If prospects and clients are inquiring if you’re talking to them, then that means they’re actually paying attention to you, which is a great start. Unfortunately, most marketing and advertising fails to resonate or make an impact. Why? Often it’s because the message isn’t really reaching the intended recipient in the way intended. Sales letters, direct mail, advertisements, web copy, blogs and other forms of marketing communication often miss the mark. Here’s just a few of the reasons why:

• Creativity – often there’s far too much emphasis on catchy headlines. Yes, you want to be creative, but if you’re headline isn’t touching on an issue or problem with your prospect, are you really impacting them? What impacts you when it comes to marketing?
• Mechanical – it’s important that you offer the same 10 services your competitor does, but is that really what you want to focus on when messaging? If it’s the main focus of your message, avoid the mechanics and talk about the benefits doing business with you provides
• Differentiation – if you can show how you’re truly different, and in a way that matters to the buying audience, you’re much more likely to break through barriers. Differentiation matters today more than ever.
• Call-to-Action – if you’re not asking for the audience members to take some action, are you missing out on a golden opportunity? An offer, a survey, a request for more information, or some other item that requires them to take action moves them closer to being a customer.
• Perspective – most marketing material is created without understanding the real needs or desires of the buying audience. Often the focus is mechanical and creative, but not on actionability. To learn more about understanding your audience, visit A Model Prospect.

When writing, there’s a simple model that can help you create an impactful message, especially if you understand the needs of your buying audience. The model consists of four questions:
• Why – Why is your company different?
• What – What can you do that others can’t?
• How – How do you do it?
• What If – What will happen if they work with you?

Take this approach and you’re creating actionable, differentiated messaging. Obviously, an advertisement my not include detail on each point, but the focus should be on making sure they understand all four questions and what it means to them. Use these questions when planning your marketing and you’re going to go a long way toward providing real value driven messaging.

Clearly, you don’t want your audience standing in front of a mirror imagining a confrontation with you, like De Niro. However, if you can get them asking “you talkin’ to me?” you know they’re listening. Get them listening and they might just become new clients. If you want to learn more about my perspective or to learn more, visit www.actusmr.com or email me at paul_kirch@actusmr.com.

I’ve seen several styles and ways of doing business. For the people I have directly managed or coached, I often teach something which also served me well in my own career. Today, marketers call it building an Avatar, but I always called it modeling my prospects. Many of you view an Avatar as an animated character which might appear on a website or survey. Others think it refers to the blockbuster movie. The Avatar I’m actually referencing is the practice of designing and building a model of who you believe is your ideal prospect and client. The deeper you can go the better, get as specific as how they dress, what their work environment looks like, what motivates them, what are their fears, what are the issues they face, etc. Map out this person and build your message to meet his (or her) needs and you have something to develop your marketing or sales strategy to. If you’re reading this and thinking this is a waste of time, then you’ll probably always focus on the mechanical. Being empathetic to the people you’re catering to is a great way of relating to their needs, wants and desires. Without that, you’re basing it on things which may or may not matter.

An Avatar doesn’t preclude getting to know each individual prospect or client’s needs. What it does do, however, is give you the ability to build powerful strategies; strategies that will drive success for you and your company. It also gives you a means of training staff to deal with issues before they come up. It means you’re getting closer to understanding why people choose to do business with you and why they choose to go elsewhere. If you know those things, then building a plan to overcome the hurdles and objections is a much simpler task.

For me, it started as an exercise in a college psychology class. It has turned into a tool which has helped me get a leg up on my competition and it’s helped others who embrace the concept. The fact that it’s formalized within certain areas of marketing affirms my thinking. I encourage you to start to identify who your model prospect and client is. It doesn’t have to be one person, but get specific with the details. Then, develop your strategies from there. As Jeff stated, you are not your market. However, you can go a long way toward understanding what it takes to dominate within yours. If you want to learn more about my perspective or to learn more, visit www.actusmr.com or email me at paul_kirch@actusmr.com.

There is, however, a form of paper money many people do tend to carelessly leave lying around. It’s a form of money without a fixed monetary value, though some of it is worth thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars. It’s given to express interest in business or it’s given to spark more dialogue, which ultimately translates to financial gain when used properly. I’m talking about business cards. If you have a stack of business cards on your desk you haven’t followed through on, you are guilty of wasting valuable opportunity. Opportunity that equates to money lost. If you don’t have a stack on your desk, then, clearly, you’re tidier than some… Of course, there are exceptions, but almost anyone collecting business cards has either neglected to follow through, or done very little with a significant number of the cards collected. You wouldn’t ignore other forms of paper money, but these gems often depreciate to the point of no real value due to neglect.

When someone gives you a business card it’s a warm lead with great potential, but only if you work to establish a relationship. If you simply add the contact to your database and send a follow up email, is that really capitalizing on the opportunity? Turning warm leads cold takes no effort, and leaves you with a stack of worthless paper. While turning warm leads hot also takes very little effort, turning the lead into paper money is where the real effort comes in. Believe me, it’s well worth the effort. Below are some pointers on how to turn business cards into currency you can use:

1. When you are personally given a business card at an event, ask for a follow up meeting right then and there. If the person can’t schedule a time, tell him you’ll call him the next day to schedule an appointment. Now, all you have to do is follow through.

2. If you have a business card, follow up immediately with any items you’ve promised or discussed. If there are no tasks, send a PERSONALIZED message that recaps what you discussed when you received the card and ask for a meeting. No response? Follow up with a call.

3. If you collect business cards at a booth, call to discuss what you can do for the owners. A personalized email or letter can also be effective, but expect a small percentage of responses. Call the non-responders to discuss setting a meeting.

4. If you have business cards that have been lying dormant for a long time and you know where you collected them, I personally believe its ok to call and explain you neglected to contact when you should have. Some may argue this, but I’m a big believer in owning your mistakes. Be sincere and focus on re-engaging them. It may lead to a dead end, but that’s proof that warm leads should be heated up before going totally cold. If your intention is to send an email or letter, expect a very low response rate. If you committed to follow through and didn’t, making a call now shows that the relationship still matters, even if your lack of follow through, originally, made it appear as if it did not.

5. If you use a structured auto-responder to send out emails for sales or marketing purposes, still take time to engage those people with a personal touch.

6. If you have a blog or newsletter, invite them to receive a copy, explaining that it’s value-added and not salesy. If it is the latter, you’re approach needs to be revisited.

7. Start working on relationship building and engaging with that first call. Identify what pain points are and find a way to ease their suffering.

One of my favorite stories about business cards was told to me by a former manager. A senior executive he worked with was handed business cards at a meeting with a prospect that they both attended. After the meeting, he asked the executive what he was going to do with the cards. He said, “I threw them away. What am I going to do with their card?” My manager was shocked since he understood that those cards were a potential reward for a successful meeting. For him, they could turn into a trophy if he could convert them to a client. Business cards can be trash or trophies. It’s your choice. Trophies go to winners and winners capitalize on opportunities. Trash on the other hand, has little value and looks better in a trash can than on your desk. For me, I prefer the trophies, especially when they come with a cash prize. If you want to learn more about my perspective or to learn more, visit www.actusmr.com or email me at paul_kirch@actusmr.com.

I remember when I started to understand that I had to learn to let the client do the talking. I was at a meeting in Southern California. I spent 5 days on the road, attending 26 meetings in that whirlwind week, which included three networking functions. I was joined by my manager at the time and into the second day of the trip we had a meeting which looked to be very promising. I had done my homework, I knew what I wanted to uncover and I felt I was ready. There was one crucial piece of information I was hoping to take away from the meeting. When I had the opportunity, I asked a pivotal question, which the client started to answer. At the end of the meeting, my manager asked me if I knew a certain piece of information. I said, “She never answered me.” That’s when he pointed out that she tried to answer me, but I cut her off and jumped on another topic. I was embarrassed, I had missed out on something critical to winning their business away from a competitor and I could have totally controlled the outcome. Instead, it was a failed meeting. It was at that moment, I realized a critical piece I was going to focus on: listening. Over the years, I’ve learned to become very skilled at asking thought provoking and engaging questions. I have also learned to let the people in the meeting answer and let them drive the conversation, while I use questions to keep things on point or focused where I need them. It’s something that has become a talent, but it came from hard work and self scrutiny. I became my own toughest critic.

If you’re in a client-facing role, such as project management, business development, or some other position where you’re directly communicating with prospects and clients, focus on becoming more engaging. Learn to ask better questions and find ways to uncover those critical pieces of the puzzle. If you’re not good at listening, find ways to get better. What worked for me? I actually practiced. On my own time, two friends of mine who understood sales helped me role play meeting scenarios. I was determined not to embarrass myself or miss another clue. It made a world of difference. In addition, I used to record myself on the phone so I could hear what I sounded like. There is nothing more embarrassing or enlightening. Do you suffer from saying, “um” repeatedly when you present or conduct meetings? Do you have some other nervous habit when you speak? Break out a recording device and you’ll be surprised what you can learn.

Everyone has been guilty of interrupting someone during conversation at one time or another. Though often not intended to be, it’s considered rude and can be disruptive. When it comes to prospects and clients, not only are those two things true, in addition, you might just have missed the answer you were waiting for. Want to make sure it doesn’t happen to you? Your new mantra should be “Shut Up and Sell.” Learn to master that and you’ll never miss that crucial answer again.

If you want to learn more about my perspective or to learn more, visit www.actusmr.com or email me at paul_kirch@actusmr.com.

Building a client list takes time and often comes at a significant financial cost. Unless you’re using a structured database or CRM system, how well is that list being managed or preservedI joined a firm a few years ago as their Vice President of Business Development. Two days after coming on board, a sales person left the company. The firm was using an ACT contact management tool. The employee was working remotely and had his database running locally on his machine. When he sent his laptop back to the home office, he had deleted the database, which was not retrievable. The file wasn’t being backed up (though everyone believed it was) and the tool they were using put them in a vulnerable position. Not only was there no record of any client interaction, a sizeable portion of the current client contacts was lost. Accounting had record of any clients billed, but that didn’t give the correct operational contacts or any other sales related information.

Beyond how the data are stored, how such information is used is often an issue. So few companies keep their clients engaged through a newsletter or some sort of structured marketing campaign. With today’s email services and auto responders, it’s possible to even automate a touch system which is professional, powerful and seamless. Still, most companies in marketing research don’t take advantage of such methods. The argument I hear is that it’s impersonal or it doesn’t work. If it’s impersonal, make it personal. If it’s ineffective, go back to the drawing board. After all, there are a lot of successful businesses that leverage these methods of engaging customers and they see a huge return on investment. Often impersonal and ineffective campaigns stem from lazy approaches or sticking with a poor system. Both are bad practices.

If automation isn’t right for you or your firm, you can still leverage your database to drive more business. Send out emails with tips and advice, or perhaps you can even ask your clients/prospects questions to determine how to better serve them or what voids you can help fill. If you can convert just a handful of prospects, or even customers who have lapsed, to new clients by proving you bring value to the relationship, its worth a great deal to your company and the proverbial bottom line. Many service providers live and die off of the business from as few as 20-30 clients. They may have more, but even if it’s 60 clients, adding 5 new firms or turning lapsed users back into active accounts is a monumental impact. How many of those companies living off a small base of clients have thousands of contacts in their database? How many are not effectively engaging even a small percentage of those companies? Shocking and disappointing, the answer to both question is a lot of them.

So, stop saving those contacts until a rainy day and reach out and get them engaged. Focus on value driven messaging and avoid sales pitches, but start to reach out. Maybe you can share content, white papers, reports or some other item you think they’ll value. Though the Colonel kept his recipe secret, he left no stone unturned when he grew his business. Use your list right and you’ll learn to fry your competition, just like he did. I’d aim for nothing less than extra crispy!

One of my favorite things about living in Dallas is the airport. I spend my fair share of time on an airplane and I find it easy to get anywhere in the US non-stop on American Airlines. One thing I typically dread, however, is the parking. The three options I rely on most are terminal parking, valet and Express parking, with the latter being my begrudging default choice. The express lots are cheaper than the other two, but are still on airport grounds with a brief shuttle trip to get you to and from your car. Unfortunately, waiting for the shuttle can be irritating. One of my recent trips consisted of too little sleep and way too many delays. I finally landed at DFW, dreading the wait for the shuttle to get me to my car, only to be followed by a 15 minute drive home, which I was certain, would last much longer in my mind. I walked to the waiting area for the shuttle which showed up a few minutes later. The young lady who was driving stopped and quickly jumped out of her seat and greeted me with a smile and grabbed my bags before I could say anything. She was equally friendly while driving. Though I was tired and not feeling very social, she struck up a nice conversation with me. When we arrived at the lot, she asked me if I wanted a bottle of water. There is always cold water available when you arrive at the lot, but almost none of the drivers stop to get you water when you arrive back in Dallas. She stopped and grabbed me one and proceeded to drive me to my car. Once again, she had my bags in hand and was off of the shuttle before me. She took a stressful trip and turned it into a pleasant experience, with her refreshing approach. In fact, I drove home with a smile, feeling great and that water tasted especially good.

Over the years I’ve been in Dallas, I’ve parked at that lot a number of times and have had mixed experiences. Most of the drivers are friendly enough, but this time, the impact was extremely positive. Though she’s not in sales, she created a more loyal client. So, if you’re not in sales, don’t think you don’t impact your business’ strength, image and revenue stream. What type of impact you make is up to you. And, remember, small things make a big impact. A shuttle bus driver and a bottle of water impacted my loyalty. What are you impacting? Or more importantly, who?

When it comes to promises or commitments in the business world, however, it’s harder to walk away from the negative feelings and it often leads to a lack of trust. When many people hear the world “sales person,” they often think of someone who over commits; therefore, there’s already a negative pre-conception. Some people in a sales role will say yes at all cost and let the operations or support group figure out how to get it done. When those promises aren’t achievable, it makes everyone look bad, but still those sales people live to fight another day. Personally, I’ve never liked that approach and I think sales should complement and support operations, not put them in a losing position. Over promising and under delivering is a true customer service disgrace, though it isn’t always avoidable or intentional. There are three times when it bothers me most. 1. When I feel the sales person is saying yes to get the sale at all costs. 2. When the sales rep was lazy with his/her approach. 3. When it wastes my time or my money. Sometimes, it can be a combination of any of these 3. At that point, it’s hard to forget and even harder to forgive.

Recently, my wife and I were looking at mid-sized SUVs. I have a car with a lot of miles and we wanted a vehicle with more room. We narrowed it down to a couple of models we felt were a fit for our needs and budget. One sales person we were working with offered to let us take a vehicle home overnight. My car needed an oil change, so a few days later I arranged to drop it off at the dealer and I would take the other car home to drive for an evening. After my car was already off getting washed and heading for service, the sales rep told me that his manager didn’t want to let us take the car. They had been selling a lot of this model and didn’t want to put miles on any of them. Not only had they wasted my time, but he was now costing me money (the oil change was definitely at a premium). The sales person was apologetic, but he did nothing to resolve the issue, until I explained how this was poor customer service and he was losing any chance at my business. He finally went and talked with his manager (after making me stand around for 30 minutes). Eventually, they let us take the vehicle home; however, it tainted my view of this sales person and of the company he represented. In the end, they lost the sale.

If you tell a prospect or customer you’re going to do something, you better do it. If you didn’t have the right to make that promise, then you should expect that it will reflect negatively upon you. Integrity is all you have as a professional, at the end of the day. I’ve always tried to sell and do business with integrity. I’m also the last to forgive or accept buying from someone who I feel does not share that philosophy. Are you doing business with integrity? If not, don’t expect forgiveness or loyalty.

Back in 2003, I had a conversation with someone who I have viewed as a mentor and has always been a sounding board since I first got to know him. He told me that it’s not hard to stand out in this industry. Of course, that’s a loaded statement, but it was the advice that followed which made that statement resonate. He told me very few people do the little extras that matter. At an individual level, that might be writing an article, speaking at an event, volunteering, using touches to reach out to clients and prospects or finding ways to be a resource to others. Ok, this list could go on and on, but it’s true most people take little action to stand out. Social networking has provided a forum many participate in, but are you really rising above in a way that benefits you as a business professional? Are you standing out in a crowd of competitors? What about at a company level? Is your company supporting industry events, exhibiting, giving to charity, addressing areas of the industry you’re concerned about, or maybe seen as a place of innovation? Once again, this list could go on and on.

What’s the point, right?! After all, you’re having a busy year and business is going well. At least that’s what I’m hearing from many firms. That’s all very exciting. However, I know that many of those same companies struggled last year. Many of their staff also struggled. Those that stood out and had strong positioning were hurt much less than those that relied on status quo approaches. In fact, I know a small handful of companies that had very strong years in 2009 because of how they were positioned. However, the ones that didn’t focus on standing out seemed to face some real challenges. If you are having success, do you know why? Do you know what hurt you last year? These are two very important questions. Don’t be lazy about answering them.

How consumers are buying is starting to influence how B2B purchasing is happening, so it’s time to take a real look at how you’re positioned and standing out. This is true for individuals and corporate entities, alike. Take the time now to plan and work through exercises to find out how to stand out. So many people are worried about what they’re competition is doing. I can tell you what they’re doing: if you’re a threat, they’re plotting to beat you. Stop worrying about what they’re doing and focus on standing out. Stand out in the crowd and be seen as a greater resource, a greater value. Stand out enough and you’ll have no competition, or at least they’ll be less significant. Don’t wait for the crowd to die down or for the next economic down turn to focus on setting a solid foundation for tomorrow.

A call-to-action engages the prospects/clients by making them take an action step. If they ignore your request, you might even consider that a soft refusal. A soft refusal tells you that you have a long way to go toward winning them over. It also lets you know where you should focus your energy, since a prospect or client that is open and receptive, is much more likely to become a loyal client. Also, a call-to-action will hopefully allow you to demonstrate how you would work with them as a supplier. So, be responsive and follow up as you would if it were a project related issue. Remember, you’re helping them get more comfortable with your firm. In some ways, this allows them to feel as if they’ve worked with your team already. In fact, when I was selling research services, I created several new clients by demonstrating my follow through and the fact that I was able to prove my value by asking the right questions. My clients often referred to me as “very consultative,” which is a great compliment you should strive for. Many of those opportunities existed because of the first call-to-action.

Here are some powerful examples to consider:
• Ask for a proposal on something they’ve fielded or something live and offer a sample bid.
• When you meet someone at an event or function, don’t just exchange business cards and follow up when home. Set a meeting (face-to-face, phone or web) and follow through. Get them to commit.
• When you’re on the phone, ask for the next appointment and have a good reason to take that next step.
• Uncover a problem or a challenge and get them to send you an example. Then, provide solutions, but try to be creative or different.
• If you can provide some value-added service or training, offer to present that to their team. Focus on being unique and offering them great take-away items.
• Leverage senior staff and set a new meeting to let them meet your “experts.” Make it relevant and valuable.
• Leverage a customer satisfaction survey and look for their feedback. If they are a prospect, perhaps you can leverage a survey that evaluates your efforts or the proposal process.
• Find other ways to get them to take a step to lead them to you and your firm.

A call-to-action should be on your mind whenever you talk to a client or prospect. If you can get them to take an action step, you can build rapport, engage and win.

Did I mention concise? They accomplished everything I mentioned, above, with 125 total words. How many words are you using in your follow up messages? If you find you’re sending multiple paragraphs or long emails, the recipient may be hitting delete before you get your point across. Instead of long-winded emails or providing too much information, be direct. Here are some points to consider when you send your next follow up correspondence:

• Get to the point quickly.
• Avoid paragraphs of information, instead use short bulleted lists or numbered lists.
• Focus on the value you are offering.
• If you can show them a return on their investment, make it a point on your list.
• Show them how you are different.
• Keep the message short and to the point (Can you make your point with 125 words?).
• If you want to share more information (such as white papers, case studies or articles), provide a link to the sites.
• Ask a thought provoking question that plays to your strengths or differentiation.

In addition to the above list, consider including some call to action. Asking questions, providing a special incentive, sending them information which leads them to visit your site or finding some other way to get them to reach out to you creates an opportunity. Each step takes them closer to seeing you as a trusted resource, which is one step closer to a sale.

If you can be brief and your points are focused on the value you provide, they just might read your entire message. Email and other forms of written communication are powerful, but when you try and accomplish too much, are you really conveying your intended value? Are you seen as a resource? Think about your current approach and if it doesn’t fit the model I’ve described, you might want to go back to the drawing board.