The Three Ps of Marketing Operations
Marketing performance measurement and management (MPM) remains among the top-three priorities for chief marketing officers and VPs of marketing, CEOs, COOs, and CFOs, according to the ninth annual MPM study from VisionEdge Marketing.
The findings reveal that Marketing as a function knows what it needs to do and has established mechanisms for MPM, but many organizations remain challenged by the lack of the following: systems and issues associated with data collection, key performance-management processes, well-defined metrics, and reporting systems.
Those challenges create a cascade effect that impedes Marketing from what it ought to do (effectiveness). So when Marketing instead focuses on what can be done, it may not be working on the things that would enable it to adequately contribute to the business, hence reducing marketing return on investment.
A solid MPM practice optimizes marketing activities, thereby making measurement more relevant and allocating marketing resources more appropriately.
One step that goes a long way toward enabling MPM is to operationalize Marketing. Creating a marketing-operations function ties analysis with performance management.
For Marketing to fully achieve MPM maturity—or even take it to the next level—the role of, and skills within, the marketing-operations function at a minimum needs to address three Ps: planning, process, and performance management.
Marketing Operations Defined
Adding dedicated resources to a marketing organization by creating a marketing-operations role is essential to improving effectiveness and efficiency. Marketing-operations personnel specialize in performance management, which includes data, analytics and measurement, financial management, strategic planning, marketing-resource management, and marketing-skills assessment and development.
As the role has evolved, it has come to encompass several responsibilities, including these:
1. Defining and managing systems and tools
2. Developing and implementing metrics, infrastructure, and business processes
3. Establishing and communicating best-practices
4. Managing the overall marketing budget and budgeting process
5. Identifying and deploying technology to support performance measurement and reporting
A marketing-operations function creates a competency center that is committed to supporting performance management.
It is the marketing-operations function that focuses on how Marketing should be supporting the business and developing and implementing the processes, systems, tools, and skills development necessary to link Marketing to business outcomes, track and report results, and suggest improvement.
Marketing operations builds the processes and manages the systems needed to implement MPM.
The State of Marketing Operations
Although many organizations recognize the importance of Marketing Operations, the 2010 annual MPM study found a decline in the number of people being assigned to the function.
For example, in the 2009 MPM study, 80% of respondents indicated a marketing-operations function consisting of a team or dedicated person. Only 66% of respondents in the 2010 study indicated that they had a marketing-operations function at all.
An additional 5% indicated they were creating a marketing-operations function. And a little more than one-third of respondents reported having no plans to create a separate marketing-operations role or seeing any need for the function.
The 2009 study found that the marketing-operations function was underused; that was a recurring theme in the 2010 study. A key takeaway: Marketing Operations is not being used to its full potential; it is not playing a broader, more strategic role by helping to examine and address how to best facilitate performance management.
The results from this year's study suggest that although improvements related to analytics have been made, efforts have concentrated more on budget management, market research, and data management than on performance measurement and management.
Moving forward, marketing organizations should build capabilities with their operational staff that better support MPM as a whole rather than simply focusing on analysis.
Getting Value From Marketing Operations
Research suggests that linking marketing objectives, programs, activities, and results to the business and creating and executing consistently on MPM practices remain challenges for most marketing organizations. That is to be expected, considering where most marketing organizations are with regard to their maturity in employing MPM.
Even though Marketing has improved its ability to manage metrics, its ability to manage performance remains elusive:
• Less than 15% of respondents now rate Marketing as being completely effective, compared with 30% in 2009.
• Most respondents (78%) indicated that they are only somewhat or marginally effective.
• The ineffective proportion increased slightly, from 8% in 2009 to just more than 10% in 2010.
That decline indicates that any gains in communicating value to the business that Marketing has been able to make are at risk.
A primary reason Marketing is not as effective and efficient as it could be is the lack of adequate metrics, which would improve marketing performance. Many executives and marketing professionals remain dissatisfied with data analytics, measurement, and process skills within the marketing discipline.
Why? Because, for many organizations, Marketing still lacks the systems, practices, and capabilities to measure what matters.
In 2009, 19% of marketers indicated that Marketing doesn't leverage MPM best-practices. Less than one-fifth of respondents were satisfied with their MPM practices.
In general, study participants are not satisfied with Marketing's processes and ability to set performance targets, develop metrics, and measure—the areas where a marketing-operations function can make a difference.
Putting the Three Ps Into Practice
The following three Ps—process, performance management, and planning—provide a foundation on which to build a marketing-operations function.
1. Process
The American Marketing Association defines marketing as "the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large." Key to the definition is the reference to a set of processes.
A performance-driven marketing organization needs 10 essential processes:
1. Market intelligence and customer insight
2. Planning
3. Budgeting
4. Market asset development and management
5. Performance measurement, management, and reporting
6. Metrics and performance target-setting and benchmarking
7. Auditing
8. Data management and collection
9. Professional-development processes
10. Infrastructure management
The best-in-class marketing-operations functions should focus on developing, managing, and optimizing those processes to enable the marketing organization to improve performance.
2. Performance management
MPM is the process of analyzing and improving both the efficiency and effectiveness of marketing through a framework of metrics that monitors Marketing's contribution to business goals.
Although it is the responsibility of every marketing professional to engage in performance management, Marketing Operations plays a pivotal role.
It is the marketing-operations function that governs the process and provides the data, analysis, systems, and tools that enable Marketing to link its initiatives to the business and then monitor and report on performance through a marketing dashboard.
Properly developed and deployed dashboards give the performance-driven marketing organization an advantage over competitors that are still operating with little or no essential data, analytics, or performance standards.
3. Planning
The point of any marketing plan is to identify the initiatives, strategies, tactics, and activities that the marketing organization will deploy to help the organization succeed.
Therefore, a key part of the marketing planning process is to have a clear road map to demonstrate how Marketing is moving the needle for the organization. That requires clearly linking Marketing's objectives, strategies, programs, and tactics back to business outcomes.
Doing so requires the marketing-operations function to interface with the organization's finance, sales, service, product, and management players; that interaction is vital to capturing the business outcomes, clarifying which ones Marketing is expected to influence, and defining the corresponding key performance indicators (KPIs).
* * *
Marketing organizations that have dedicated resources for the marketing-operations function ensure that the rest of the marketing organization adopts and implements performance-management best-practices to positively affect their organization's business outcomes.
They enable Marketing to become a performance-driven team and provide the processes, performance management, and planning skills, tools, and systems that empower Marketing to demonstrate value and be more effective and efficient.
By creating or expanding the marketing-operations role and skill set to include performance-targeting skills, process and technology optimization, and strategic capabilities to drive change, Marketing can reach the next step in its performance-management journey.
The bottom line: Marketing Operations facilitates a much better return on marketing investments.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
7 Time-Saving Productivity Tools
Here are 7 simple but effective productivity tools that can help
you save time and get things done:
1) Your Planner
Of all your productivity tools, your planner is one of the most
important ones, because it's something that you'll use every day to
get things done.
Productivity often comes down to having a clear system to
capture, organize, prioritize, plan and take action on all the
projects, tasks and activities that you need to get done each day.
A good planner can make a big difference in your results, but
even a simple blank notebook can do wonders if you're used to
keeping everything in your head.
If you want a proven software planner for Windows that can help
you get organized and take control of your time, you'll want to
check out Achieve Planner:
2) Dry Erase Calendar
You may also find it helpful to buy a large dry erase calendar
and hang it in a prominent location in your home or office.
A wall in your office, the kitchen or a frequently-traveled
hallway are good locations.
On this calendar, you can mark down important activities and
commitments for all members of the family.
For example, you can record your kids' activities, your own
meetings, doctor and dentist appointments, special functions,
etc. You can plan a week ahead of time, or even a whole month at
a time.
After each event has passed, erase it so you have a clear,
at-a-glance view of the things coming up next.
3) A Password Manager
If you use a web browser and need to keep track of passwords for
different websites (who doesn't?), then a password manager can be a
BIG time saver.
In case you are not familiar with this kind of software, it's a
tool that helps you keep track of your online passwords so you
don't have to remember them off the top of your head or use silly
little passwords that are easy to crack.
The best password managers even auto-fill the login forms for
you so you don't even have to type the passwords yourself.
A very popular and well-known password manager is RoboForm:
4) Reminders and Alarms
Many of the email, planning and organization software programs
available today offer great little settings that can remind you of
important activities.
You can schedule everything from birthday and anniversary
reminders to notes of encouragement for yourself!
Or, you can use a reminder service. There are also reminder
services out there that are absolutely free to use. You simply sign
up for a free account, set the dates and activities you want to be
reminded about, and they will send an email notification on the
date and time you specify.
This is a handy tool worth using if you need help remembering
activities and special occasions.
One popular service is www.MemoToMe.com; or try an internet
search for "reminder service."
5) "Text Replacement" Utilities
This is another little productivity tool that can save you a lot
of time and effort. It works great for common email replies,
signatures, quotes and lots of other boilerplate text that you may
need to type.
I recommend that you check out, Direct Access which reduces time
consuming, repetitive tasks through the use of abbreviations for
text replacement and application launching.
6) Outsourcing Services
If your daily schedule is packed full of chores and obligations
that you can't seem to pare down or delegate, consider outsourcing
some of them to individuals or companies that can help.
For example, if you find that you spend a lot of time nagging
your spouse to do the yard work (or you're forced to do it yourself
and it poses a real drain on your time and energy), call a few
local landscaping companies and check out their rates.
Do the same for housecleaning services, dog walkers, grocery
delivery services, and more.
You might think these services are too expensive, but you'd be
surprised at how inexpensive they CAN be.
Of course, you're going to have to decide if the costs are worth
the extra time you get by using these services. It all depends on
your budget and time commitments.
You might also consider a 'virtual assistant' to help you with
errands and other computer-related busywork.
7) Organizational Tools
If you spend a lot of time hunting for things you need because
you're swimming in a sea of clutter, consider investing in a few
good organizational systems and tools.
Once again, this probably will involve some extra expense at
first, but the extra organization and peace of mind may well be
worth it.
All of these tools may seem overly simple, but don't be
fooled! They can go a long way toward helping you save time,
be more productive and balance your life activities.
you save time and get things done:
1) Your Planner
Of all your productivity tools, your planner is one of the most
important ones, because it's something that you'll use every day to
get things done.
Productivity often comes down to having a clear system to
capture, organize, prioritize, plan and take action on all the
projects, tasks and activities that you need to get done each day.
A good planner can make a big difference in your results, but
even a simple blank notebook can do wonders if you're used to
keeping everything in your head.
If you want a proven software planner for Windows that can help
you get organized and take control of your time, you'll want to
check out Achieve Planner:
2) Dry Erase Calendar
You may also find it helpful to buy a large dry erase calendar
and hang it in a prominent location in your home or office.
A wall in your office, the kitchen or a frequently-traveled
hallway are good locations.
On this calendar, you can mark down important activities and
commitments for all members of the family.
For example, you can record your kids' activities, your own
meetings, doctor and dentist appointments, special functions,
etc. You can plan a week ahead of time, or even a whole month at
a time.
After each event has passed, erase it so you have a clear,
at-a-glance view of the things coming up next.
3) A Password Manager
If you use a web browser and need to keep track of passwords for
different websites (who doesn't?), then a password manager can be a
BIG time saver.
In case you are not familiar with this kind of software, it's a
tool that helps you keep track of your online passwords so you
don't have to remember them off the top of your head or use silly
little passwords that are easy to crack.
The best password managers even auto-fill the login forms for
you so you don't even have to type the passwords yourself.
A very popular and well-known password manager is RoboForm:
4) Reminders and Alarms
Many of the email, planning and organization software programs
available today offer great little settings that can remind you of
important activities.
You can schedule everything from birthday and anniversary
reminders to notes of encouragement for yourself!
Or, you can use a reminder service. There are also reminder
services out there that are absolutely free to use. You simply sign
up for a free account, set the dates and activities you want to be
reminded about, and they will send an email notification on the
date and time you specify.
This is a handy tool worth using if you need help remembering
activities and special occasions.
One popular service is www.MemoToMe.com; or try an internet
search for "reminder service."
5) "Text Replacement" Utilities
This is another little productivity tool that can save you a lot
of time and effort. It works great for common email replies,
signatures, quotes and lots of other boilerplate text that you may
need to type.
I recommend that you check out, Direct Access which reduces time
consuming, repetitive tasks through the use of abbreviations for
text replacement and application launching.
6) Outsourcing Services
If your daily schedule is packed full of chores and obligations
that you can't seem to pare down or delegate, consider outsourcing
some of them to individuals or companies that can help.
For example, if you find that you spend a lot of time nagging
your spouse to do the yard work (or you're forced to do it yourself
and it poses a real drain on your time and energy), call a few
local landscaping companies and check out their rates.
Do the same for housecleaning services, dog walkers, grocery
delivery services, and more.
You might think these services are too expensive, but you'd be
surprised at how inexpensive they CAN be.
Of course, you're going to have to decide if the costs are worth
the extra time you get by using these services. It all depends on
your budget and time commitments.
You might also consider a 'virtual assistant' to help you with
errands and other computer-related busywork.
7) Organizational Tools
If you spend a lot of time hunting for things you need because
you're swimming in a sea of clutter, consider investing in a few
good organizational systems and tools.
Once again, this probably will involve some extra expense at
first, but the extra organization and peace of mind may well be
worth it.
All of these tools may seem overly simple, but don't be
fooled! They can go a long way toward helping you save time,
be more productive and balance your life activities.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
The Principle of the Objective
The Principle of the Objective
Learn from the Lessons of History
The concepts of military strategy have been studied and written about for more than 4,000 years, going back to the early works of General Sun-Tzu in China more than 2,000 years BC. These principles of strategy that have been developed and perfected over the centuries have direct applications and implications for strategic thinking, both personally and corporately.
Decide In Advance What You Want
The most important military principle is the Principle of the Objective. This principle requires that you decide in advance exactly what it is that you are trying to accomplish. What exactly is your objective? In my experience, fully 80% of all problems in personal and corporate life come from a lack of clarity with regard to objectives and goals.
Clarity Is Critical
Clarity of objective precedes all other elements in strategic thinking. Here are some questions that you can use over and over again to focus and clarify your objectives. The first question is, "What am I trying to do?" The second question is, "How am I trying to do it?" The third question is, "What are my assumptions?" And the fourth question is, "What if my assumptions were wrong?"
Question Your Assumptions
Having the courage to ask these questions, and to question your assumptions, both spoken and unspoken, is a key mark of the superior person. Sometimes individuals avoid questioning their assumptions for fear that they will have to change their minds or do something other than what they started out to do. However, false assumptions lie at the root of almost every failure. The only way that you can root out these wrong assumptions is by carefully analyzing them and discussing them, and then by demanding proof or evidence that these assumptions are still valid.
Project Forward In Your Mind
Another method for clarifying your objectives is for you to project forward and look backward. In other words, imagine that you have already achieved the objective that you are working toward. Project yourself forward in your mind and then look back to the present day, to the present moment. What do you see? What changes could you make looking back from this imaginary perspective of hindsight? This is a key peak performance thinking technique.
Determine Why You Want It
The final part of clarifying your objectives revolves around your identifying the reasons why you want to achieve this objective in the first place. Why is it important? Is it still as important as when you started off? Is this objective more important than any other objective that you could be working on? It is essential that you be clear about the answers to these questions.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to apply the principle of the objective to your personal and business life:
First, take out a piece of paper and answer the question: "What am I trying to do?" What are your goals? What are your objectives? Why are you doing what you are doing in the first place? Is this the very best use of your time and energy?
Second, question your assumptions. What things are you assuming are true about yourself, the people around you and the situation? What if one of these assumptions turned out to be false? What changes would you have to make if you found that your most cherished assumptions were not based on reality, or were contradicted by facts?
Learn from the Lessons of History
The concepts of military strategy have been studied and written about for more than 4,000 years, going back to the early works of General Sun-Tzu in China more than 2,000 years BC. These principles of strategy that have been developed and perfected over the centuries have direct applications and implications for strategic thinking, both personally and corporately.
Decide In Advance What You Want
The most important military principle is the Principle of the Objective. This principle requires that you decide in advance exactly what it is that you are trying to accomplish. What exactly is your objective? In my experience, fully 80% of all problems in personal and corporate life come from a lack of clarity with regard to objectives and goals.
Clarity Is Critical
Clarity of objective precedes all other elements in strategic thinking. Here are some questions that you can use over and over again to focus and clarify your objectives. The first question is, "What am I trying to do?" The second question is, "How am I trying to do it?" The third question is, "What are my assumptions?" And the fourth question is, "What if my assumptions were wrong?"
Question Your Assumptions
Having the courage to ask these questions, and to question your assumptions, both spoken and unspoken, is a key mark of the superior person. Sometimes individuals avoid questioning their assumptions for fear that they will have to change their minds or do something other than what they started out to do. However, false assumptions lie at the root of almost every failure. The only way that you can root out these wrong assumptions is by carefully analyzing them and discussing them, and then by demanding proof or evidence that these assumptions are still valid.
Project Forward In Your Mind
Another method for clarifying your objectives is for you to project forward and look backward. In other words, imagine that you have already achieved the objective that you are working toward. Project yourself forward in your mind and then look back to the present day, to the present moment. What do you see? What changes could you make looking back from this imaginary perspective of hindsight? This is a key peak performance thinking technique.
Determine Why You Want It
The final part of clarifying your objectives revolves around your identifying the reasons why you want to achieve this objective in the first place. Why is it important? Is it still as important as when you started off? Is this objective more important than any other objective that you could be working on? It is essential that you be clear about the answers to these questions.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to apply the principle of the objective to your personal and business life:
First, take out a piece of paper and answer the question: "What am I trying to do?" What are your goals? What are your objectives? Why are you doing what you are doing in the first place? Is this the very best use of your time and energy?
Second, question your assumptions. What things are you assuming are true about yourself, the people around you and the situation? What if one of these assumptions turned out to be false? What changes would you have to make if you found that your most cherished assumptions were not based on reality, or were contradicted by facts?
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Product Creation: Avoid this 5 mistakes to increase information product sales.
Have you ever created an information product- say a home study or membership program, an e-book or online workshop that didn’t sell? I have. Are you surprised?
You see when I first decided to add information products to my business years ago I made the same rookie mistakes I see many small and solo business owners making today. Yet abandoning the idea was not an option since creating information products is still the best way to sell your knowledge and expertise to a large audience and create multiple streams of income that don’t involve selling your time at an hourly rate.
I learned from my mistakes and with the help of some awesome mentors I ended up creating multiple home study and membership programs that are highly successful. And I’ve helped many clients do the same. So I’d like to share the mistakes you need to avoid if you don’t want to struggle like I did years ago.
Mistake #1: Deciding what people want without knowing what they want.
So many people have a wonderful idea and immediately get to work creating an information product based on that idea. They decide it’s what people need. The problem is that clients buy what they want, not what they need. Sometimes they don’t even know what they need. To discover what they really want a little simple keyword and competitor research can go a long way and save you a ton of time, frustration and lost sales.
Mistake #2: No proven marketing system
Even if you have the best home study course or e-book ever written, if no one knows about it you’ll have no sales and nothing could be more discouraging after all the hard work you put in.
You need to have all of your marketing materials written, your e-mail marketing and affiliate programs in place, and your traffic generation system automated as much as possible before you start selling. Once I developed these systems, selling my products became so much easier and regularly produces a steady stream of leads and sales.
Mistake #3 Not having a sales page that converts buyers
Imagine that you’ve finally finished your product, you’ve got your marketing system in place and you can see that you’re getting people to your sales page—but only a few are buying. Writing curiosity-building or benefit-laden headlines and powerful content that includes clear results buyers can expect from your product, legitimate testimonials and an ironclad guarantee will go a long way toward improving your sales conversion. Including video will make a big difference because you can show visitors how and why you’re passionate about your product.
Mistake #4 Not giving more value than the price implies
People tend to buy online when they really want a solution to a problem and they see your product as that solution. By adding more components to your product, such as worksheets, audios, videos or checklists and by adding bonuses the perceived value goes beyond the price you’re charging. And of course your price has to be right in terms of what the buyer perceives the value to be. If the price is perceived as too high you won’t get many sales. If it’s too low, your product may be perceived as inferior. Do some research to find the pricing on similar products to give you a benchmark.
Mistake #5 Not even starting because you’re afraid it’s too hard
You can create an information product in anywhere from one week to 60 days, tops. And it can produce ongoing sales for months or years. Plus it can build your expert status and be the foundation for other programs. In other words you can leverage the content you create and use it in other types of programs and services. So not creating one actually ends up being harder because it keeps you stuck selling your time hour by hour and it keeps you at survival level.
You see when I first decided to add information products to my business years ago I made the same rookie mistakes I see many small and solo business owners making today. Yet abandoning the idea was not an option since creating information products is still the best way to sell your knowledge and expertise to a large audience and create multiple streams of income that don’t involve selling your time at an hourly rate.
I learned from my mistakes and with the help of some awesome mentors I ended up creating multiple home study and membership programs that are highly successful. And I’ve helped many clients do the same. So I’d like to share the mistakes you need to avoid if you don’t want to struggle like I did years ago.
Mistake #1: Deciding what people want without knowing what they want.
So many people have a wonderful idea and immediately get to work creating an information product based on that idea. They decide it’s what people need. The problem is that clients buy what they want, not what they need. Sometimes they don’t even know what they need. To discover what they really want a little simple keyword and competitor research can go a long way and save you a ton of time, frustration and lost sales.
Mistake #2: No proven marketing system
Even if you have the best home study course or e-book ever written, if no one knows about it you’ll have no sales and nothing could be more discouraging after all the hard work you put in.
You need to have all of your marketing materials written, your e-mail marketing and affiliate programs in place, and your traffic generation system automated as much as possible before you start selling. Once I developed these systems, selling my products became so much easier and regularly produces a steady stream of leads and sales.
Mistake #3 Not having a sales page that converts buyers
Imagine that you’ve finally finished your product, you’ve got your marketing system in place and you can see that you’re getting people to your sales page—but only a few are buying. Writing curiosity-building or benefit-laden headlines and powerful content that includes clear results buyers can expect from your product, legitimate testimonials and an ironclad guarantee will go a long way toward improving your sales conversion. Including video will make a big difference because you can show visitors how and why you’re passionate about your product.
Mistake #4 Not giving more value than the price implies
People tend to buy online when they really want a solution to a problem and they see your product as that solution. By adding more components to your product, such as worksheets, audios, videos or checklists and by adding bonuses the perceived value goes beyond the price you’re charging. And of course your price has to be right in terms of what the buyer perceives the value to be. If the price is perceived as too high you won’t get many sales. If it’s too low, your product may be perceived as inferior. Do some research to find the pricing on similar products to give you a benchmark.
Mistake #5 Not even starting because you’re afraid it’s too hard
You can create an information product in anywhere from one week to 60 days, tops. And it can produce ongoing sales for months or years. Plus it can build your expert status and be the foundation for other programs. In other words you can leverage the content you create and use it in other types of programs and services. So not creating one actually ends up being harder because it keeps you stuck selling your time hour by hour and it keeps you at survival level.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Are You Truly Excited About What You Sell
Are You Truly Excited About What You Sell
We all know that sales are really all about "Closing The Sale". There is not a salesperson alive who does not use a variety of techniques to help them be successful with customers. However, I believe passion is the most underrated and underutilised sales tool in our arsenal because it is too hard to measure and no one has found an effective way to teach it.
Passion is an effective sales tool because it isn't artificial and can't be faked for a long period of time. It is displayed in people who genuinely care and are willing to take the time to serve their clients in whatever manner is necessary.
Passion in sales is evident when the coach takes the time to listen to their prospect and attempts to really understand what it is they are looking for. It is displayed not only in the questions that are asked, but also in the tone of voice and body language that is used and the follow-up that is demonstrated after the sales call. Coaches who have passion are able to create long-term profitable relationships with their customers. They also routinely benefit from referrals by their existing clients and, on many occasions, these prospects come to them ready to buy.
Before you rush out to practice your body language and tone of voice in an attempt to find passion, let me add the secret ingredient: heart. Passion comes from a genuine belief of wanting to help the client in both good times and bad.
Passion can actually be measured in a couple of ways. Begin by asking yourself this simple question: "When the day is over and my clients are reflecting back on the people they've interacted with and the activities they've done, do they think of me in a positive light that contributed to them having a good day?" It is important to consider whether your clients truly believe you are helping improve their day and their business. Another assessment tool is found in analysing the number of referrals you get. Referrals are an accurate measurement of how your clients view you. If they honestly believe in you, they recommend you to others
Passion in sales is underrated. Therefore, your ability to genuinely care about your clients, to show an interest in them, and to serve them will determine your long-term business success.
We all know that sales are really all about "Closing The Sale". There is not a salesperson alive who does not use a variety of techniques to help them be successful with customers. However, I believe passion is the most underrated and underutilised sales tool in our arsenal because it is too hard to measure and no one has found an effective way to teach it.
Passion is an effective sales tool because it isn't artificial and can't be faked for a long period of time. It is displayed in people who genuinely care and are willing to take the time to serve their clients in whatever manner is necessary.
Passion in sales is evident when the coach takes the time to listen to their prospect and attempts to really understand what it is they are looking for. It is displayed not only in the questions that are asked, but also in the tone of voice and body language that is used and the follow-up that is demonstrated after the sales call. Coaches who have passion are able to create long-term profitable relationships with their customers. They also routinely benefit from referrals by their existing clients and, on many occasions, these prospects come to them ready to buy.
Before you rush out to practice your body language and tone of voice in an attempt to find passion, let me add the secret ingredient: heart. Passion comes from a genuine belief of wanting to help the client in both good times and bad.
Passion can actually be measured in a couple of ways. Begin by asking yourself this simple question: "When the day is over and my clients are reflecting back on the people they've interacted with and the activities they've done, do they think of me in a positive light that contributed to them having a good day?" It is important to consider whether your clients truly believe you are helping improve their day and their business. Another assessment tool is found in analysing the number of referrals you get. Referrals are an accurate measurement of how your clients view you. If they honestly believe in you, they recommend you to others
Passion in sales is underrated. Therefore, your ability to genuinely care about your clients, to show an interest in them, and to serve them will determine your long-term business success.
Create Your Personal Strategic Plan
By Brian Tracy
Your success in life is determined, to a large extent by your ability to think, plan, decide, and take action. The stronger your skills are in each of these areas, the faster you will achieve your goals and the happier you will be with your life and career. Personal strategic planning is the tool that takes you from wherever you are to wherever you want to go.
Difference between Train and Plane
The difference between people who use strategic planning to organize and direct their lives and those who do not is like the difference between taking a train and taking a plane. Both will get you from point A to point B, but the plane—personal strategic planning—will get you there much faster and without frequent stops.
Systematic Way of Thinking
Skill in personal strategic planning is not something you are born with, like eye color or perfect pitch. It is a systematic way of thinking and acting and is, therefore, something you can learn, like riding a bike or changing a tire. With practice, you can master the many different elements that make up this key skill, and you will get into the rhythm of thinking and acting strategically for the rest of your life. When you do acquire rhythm, you will realize extraordinary results. Your life and career will take off, and the sky is truly the limit.
Save Time and Money
Why is strategic planning and thinking so helpful? The answer is simple: it saves you an enormous amount of time and money. When you review and analyze key strategic questions of concepts of your career or business, you find yourself focusing on the critical tasks necessary to achieve your goals. At the same time, you stop doing those things that keep you from achieving success. You do more of the right things and fewer things that get and keep you off track. You set performance goals for people and projects. You become skilled at measuring and tracking results. You move into the express lane in both work and life.
Design Your Life and Career
Your goals in personal strategic planning are similar. The key difference is that rather than improving your return on equity, your planning efforts will allow you to realize a greater return on energy. You might say that personal strategic planning will increase your return on life. A business measures its equity in terms of financial capital. On the other hand, you measure your personal equity in terms of your own human capital. Your personal equity consists of the physical, emotional, and mental energies you are able to invest in your career. Set a goal of achieving the very highest return possible on the investment of your energies.
Critical Question
Ask yourself this critical question: What is it that I do especially well? Examine the areas where you excel or are clearly superior to others in your field. You need to know what you can claim as your personal competitive advantage. This is the lifeblood of personal strategic planning. Your success is tied directly to how excellent you become at the most important part of your work.
Action Exercise
Clarify your career or business vision. What could your ideal career or business look like? What could you be doing most of the time? How much would you be earning? What kind of people would you be working with? What level of responsibility would you have? What kind of industry would you be in?
By Brian Tracy
Your success in life is determined, to a large extent by your ability to think, plan, decide, and take action. The stronger your skills are in each of these areas, the faster you will achieve your goals and the happier you will be with your life and career. Personal strategic planning is the tool that takes you from wherever you are to wherever you want to go.
Difference between Train and Plane
The difference between people who use strategic planning to organize and direct their lives and those who do not is like the difference between taking a train and taking a plane. Both will get you from point A to point B, but the plane—personal strategic planning—will get you there much faster and without frequent stops.
Systematic Way of Thinking
Skill in personal strategic planning is not something you are born with, like eye color or perfect pitch. It is a systematic way of thinking and acting and is, therefore, something you can learn, like riding a bike or changing a tire. With practice, you can master the many different elements that make up this key skill, and you will get into the rhythm of thinking and acting strategically for the rest of your life. When you do acquire rhythm, you will realize extraordinary results. Your life and career will take off, and the sky is truly the limit.
Save Time and Money
Why is strategic planning and thinking so helpful? The answer is simple: it saves you an enormous amount of time and money. When you review and analyze key strategic questions of concepts of your career or business, you find yourself focusing on the critical tasks necessary to achieve your goals. At the same time, you stop doing those things that keep you from achieving success. You do more of the right things and fewer things that get and keep you off track. You set performance goals for people and projects. You become skilled at measuring and tracking results. You move into the express lane in both work and life.
Design Your Life and Career
Your goals in personal strategic planning are similar. The key difference is that rather than improving your return on equity, your planning efforts will allow you to realize a greater return on energy. You might say that personal strategic planning will increase your return on life. A business measures its equity in terms of financial capital. On the other hand, you measure your personal equity in terms of your own human capital. Your personal equity consists of the physical, emotional, and mental energies you are able to invest in your career. Set a goal of achieving the very highest return possible on the investment of your energies.
Critical Question
Ask yourself this critical question: What is it that I do especially well? Examine the areas where you excel or are clearly superior to others in your field. You need to know what you can claim as your personal competitive advantage. This is the lifeblood of personal strategic planning. Your success is tied directly to how excellent you become at the most important part of your work.
Action Exercise
Clarify your career or business vision. What could your ideal career or business look like? What could you be doing most of the time? How much would you be earning? What kind of people would you be working with? What level of responsibility would you have? What kind of industry would you be in?
THE 10 POWERFUL MUSTS IN MARKETING
THE 10 POWERFUL MUSTS IN MARKETING
By Kevin Thomas
Whenever I meet a Business Owner or an Entrepreneur the first question I ask is "how does your Marketing measure up"? Their usual response is that their Marketing Sucks! How about yours? If you are like most, Marketing is the last thing that you work on in your business. You are either doing the technical part of your business or you are putting out fires. You usually don't have a clear plan or strategy on how to set up a successful Marketing initiative in your organization. Most of the time, we are being reactive instead of proactive. We wait until business slows down and then we put a bunch of money into different media sources in hopes that business gets better. Typically, this doesn't work. But if it does, we don't measure it, to see what part of our message inspired our clients to come in the door or call us on the phone. If you would like to develop a Marketing Strategy that will give you awesome results, consistent traffic and more profits, I encourage you to read on. These are the 10 Powerful Musts that your Marketing Plan should have.
You must have 10 Marketing Strategies active at all time
Most companies have three or less strategies working for them and because of that their message doesn't reach their customers in enough time for it to stick. Researches show that a potential client must hear, see or experience your message 9 times or more before deciding to do business with you. Your website, your TV ad and your print advertising alone, isn't enough to drive the traffic that you need to make your business successful. I teach my clients how to determine the 10 affordable mediums that they can use to get their message out, so that they can attract more clients to them.
Your Marketing Message must address your target market and their interests directly
Your message must be focused.....like a laser beam on your target market. It must speak to their needs directly and clearly. For instance, an auto repair facility may communicate that they are the local experts for European automobiles. By doing this, they have separated themselves from every other repair facility in their area. Anyone who owns a European automobile now has a local expert that they can take their vehicle to.
Your Marketing Message must be consistent across all mediums you use
Many Business Owners are their own worst enemy. This is because they are communicating one message in one ad and another, somewhere else. We mentioned earlier that it takes nine or more impressions before someone makes a decision to purchase from you. If you are sending multiple messages, it will dilute your voice and cost you opportunities.
You must track all leads and know what Marketing Medium brought your prospect to contact you
There is an old saying, "What you measure you will manage". You must know what is working and what is not. If you are advertising somewhere that is delivering results, you want to stay there. If you are advertising somewhere that isn't giving results, drop it and put your money somewhere else. Most business owners have a general idea of what medium is bringing clients in but are not sure. You must track this area. It is as simple as asking a couple of questions or adding a box on your website that asks the client how they heard about you.
Your Marketing Message must be dramatically different from your competitors'
In my Companies, I am constantly watching, reading and listening to my competitors' marketing messages. Most of them look, sound and feel identical because they are put together by the advertising sales reps. They are not marketing experts. Their goal is to sell you space and get a commission......not to help you develop a marketing strategy. If you look at the newspaper ads for Car Dealerships, you will see exactly what I am talking about. Remember, "Same is Lame".
You must constantly be looking for ways to provide additional Products and Services to your target Market.
I call this recycling your customer. You must look for ways to get your customer to continue to spend money with you. Look at Wal-Mart. They started selling just household products and now they sell groceries, electronics, jewelry, etc. You can even get your oil changed, do your banking, get an eye exam or have your taxes prepared while you are there! What products and services compliment what you are currently selling? How can you add that to your existing operation? By doing this, you will add value to your current business model as well as become a one stop shop for your clients. This makes their life easier and it will increase your bottom line.
You must maintain a current database of your current and potential customers
It blows me away when I sit down with a client and they don't have an organized database of their clients. How can you stay in touch with them to share about the new promotions that you have going on? How can you follow up with them to see how the product that you sold them is working out for them? Without a database, you cannot. You must develop one so that you can remind them that you are still here and more importantly that you still care.
You must use strategies such as Guarantees and Testimonials to enhance your Marketing Message in all communications
People love testimonials and guarantees. This gives your potential client the warm and fuzzy feeling that they need to feel comfortable about doing business with you. If they read or see how your product or service has helped hundreds of people improve their lives, save money, time or increase their income, they are more likely to do business with you over your competitor. Your guarantees show the potential client how much confidence that you have in your product or service. Offering powerful guarantees such as warranties and full refunds, if not satisfied, proves to the consumer that there is no risk involved with doing business with you. If your competitor doesn't say these things, it may show that they are not willing to back up what they are selling.
Your Marketing Message must tell your prospect what to do next in making contact with you
After hearing your message, your prospect must be directed on how they should contact you. Should they email, call, write or come in? You cannot assume that they know, you must tell them. They will appreciate you for this.
You must communicate with past customers on a regular basis to ensure that they come back again and again.
The easiest sale is to those who have already done business with you. How are they going to remember you if you don 't communicate with them? I encourage my clients to stay in touch with their clients a minimum of 4 times per year. I advise them to stay away from big holidays such as Christmas and Easter because everyone sends cards during these times. Consider sending something on their birthday, the Fourth of July, New Years Day and Labor Day. You will probably be the only person they receive a card from on any of these given days.
If you develop your Marketing plan using the 10 Powerful Musts, you will increase your business with both new clients as well as returning clients. You will also see an increase in referrals to your business. The best businesses understand that marketing is the most important part of their business because without customers you have no business.
So what are you going to do next?
Well, you can go down to your local college and sign up for a Marketing course if you have the time to do so. Most business owners don 't. You can read a bunch of books and extract the principles outlined, but that takes time and disciple. Or you can hire a Marketing Coach who will help you develop the strategies that we have outlined. By doing so you enjoy the privilege of having your customer pipeline filled at all times.
By Kevin Thomas
Whenever I meet a Business Owner or an Entrepreneur the first question I ask is "how does your Marketing measure up"? Their usual response is that their Marketing Sucks! How about yours? If you are like most, Marketing is the last thing that you work on in your business. You are either doing the technical part of your business or you are putting out fires. You usually don't have a clear plan or strategy on how to set up a successful Marketing initiative in your organization. Most of the time, we are being reactive instead of proactive. We wait until business slows down and then we put a bunch of money into different media sources in hopes that business gets better. Typically, this doesn't work. But if it does, we don't measure it, to see what part of our message inspired our clients to come in the door or call us on the phone. If you would like to develop a Marketing Strategy that will give you awesome results, consistent traffic and more profits, I encourage you to read on. These are the 10 Powerful Musts that your Marketing Plan should have.
You must have 10 Marketing Strategies active at all time
Most companies have three or less strategies working for them and because of that their message doesn't reach their customers in enough time for it to stick. Researches show that a potential client must hear, see or experience your message 9 times or more before deciding to do business with you. Your website, your TV ad and your print advertising alone, isn't enough to drive the traffic that you need to make your business successful. I teach my clients how to determine the 10 affordable mediums that they can use to get their message out, so that they can attract more clients to them.
Your Marketing Message must address your target market and their interests directly
Your message must be focused.....like a laser beam on your target market. It must speak to their needs directly and clearly. For instance, an auto repair facility may communicate that they are the local experts for European automobiles. By doing this, they have separated themselves from every other repair facility in their area. Anyone who owns a European automobile now has a local expert that they can take their vehicle to.
Your Marketing Message must be consistent across all mediums you use
Many Business Owners are their own worst enemy. This is because they are communicating one message in one ad and another, somewhere else. We mentioned earlier that it takes nine or more impressions before someone makes a decision to purchase from you. If you are sending multiple messages, it will dilute your voice and cost you opportunities.
You must track all leads and know what Marketing Medium brought your prospect to contact you
There is an old saying, "What you measure you will manage". You must know what is working and what is not. If you are advertising somewhere that is delivering results, you want to stay there. If you are advertising somewhere that isn't giving results, drop it and put your money somewhere else. Most business owners have a general idea of what medium is bringing clients in but are not sure. You must track this area. It is as simple as asking a couple of questions or adding a box on your website that asks the client how they heard about you.
Your Marketing Message must be dramatically different from your competitors'
In my Companies, I am constantly watching, reading and listening to my competitors' marketing messages. Most of them look, sound and feel identical because they are put together by the advertising sales reps. They are not marketing experts. Their goal is to sell you space and get a commission......not to help you develop a marketing strategy. If you look at the newspaper ads for Car Dealerships, you will see exactly what I am talking about. Remember, "Same is Lame".
You must constantly be looking for ways to provide additional Products and Services to your target Market.
I call this recycling your customer. You must look for ways to get your customer to continue to spend money with you. Look at Wal-Mart. They started selling just household products and now they sell groceries, electronics, jewelry, etc. You can even get your oil changed, do your banking, get an eye exam or have your taxes prepared while you are there! What products and services compliment what you are currently selling? How can you add that to your existing operation? By doing this, you will add value to your current business model as well as become a one stop shop for your clients. This makes their life easier and it will increase your bottom line.
You must maintain a current database of your current and potential customers
It blows me away when I sit down with a client and they don't have an organized database of their clients. How can you stay in touch with them to share about the new promotions that you have going on? How can you follow up with them to see how the product that you sold them is working out for them? Without a database, you cannot. You must develop one so that you can remind them that you are still here and more importantly that you still care.
You must use strategies such as Guarantees and Testimonials to enhance your Marketing Message in all communications
People love testimonials and guarantees. This gives your potential client the warm and fuzzy feeling that they need to feel comfortable about doing business with you. If they read or see how your product or service has helped hundreds of people improve their lives, save money, time or increase their income, they are more likely to do business with you over your competitor. Your guarantees show the potential client how much confidence that you have in your product or service. Offering powerful guarantees such as warranties and full refunds, if not satisfied, proves to the consumer that there is no risk involved with doing business with you. If your competitor doesn't say these things, it may show that they are not willing to back up what they are selling.
Your Marketing Message must tell your prospect what to do next in making contact with you
After hearing your message, your prospect must be directed on how they should contact you. Should they email, call, write or come in? You cannot assume that they know, you must tell them. They will appreciate you for this.
You must communicate with past customers on a regular basis to ensure that they come back again and again.
The easiest sale is to those who have already done business with you. How are they going to remember you if you don 't communicate with them? I encourage my clients to stay in touch with their clients a minimum of 4 times per year. I advise them to stay away from big holidays such as Christmas and Easter because everyone sends cards during these times. Consider sending something on their birthday, the Fourth of July, New Years Day and Labor Day. You will probably be the only person they receive a card from on any of these given days.
If you develop your Marketing plan using the 10 Powerful Musts, you will increase your business with both new clients as well as returning clients. You will also see an increase in referrals to your business. The best businesses understand that marketing is the most important part of their business because without customers you have no business.
So what are you going to do next?
Well, you can go down to your local college and sign up for a Marketing course if you have the time to do so. Most business owners don 't. You can read a bunch of books and extract the principles outlined, but that takes time and disciple. Or you can hire a Marketing Coach who will help you develop the strategies that we have outlined. By doing so you enjoy the privilege of having your customer pipeline filled at all times.
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