• The Disciplined Dozen: 12 powerful ideas you can use to drive your business forward immediately.

As a special thank you to our clients and community, we are offering this teleseminar ($49 value) at no charge. Use coupon code DSCMKTG1 for complimentary registration.

Register now.

 

Look for an e-Book from us on this topic coming soon!

Top of Mind Thursday May 23, 2013: Are You Facing Derailment?

Welcome to our new weekly memo, Top of Mind Thursday. Each week we'll send you a quic k thought related to business and marketing. Short, sweet, and to the point. Let's get started. 

 

Last week two passenger trains collided in Connecticut, sending dozens of people to the hospital and snarling commuter traffic in the busy Northeast Corridor for tens of thousands of people until repairs can be made.

 

While trains can be an efficient way to transport both people and freight, the problem is they are limited to traveling a predetermined route on pre-laid tracks. When an out-of-control train comes veering at it from the other direction, there's nothing for a train to do but absorb the impact.

 

Many businesses operate from a train mentality: Destinations are pre-appointed, schedules are pre-set, arrival times are pre-calculated. Following this predetermined path can make life simpler, but sitting on the tracks when unplanned events come barreling towards you can be disastrous.

Luckily, business tracks are not forged in steel. Be ready to move off the track and take alternative action long before derailment is near.

To subscribe, please click here.

Let us help your business rise to the top.

linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com

Just a Moment for Marketing: Open the Lid

Linda asks: Are you muffling the sound of your organization? Are you using the right channels to get your message out?

Top of Mind Thursday May 16, 2013: Can You Be TOO Thin and Beautiful?

Welcome to our new weekly memo, Top of Mind Thursday. Each week we'll send you a quick thought related to business and marketing. Short, sweet, and to the point. Let's get started. 

 

Abercromie & Fitch has garnered much publicity regarding their CEO's comments that they want "thin and beautiful" customers in their stores, not "larger people." The company has also been accused of discriminatory hiring practices in the UK.

 

While many of us may dislike this attitude and find discrimination deplorable, the fact remains that A&F is crystal clear on who their audience is. Furthermore, all of this negative press just reinforces to "thin and beautiful" wannabe teenagers that A&F is the place to go (and the place their parents may love to hate).

 

Contrast that with the recent JCP fiasco. The company formerly known as JC Penney has managed to alienate just about all of its customers and destroy its brand equity and market value by not being clear who they were targeting and why.

Be crystal clear what you stand for. It will stick with you – for better and for worse.

To subscribe, please click here.

Let us help your business rise to the top.

linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com

Enabling Community Through Collaborative Tools – SV IABC Event 5/23

I am very pleased to be facilitating a luncheon discussion for the SV IABC about how we as communicators can leverage tools, technology, and the current collaborative mindset to influence communities of employees, customers, partners and others.

The panel includes Robert Caid, from IBM, discussing internal collaborative communities, Dan O’Leary, opf Box.net, sharing insights on external collaborative communities, Robert Castaneda of Service Rocket, providing the user perspective on collaborative communities, and Marisa Chancellor, from Cisco Systems, discussing how collaboration can transform organizatons.

This outstanding panel will be held on Thursday, May 23, at 11:30 am at Michael's at Shoreline in Mountain View.

More information on panelists...

Robert Caid is the Human Resources Manager for IBM’s Northern California and Western region, including the world renowned Almaden Research Center. He is based at IBM’s Silicon Valley Lab, the world’s first large scale software development facility.

Dan O’Leary is Solutions Architect of Box, whose mission is to allow people to access and share their content from anywhere.  He has led strategic deployments for organizations like Allergan, the San Jose Earthquakes, Schneider Electric, and Electronic Arts and has worked extensively with SharePoint prior to joining Box.

Robert Castaneda is the CEO and Founder of ServiceRocket with offices across 4 countries/continents.  He was named by Ernst & Young the Entrepreneur of the year and named twice in Australia’s top 30 entrepreneurs under 30.  He lives in Palo Alto with his wife and children.

Marisa K. Chancellor is responsible for IT’s Communication and Collaboration platform to deliver Cisco’s Integrated Workforce Experience.  She is responsible for driving productivity growth and innovation throughout the workforce using rich video and voice technology, Web 2.0 and other technologies that deliver an integrated, personalized, and relevant workspace.   

 

Register.

Just a Moment for Marketing: Mistakes are a Good Thing

Linda advises: Try different alternatives to see how effective each is. Try new things in a controlled fashion. Stop and analyze what is working and apply what you've learned.

Are You Closing All the Business You Should? Workshop Reminder: 6/11 - Mt View, CA

Closing business is critically important for consultants and professional service providers. Yet sometimes we get in our own way when it comes time to seal the deal.

The language, behaviors, and beliefs we use with prospects can make us or break us. 

 

What if you could get tried and tested advice on how to create and master the dramatic, action-oriented language to close business ...and you could get it all in one, single day,  in the Bay Area area?

That's the unique offer I'm making to you.

On June 11th, I will be offering a one-day in-depth workshop in the San Francisco Bay area, based on the writings of Million Dollar Consultant Alan Weiss.

In this special workshop, you'll emerge with:

• An understanding of how powerful language can help you create conceptual agreement with potential buyers.  
• The precise meaning of objectives, measures of success, and value--and learn how to elicit this information from buyers.  
• Better language, finer clarity, and higher self esteem to close business with even the most sophisticated buyers. 
• Plenty of opportunity for actual practice and immediate feedback. 

 

Whether you want to jump start your practice or increase your momentum, this day will provide you with the tools you need to realize rapid ROI on your efforts. If you close only one new project as a result of this workshop, you will likely get more than a 10x return on your investment.

 

 

Reduced rates are available for members of the Leverage2Market and Alan Weiss communities, as well as members of Women in Consulting and IMC.  Space is extremely limited for this event, and is available on a first come, first serve basis. Learn more. 

 

This workshop is ideal for people in the consulting, coaching, speaking and related professions who want to dramatically accelerate business and find new markets.  

 

Register now for this special offer:

Register by May 15th to get special discounted Early Bird pricing.

In addition, I'm offering the next 5  people who register by May 15th a free copy of either of my Consultants PowerPak Teleseminar Series: Fuel Your Growth or Ignite Your Business. Each of these packages includes 4 one-hour sessions to help you better market your consulting business, a $129 value.

Register with a colleague and you'll each get *BOTH* Consultant PowerPak series, a $258 value.

Deadline for this special promotion is May 15th
 Register here.

I look forward to seeing you, or one of your colleagues, at this event. Please feel free to forward this to those who would benefit from attending. 

Just a Moment for Marketing: If It Sounds Too Good to Be True

Linda observes: You get what you pay for.

Consultants Striving for Improvement: Marketing Lessons

This past week I had the opportunity to present to two different groups of consultants who have each made an important business decision: To invest in themselves.  

On Tuesday, I spoke to a workshop in Mountain View, CA sponsored by Women in Consulting on using video to promote your consulting practice. On Thursday, I presented a module on strategic marketing practices to Alan Weiss’ Million Dollar Consulting College in Newport, RI.

Here are a few of the insights I shared with these groups:

• Go back to the basics: You need a good quality product or service priced and packaged appropriately, a target market that is willing to buy what you offer, and a promotional program to make sure your target audience knows what you can do for them.
• Don’t do what everyone else is doing—do what makes sense for you.
• Figure out what differentiates you from other possible offerings, then use that to create your personal brand.
• Ask your clients why they hire you. You may be surprised by the results.
• When you’ve got nothing but a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Instead, use the whole array of tools available to you.
• Keep things as simple as possible—don’t overly complicate things.
• Start with one or two marketing initiatives, get those going and then add additional programs one at a time.
• Develop great content to support your brand. Get those ideas out of your head and into something you can share with clients.
• Keep the end in mind: Your goal is to build a sustainable consulting business not create marketing materials for their own sake.
• The Web is enduring not endearing: Be careful what you post—it will be around a long, long time.
• Marketing is ongoing—it’s a process, not an event. There’s never a bad time to market yourself.

 

Just a Moment for Marketing: Just Because You Can Doesn't Mean You Should

Linda advises: Reach the right audience with the right message in the way they want
to be reached. Be selective.