“The process by which companies create customer interest in products or services. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business development. It is an integrated process through which companies build strong customer relationships and create value for their customers and for themselves.”
That’s marketing, according to Wikipedia. Sounds complicated. And expensive. And something that small businesses and consultants/contractors might not be inclined to try.
Or you could go with this definition: “Getting someone with a need, to know, like, trust, contact, and refer you.” That’s the definition of marketing from John Jantsch, author of both Duct Tape Marketing and newly-published The Referral Engine. I’d probably substitute the phrase “buy from” for contact but that’s quibbling. This is a definition that you can get behind. It’s simple. And it doesn’t feel all that expensive.
My advice for today is pretty simple: If you think about how your decisions are going to impact people’s ability and/or willingness to know, like, trust, buy from and refer you and then act accordingly, you’ll find you have suddenly changed your approach to marketing and put yourself on the path to success.
Spend some time this weekend thinking about ways to achieve this in your business. How can you add value to simple transactions? How can you add value without a transaction? Can you explain what you do in a clearer way? Can you eliminate barriers to marketing success and make it easier to buy from you? Can you do something special for a customer that leads them to tell others about you?
by Peter Osborne on July 13, 2010 · 1 comment
Is the juice worth the squeeze=Is this worth the effort?
Sometimes the best deal is no deal.
Inevitably, new consultants are going to find there’s an RFP in the way of winning new business and see it as a great opportunity to add desperately needed revenues. That’s not always true. Ask yourself a few key questions before committing the resources (i.e., the time and distraction) to respond to an RFP. Among those questions:
- Is this opportunity a good fit for you from a strategic point of view (e.g.., does it support your personal brand, does it open a new market, would winning it provide credibility with other prospects, is it a good fit for your portfolio career)?
- Is the client really looking for a new partner or is this a way for them to get some free consulting/fresh ideas that they will turn over to the “winner?”
- Is this a proposal that can be won with a strong value proposition or is the decision going to be made on the basis of money? And do you care?
- Is the incumbent participating? If not, why not?
- What’s the client’s financial situation? And the corollary to that one, is this a client you would be proud to be associated with?
- Did you influence the RFP specifications in some way? If you didn’t, who did? And did that person or organization insert specifications that make it a bad deal for you?
- What is their budget? Why are they issuing an RFP?
- Do you understand the decision process? If so, are you in a good position?
In many cases, the consultant driving the RFP or the company itself (if it is working without a consultant) may put something in the document that says you can’t ask questions or get additional information (or that you have to go through the consultant). Your goal in those situations should be to change the ground rules and find out all you can about this opportunity. In a future blog, I’ll talk about ways you can do that and still get the business.
If you want it.
Hi, there. Just getting back from some community fireworks and got to thinking that we’re building a community that wants you to be successful and see your revenues go off like the finale of tonight’s show (OK, I know the analogy was a bit weak, but I wanted to tie this a bit to the Fourth before the clock strikes midnight).
Based on where Google Analytics says our visitors are going, I wanted to point you toward a page we think is special and ask for your input to make it even more special.
Other peoples’ Blogrolls often run down the right column of their blogs. But it’s not always clear why some of them exist from the titles. Some are obvious, of course. You see Tom Peters’ name, you’re pretty sure you know what you’re going to get when you click. Same with Chris Brogan or Duct Tape Marketing. Others…not so easy.
So I created our Blogroll on a different page, organized it by Categories, and added a phrase or two about each one — an introduction if you will, just to save you a bit of time. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do a bit of exploring and see if you like someone new, but it’s a start. Because we know how busy you are. These are the people who will help you move into Free Agent Nation, to help you get started or be more successful in your portfolio career.
And here’s my request: I want this page to have a lot more interesting people who can help you find new customers, be more effective, and think about a range of different subjects in a different way. If you have some suggestions, go to the bottom of the page and tell me (and everyone else) whose blog you can’t live without on a regular basis. I’d like to say that it’ll take two or three recommendations of the same person to make the list, but who knows…if one person makes a suggestion of someone I really like, they’re going to make the list. Please consider Tweeting the Blogroll (or retweating this post) so we can get a broader range of recommendations.
So who do you like?
We all need to get out of our comfort zones. People trying to make money consulting or doing project work for the first time after years in the corporate world often stumble when it comes to selling themselves, to defining and communicating their brands and then effectively positioning themselves as the solution to someone’s problem.
This is a great clip from Wednesday night’s So You Think You Can Dance. Contestant Alex is an accomplished ballet dancer who was asked to do hip-hop with, for the first time in the show’s history, someone of the same gender. Watch the entire seven-minute clip (the sync is a bit off) because it gives you some perspective on what it took for Alex to leave his comfort zone and do something completely different and in a way that not only exceeded everyone’s expectations but apparently set a new standard for the show.
If this doesn’t motivate you to use your core competencies to try something completely different, I don’t know what will.
Please share some examples of ways you’ve taken your strengths and applied them to something new or took the time to learn a new skill that really paid off.
“The process by which companies create customer interest in products or services. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business development. It is an integrated process through which companies build strong customer relationships and create value for their customers and for themselves.”
