The Sales Lion » Sales Identity

Why ‘Because it’s the Best’ is NOT a Good Sales Pitch

Marcus Sheridan — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:06:58 +0000

As I was busy driving around in the traffic jams of Northern Virginia a few days ago, I took a pit stop into a mall so I could stop by ‘The Walking Company’, a business that sells special walking shoes, orthotics, etc. Because the plantar fasciitis in my left foot has been kicking my butt lately, I’m to the point where I’ll pay anything to get rid of this pain-in-my-arch

So after being in The Walking Company for a few minutes and having picked up a new set of orthotics, I noticed the perfect pair of dress-shoes for work—brown leather, sleek look, and just my style (whatever that style may be). Immediately, I asked the sales lady if she had the shoe in my size, to which she replied yes and soon returned with the perfect pair.

Upon trying them on, I could immediately tell they were comfortable, well made, and of high quality. Yep, I wanted them, which led to the following conversation between me and the sales lady.

“How much?”

“$149”

“Yikes…kinda steep…What makes them so good?”

“They’re Pikolinos….they’re the best.”

“Yeah, I’m sure they’re good, but why? Why are they the best?”

“That’s what they’re known for. Pikolinos are just the best.”

At this point, I knew I was dealing with someone who knew as much about Pikolinos as I did. I was frustrated and unsure as to what to do.

As I walked around the store with ‘the best’ on my feet, I ended up playing a personal ping-pong match in my head as to whether or not they were worth it. Would they last? How beneficial were they for people with arch issues? What are customers saying about this shoe?

But alas, the answers were not meant to be on that day. Nor was the sale of those lovely brown Pikolinos, as I had no choice but to hold off on the purchase until I had been able to justify spending $150 on a pair of shoes.

Here is the thing though: I wanted to buy the shoes. Heck, I have no problem spending 150 bucks if I know it’s going to help me feel better. It’s not that I’m tight with money, I’m just like everyone else—I want to know I’m getting the right thing for me and not wasting my money.

How could any major chain like The Walking Company allow their employee product knowledge to be so abysmal in this economy? Beats the heck out of me, but it just goes to show that no matter how bad the economy may or may not be, sales training for employees stinks in most cases. Education is not at the forefront of these businesses and because of this poor focus, sales suffer—in a major way.

So if you’re in sales or have a retail store, don’t settle for average sales people. Don’t allow ‘because it’s the best’ to ever be a sales pitch for anything. Create a culture of education, teaching, and passion that not only instills confidence in consumers just looking for a reason to buy, but also sets your company as the industry expert in your field. Believe it or not, such a culture shift isn’t that hard, as very few are actually doing it. So be different. Be great. Teach everyone. And let the sales follow.

Open vs. Closed Source Paradigms: Which Do You Choose for Your Business and Life?

Marcus Sheridan — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:04:37 +0000

Open Source—I’d never heard the phrase until I’d entered the world of internet marketing, but the first time I’d learned of this incredible idea it brought a smile to my face. For those of your unfamiliar with ‘open source’, it basically has its roots in the development of software that isn’t proprietary per se, but rather open for the masses to work on, use, improve and therefore benefit the public.

I mention this because I had quite an interesting experience this week that I thought was quite a telling example of the two paradigms business owners, marketers, and humans in general can choose to have in 2010 and beyond when it comes to ‘Open vs Closed Source’. It went a little something like this:

On one of my more popular swimming pool educational videos shown on YouTube, a guy, obviously pretty bright, left a comment explaining how I was scientifically wrong with the information I had shared in the video. Not wanting to give any misinformation, and despite the fact the gentleman was a little condescending in his comment, I decided to surprise this fellow and send him a message with the invitation to write a guest post on my popular swimming pool blog about the subject and break it all down scientifically so that others could better understand the product of discussion. I also told him he’d get a link back to his website and it would be quite a positive branding move on his part.

What happened next though is what surprised me. When the gentleman responded back to my invitation of a guest post, he basically said he was not interested in sharing his intellectual property because he was too busy with other projects and didn’t have the time. I knew such a claim was bogus and therefore decided to give him a little verbal jab by telling him, in a concise way, how I felt about his position:

“Interesting, I thought you shared an ‘open source’ paradigm.”

Knowing the person on the receiving end of the message was quite the analytic based on his previous comments, I knew such a statement would not settle well. And to no surprise, a few days later the person wrote me a lengthy response, part of which included the following, word for word:

“What made you think that I had an “Open Source” paradigm?

I share information where I can; however, I still have to make money, like anyone else. You make money based on your specialized knowledge. You don’t give it all away for free. People pay you because you know things that they don’t know.”

At this point, my communication with this gentleman ended. I’d made my point. He’d made his. But there was a major philosophical difference that came out between me and this individual, and it was with this statement:

“You don’t give it all away for free.”

Excuse me sir, but this is where you’re wrong. In fact, anyone that reads this blog or has been to one of my seminars knows exactly what I’m talking about here. Everything I know is given away for free. I hold nothing back…which is exactly why people pay me. And it’s exactly because I have given so much away for free that people will in-turn trust me and ultimately use my services. Fact is, I do give away everything. Why? Simple:

The Law of Reciprocity is real. The Law of Abundance never fails.

This gentleman, although very knowledgeable, clearly just doesn’t understand how these laws work. He’s afraid of giving too much truth and therefore suffers from a ‘lack’ mentality. And frankly, it’s sad.

Over the past 18 months I’ve written over 200 ‘self-help’ articles. About half are about swimming pools. The other half are found herein at The Sales Lion. This ‘giving’, which at times has brought me major criticism from the industry’s ‘status quo’, has lead to unbelievable changes in my life. My personal brand and finances have been blessed. I’ve made tremendous friendships and helped thousands of people. Each and every day seems as if it’s bringing with it another piece of joy, satisfaction, and opportunity. In short, I have given much, and received even more.

But may I also say I knew this would happen. It’s no surprise. Again, that’s just how the Universe and its laws work. It’s always been that way and will only continue to be.

I don’t mention these things to brag. Any of you that read this blog regularly know it’s not my style. I only say this to stress the need that we all have to live and act with an abundant mentality. Be ‘open source’ in all things. Don’t be that guy who hoards truth and lives his life with a constant sense of lacking. Give, give, give. By so doing, I can testify to you that your acts and teachings will be rewarded as temporal and spiritual blessings will abound in your life.

How to Overcome the Infamous ‘Due Diligence’ Excuse in Sales

Marcus Sheridan — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:46:26 +0000

‘I need to do my due diligence.’

Ever heard such a phrase from one of your prospects? If you haven’t, you likely got into the profession of sales this morning. In fact, ‘I need to do my due diligence’(or some close derivative) is likely the most commonly used prospect exit strategy in the world today.

No question, the economy has had an interesting impact on sales, especially with big-ticket items. Because so many markets are struggling, consumers know they can get great deals and therefore are meeting with more companies and looking for more quotes before they make a decision.

With such being the norm in today’s economy, the skills and abilities of a sales professional are a critical necessity to any success at all. But even more so, I would argue that the true ‘skills’ sales persons need in 2010 and beyond are the upfront relationships they’ve established with potential clients before they ever even sit at the negotiation table(or make ‘real’ contact) for the first time.

But I need to…….

Just the other night, I was sitting with a client who was quite serious about buying a swimming pool. For the sake of ease, will call the gentleman ‘Bob’ and no doubt this man had done some serious research before I’d ever gotten to his home. After a few minutes of conversation, I’d found out that he had read almost all of my blog articles. He’d also seen countless videos I’d produced. Without a doubt, he(and his wife who was with him) viewed me as an expert and I knew it, as his trust in me was obvious from his general demeanor and smile throughout our conversation.

The sales appointment lasted about 1 hour. During that time, I felt very confident that I was going to get an affirmative ‘yes’ from this man at the end of our discussions, as all the typical positive sales ‘signs’ were present.

But to make a long story short, at the end of our discussion/presentation, I asked Bob for his business and he told me that he loved the price, he loved the pool, and he also loved our company. Notwithstanding all of this though, there came the infamous ‘but’ after his positive words.

‘But I just feel like I need to get at least one more quote as to do my due diligence, so I’ve set up one more appointment for next week, I’m sure you can understand.’

Alas, the infamous ‘due diligence’ statement strikes again…..and I thought things were going so well.

But instead of just rolling over and agreeing with Bob, the following conversation occurred:

Me: ‘With all due respect Bob, I do not agree, but let me explain to you why. You say you need to do your due diligence, which I completely understand and empathize with. But let’s look at your actions up to this point a little more closely. Based on what you’ve told me tonight, you’ve read just about every blog article I’ve written about fiberglass pools. You’ve seen all the educational videos I’ve put out there. You’ve called some of the references I sent to you before this appointment. And, as you stated earlier, you’ve also checked out other companies online and not been nearly as impressed with their efforts to teach and inform. You know our history in your area and you’ve only heard great things about our company. Am I accurate with all these statements Bob?

Bob: Yeah, that all sound about right.

Me: So you see Bob, you’ve actually been doing nothing but due diligence up to this point. In fact, you’ve done more due diligence than almost 99% of all consumers do before buying a pool based on your knowledge. Do you see where I’m coming from Bob?

Bob: I do.

Me: And based on all of this you’ve done Bob, just answer this one question for me: Does your gut tell you that we are the company to go with?

Bob: (a few second of pensive thought) It does…

Bob’s Wife: Then stop thinking about this so hard and just write the young man a check. You know you’re going to go with these guys so there is no reason not to make the decision now.

Needless to say, Bob went and got his checkbook.

Obviously, not all situations like this one end with a prospect deciding to cancel their other sales appointments and going ahead with the purchase. But the core moral of this story remains the same, and will continue to as long as sales and marketing is a part of the world in which we all live:

The more value a company can give to its prospects and customers on the front end, the less they’ll feel the need to get quote after quote on the back end.

Had I not had such a prolific, content driven website, Bob clearly would still be in the ‘shopping mode’. He’d still be gathering facts and attempting to reach a comfortable decision about where to spend his $50,000. But in this case, Bob saw so much value from our company up front that it filled in all those voids by the time I’d shown up at his doorstep.

The Challenge

So here is the challenge that we all have as sales and marketing professionals. We must truly see the big picture when it comes to Web 2.0. We must start thinking like consumers and answer their questions. We must constantly feed them answers and show them we are the true experts and consumer advocates in our field. Yes, such a challenge is not necessarily an easy one, but it dang sure is possible if we are but willing to take the time and pay the price.

So stop delaying. Put more time into your content marketing. Make videos, and lots of them. Get active on the forums. Blog at least twice a week. Do customer surveys and have your ear to the ground. By so doing you will in time not only be the voice of your industry, but you’ll also drastically speed up the sales process even in these rather difficult economic times we are all living in.

As always, I’d invite you to leave your thoughts below, whether you agree or disagree. Thanks for being a part of the conversation.

10 Ways to Rank for Your Name in Search Engine Results

Marcus Sheridan — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 11:07:38 +0000

I may have shared this story before but it’s one that makes me laugh every time and is quite applicable to today’s post– An SEO company called me recently and proceeded to explain everything they could do to ‘help’ my company with its web presence. Because I just love listening to the crapola that comes out of the mouths of many of these companies (considering it’s a service I offer businesses), like usual, I listened intently with a smile. It went something like this.

Sale Guy: …..So yes, we can certainly help your company very much with its SEO. In fact, our company was founded by a gentleman who was one of the original innovators of SEO tactics. To prove it to you, all you have to do is Google “Mike Jones SEO” (name has been changed). As you’ll see, he is ranked #1!

Me: (Thinking this was quite possibly the most stupid pitch I’ve ever heard). Well that’s all fine and dandy, but tell me exactly what you could do for my company……

Over the next 15 minutes, the guy proceeded to tell me the biggest load of horse poop I’ve ever heard from one of these companies, which was quite entertaining because I rather enjoyed proving him wrong with just about every falsehood he was promising (you know, the parts about how I could be on the first page of any phrase in the world assuming they waved their magic wand and I shelled out ridiculous amounts of greenbacks…).

But to make a long story short, my patience wore off after a while and just to give myself a little sign-off smile, I went ahead and Googled the owner’s name without the inclusion of ‘SEO’ at the end. And do you know what then showed up in the search results?

Yep, you guessed it, not a dang thing. In other words, the guy, as ‘famous’ as he was in the world of SEO, wasn’t even listed on the first 2 pages of Google for his own name. Therefore, I just couldn’t resist finishing our conversation with this little dialogue:

Me: (after listening to the sales guy’s diatribe) Ok, so I get your point, you guys are great at SEO. But tell me, if you’re so great at SEO, why doesn’t your owner’s name appear on the first page of Google Search Results when I type in his name without the ‘SEO’ added?

Sales Dufus: (long pause) Uhhmmm, well, uhhmm, well….That doesn’t really matter, as he is the first to show for ‘Mike Jones SEO’.

Me: (really feeling my oats by now) I tell you what, why don’t you guys over there figure out how to get ranked on the first page of Google with your own name and then I’ll consider doing business with you. Sound good to you?

Sales Dufus: Uhhm, have a nice day.

Ahh, the glories to be had with SEO stalkers! Yep, this experience was certainly one of the more memorable I’ve had but in reality, the lesson has a very legitimate point:

If you are not ranking on the first page of Google for Your name, then you have a problem and your personal brand is suffering.

Although I could go into all the reasons why it’s important that you rank first page on Google and other search engines for your name, I trust everyone already understands this concept of ‘personal brand’ in a Web 2.0/Information Age era.

As you’ll see if you type ‘Marcus Sheridan’ in Google, roughly 35 or so of the first 40 results that show up are a direct reference about me. I’m not telling you this to brag, as it ain’t that hard to do for most names, but I want you to give it a quick look just so the following list makes as much sense as possible.

In order to help readers, assuming you haven’t already done so, rank as high and as much as possible for your name on the first few pages of Google, I’ve come up with 10 keys for name optimization. Also, before anyone squawks, I do understand that not all names are created equal, as some are much more competitive than others, but notwithstanding these principles apply to everyone. Let’s take a quick look.

10 Ways to Rank for Your Name in Search Engines Results Pages

1. Your Company Website: Always one of the easiest ways to rank high for your name, especially if you’ve designed your website properly and taken the time to create a nice bio and about page.

2. Facebook: Because of its incredible web authority, Facebook is everyone’s ticket to become ranked on the first page of Google. Notwithstanding, because most profiles are set to private, Facebook isn’t much for letting others get a glimpse of who you are unless you’ve got an open profile that anyone can read.

3. LinkedIn: Just like Facebook, LinkedIn has tons of authority and if your account is at all active and maintained, it will usually land you on the first or second page of search results.

4. Twitter: The last of the Social Media juggernauts, Twitter can be very effective assuming the account is registered in your name and is updated often.

5. Blog: Similar to having a company website but a blog is the perfect means to openly talk about and mention yourself often, all of which bodes quite well for search results.

6. Comment on other Blogs: Blog comments don’t typically show up on the first 10 results of a name, but they can be quite prevalent on other pages. as can be seen when search for ‘Marcus Sheridan’.

7. Have Other People Write about You: Because my swimming pool blog is quite opinionated, other persons/companies have written articles about me. Some are good, some are bad, but I see them all as a positive because they just draw more attention to the company website and our brand.

8. YouTube: As we’ve discussed many times on this blog, YouTube can be a tremendous SEO tool. This is why everyone should have an account under their name and you should also create videos with your name in the title, which will practically guarantee search engine ranking success.

9. Become an Author: Although this method certainly requires more work, it can be very well worth it. Because I’ve written 3 published paperback books, as well as a popular eBook, all 3 show up high in Search Engine Results when Googling my name.

10. Become an Ezine Article Author: Ezines are prevalent these days, and because they have such a huge amount of content they always do well with search engines. To become an author for one of these sites, you’ll need to fill out your bio and contribute articles. Other than adding more authority to your brand, ezines are a good way to rank quite high in search engines (and also generate anchor links back to your main site).

So there are 10 ways you can improve search results for your name and build your personal brand even further. What are some other methods you’ve used successfully? As always, your thoughts and comments are welcomed and appreciated.

Video Marketing and YouTube for Small Business Success: Anyone Can Do It

Marcus Sheridan — Thu, 27 May 2010 05:26:09 +0000

I got a text at about 10:15 from a customer tonight. It read something like this:

Marcus, my wife and I are just sitting here watching your PoolSchool videos, and we’re ready to pull the trigger.

Of course, in this case, pull the trigger meant that he and his wife had decided to buy the pool I had quoted them a few days ago. And once again, despite being more expensive than the other quote given by my competitor, they chose us.

But this isn’t the only experience I had along these lines today. At a sales appointment this morning I had a most interesting conversation with an incredibly nice and successful guy in his late 30s who owns a prominent consulting firm. Essentially, as we were discussing his potential pool project, he told me this (and no, I’m not exaggerating):

Dude, I’ve watched all your freaking videos. In fact, I probably hold the record for the customer who has watched the most Marcus Sheridan videos. That’s why I know when you speak you’re not full of bull#%#%. So just go ahead and tell me what I need…..

Literally, all I could do was laugh when he told me this, as I’ll never cease to be amazed by the simple power of video and Youtube marketing for small businesses.

Profound Impact

Yes, I’ve talked multiple times regarding video marketing for small businesses on this blog, but the extraordinary influence this simple and cheap medium can have on consumer brand awareness, as well as consumer confidence, may even supersede that of blogging. And as everyone knows, I stinking love blogging for small businesses.

So why is it that so many small businesses are still not leveraging video? Why are they spending thousands on website designs and redesigns but continually falling flat on their faces? The whole phenomenon is an utter mystery to me quite frankly.

Bigger Ain’t Better

Take for example the swimming pool company I beat out in the previous story. The company is the 2^nd largest swimming pool installer in the world. They have a huge advertising budget. In 2008 their sales were about $130,000,000. Notwithstanding, their website stinks. Yep, it’s an utter failure. Sure it has nice photos and pretty flash, but they don’t have a blog nor do they utilize video.

That’s right, a company with over $100,000,000 in annual sales of one of the most visually stimulating luxuries in the world (a swimming pool) doesn’t even leverage the power of video on their website. Honestly, I’m dumbfounded.

This, my friends, is why David beats Goliath everyday on the web. And it’s also why you absolutely need to decide right now that video will be your best friend. If you haven’t done so already, go out and buy a $200 camera and start recording everything.

Everything?

Yes, I mean EVERYTHING.

Just as the curse of knowledge affects regular blogging, it also greatly impacts video production. Don’t assume your customers know anything. Put your mind in theirs and start seeing the world out of their eyes. Just by doing this, and by asking yourself the questions that a consumer will always ask as they start to research your product, will give you a wealth of video subjects and ideas. But for those of you who are still a little confused as to what to show and talk about, here are 4 areas to focus on as you get started.

1. You and Your People

Your business isn’t just about its products, it’s also about you. It’s about your employees. It’s about the people that make your little part of the world go round. Look at Steve Jobs for example. Why do we keep seeing videos of Steve talking about and launching his ‘next great product’ on the internet?

The answer is simple. People like putting faces with products. That’s what we do. We like stories. We think and make decisions on logical, but also emotional, levels. Apple gets this. That’s why Jobs has an incredible cult following. And as Seth Godin would say it, Jobs has created his tribe, and boy does he know how to stay in touch with his tribe.

The same thing could be said for thousands of other great companies, but unfortunately these stellar examples are few and far between. Fact is, whether you’re a CEO or a small business owner like me, the best way consumers can get to know you and like you before they’ve ever even met you is through the power video—which is why you’re nuts if you’re not taking advantage of YouTube right now.

2. Break Down the Product

As you’ll see if you visit my swimming pool video library, everything that has to do with fiberglass pools, as well as every stage of their installation, is broken down into some form of video. Show the intricacies of your product. Show how it comes to life. Demonstrate clearly was it’s capable of.

3. Life as a Product Owner

Once the consumer owns your product, is that it? Or is there more? Just as swimming pools require upkeep and maintenance, so does just about every other tangible item that a store or business sells. With the case of my business, I made the commitment about 1 year ago that every customer should be able to go to our video library and find any answer they are looking for if a question or problem ever arises. And after 12 months, we’ve come very close to completing our goal. Can you imagine the effect this has on a consumer?

4. What Others are Saying

Testimonials are awesome. That’s why they’re in every infomercial on TV even though most of the stuff that’s sold is total crapola. There’s just something magical about hearing an ‘actual customer’ testify of the superiority of a company’s products, people, and services. So if your business’ website does not have a least one video of a customer testimonial, then you’re sadly missing a tremendous opportunity to gain further trust from potential clients and prospects.

So there are my thoughts on this awesome medium. Please believe me when I say the moment you decide to truly embrace consumer education through video and YouTube will likely be one of the top 2 or 3 most important business decisions of your life.

Questions about YouTube or Video? What are your success stories? As always, your comments are invited and very much appreciated.

Social Media Success for Small Businesses: Be Great at ONE Thing

Marcus Sheridan — Tue, 25 May 2010 05:48:37 +0000

We’ve all heard the promptings. The echoes are getting louder. In fact, everywhere we look, there is someone there to remind us that social media is the future (and present) of marketing for small businesses. And although I am by no means going to differ with such a statement, I do want to make one very important point on this post about how small businesses should go about their social media strategies.

When one thinks ‘Social Media’, there are quite a few names that might pop up:

Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
Blogging
Video Marketing/You Tube
Review Sites
Forums
Etc.

No doubt, the list is already almost endless and appears to be growing leaps and bounds daily. And it is exactly this growth that causes so many small businesses to utterly fail in their efforts to leverage social media.

Realities Set In

I can’t say how many times I’ve seen a business learn about social media and then suddenly take action—start a Facebook Fan Page, initiate a Twitter account, commence blogging, and maybe even attempt a video or two.

But once the initial excitement wears off, and the reality of little result sets in, business owners and marketers can quickly get frustrated with their situation. What, no fans flocking your way on Facebook? Followers tough to come by with Twitter? No one subscribing to your blog? No luck with video views?

Trust me when I say I’ve felt most of these feelings before—which is why I’m writing this article, heck, it’s the reason why I maintain this blog—to help business owners like you overcome the dumb and preventable mistakes that I’ve made as a business owner.

A Difficult Balance

Fact is, most small biz owners are kind of busy these days. Most of us are just trying to make payroll and make a sale here and there. As a pool guy selling a luxury product, trust me when I say I know how this works. It’s a battle I deal with on a daily basis.

This is why initiating a successful social media campaign can be tough for a small business. Not only do most business owners have a ton on their plate already, but they also have to try and successfully swim in an ocean of social media ideas, all of which can be seriously overwhelming.

I’m sure you’ve all heard this phrase: Jack of All Trades, Master of None. Well when it comes to social media and small businesses, it goes more like this:

Jack of All Social Media, Master of None

And this, my friends, is a big problem. Just starting up a Facebook , YouTube, Twitter, or LinkedIn account really means nothing at all. I’d compare this to planting the seeds for a massive garden and then not having the time or knowledge to nurture and maintain the garden so that it actually produces results. Notwithstanding, I see this nasty cycle over and over again with businesses around the country.

Be GREAT at One Thing

It is for this reason that I espouse the firm belief that a company is best served when it has a clear focus and strategy when it comes to social media. I don’t believe it’s very smart to attempt a shotgun social media approach. Rather, businesses should decide what they feel they can be the best at and then do it better than anyone.

For example, when our company got on the web 2.0 train a few years ago I attempted to become involved in multiple areas of social media. Shortly after, I realized we’d be best served if we focused on producing great and remarkable content through the use of blog articles and video. Considering no one else in our industry had taken the time to truly educate the consumer, we knew our strategy would pay off with a little persistence. And as most of you that read this blog already know, our website is now by far the most popular swimming pool blog and video library in the world—after only 12 months of content production.

Hubspot TV

I recently spoke about this idea of ‘being the best at one thing’ (as well as many other marketing topics) at a Hubspot TV event in Cambridge Massachusetts. If you’ve never met me before, or if you’re not familiar with Hubspot TV, you’re going to love this. It’s also the perfect representation of my thoughts on blogging and content creation, so please check it out.

So this is your challenge. Find out what type of social media you can be the best at and then go at it like a wild animal. Don’t worry about being everything to everyone. Embrace this new identity and let your ideas flow as you leverage the wonderful tool of social media to catapult your business to new heights. It may be tough at times, but please understand that it will absolutely be worth it and in the end your razor sharp focus and persistent efforts will have been well worth any investment you’ve put in.

Questions about social media? How do you feel about a ‘focused’ approach versus trying to do too much all at one time? As always, your thoughts are invited and very much appreciated.

28 Signs Your Boss May Still Be Living in the Technological Stone-Ages

Marcus Sheridan — Fri, 07 May 2010 17:47:29 +0000

I recently heard an older gentleman bragging to one of his employees how he didn’t even know how to use Google. No, I’m not kidding, he was bragging, and the whole thing really made me want to barf.

You see, because we are currently in a transformational age, going from the industrial and quickly blowing into the information/creativity age, there are many people, especially bosses, small business owners, and company CEOs that are being left behind. And because these people are refusing to look ahead and embrace technology, their businesses, as well as their employees, are going to suffer.

In light of some of these hard-headed and ‘old school’ businessmen, I’ve come up with a list of 28 signs that your boss or company CEO may have more in common with Fred Flinstone than he or she does with the 21^st century consumer. Here goes:

You know your boss is living in the stone ages if they think that………

Road maps are awesome and owning a GPS is a waste of money.
Blogging is some weird online diary that no one reads. They also would never even consider taking the time to have someone within the company create blogs and content for the website.
Your company website should be very limited with information. Don’t discuss too much detail regarding products, pricing, etc. “Make the customer call first”, they say.
LinkedIn is another phrase for a Vulcan mind-melding trick.
IPods are some silly ‘Walkman’ that their grandkids listen to all day long and serve no other purpose.
Radio, TV, and print (and all other forms of interruptive marketing) are great forms of advertising.
Yellow Pages are the greatest and can’t wait to design the new ad for next year.
Face book is some weird stalking tool for kids to keep up with each other.
Their current cell phone ‘works just fine’ and wouldn’t consider wasting money to upgrade to an Iphone or a Blackberry…..(assuming they have a cell phone.)
A Blackberry is a phone??
The sales process doesn’t start unit the customer comes into the store the first time.
Laptops are for college students.
YouTube is for attention-loving teenagers.
Windows 95 is the greatest.
An ‘Excel Spreadsheet’ is some type of chart for reaching company goals.
Flickr is a new type of lighter.
Twitter is…..heck, they have no idea what Twitter is.
‘Organic search’ is something tree-huggers do when looking for food.
One must have an MBA to know what such acronyms as SEO, SERPs, CMS, RSS, PPC, CTR, SMO, ROI etc mean.
The phrase ‘Inbound Marketing’ refers to phone solicitors
‘Landing Pages’ are something pilots use for navigation.
‘Viral Marketing’ is somehow disease related.
‘Plugins’ are anything with a chord and an outlet.
WordPress is the concept of forming a new word by mashing to old ones together.
‘Anchor Text’ is a boating phrase.
‘B2B’ and ‘B2C’ are the newest bombers created by the Air force.
‘Uploading’ and ‘Downloading’ have to do with stocking the shelves.
Seth Godin is a crazy bald guy who makes no sense.

OK, I’ll stop there. If you’re having a problem getting your boss to move into the 21st century, just have him read this list Although I can’t guarantee what his reaction will be, at least you’ll give him quite a bit to think about!

What would you add to the list? As always, your thoughts are welcomed and invited.

Content Marketing and Blogging: The Future is Now for Your Small Business

Marcus Sheridan — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 05:15:43 +0000

In case you missed it, there is some crazy stuff happening out there right now for small businesses throughout the world. Times are changing. Marketing has evolved. What was true yesterday no longer applies. This is why I know the following statement to be true:

Blogging, within the next 10 years, will be the pillar of any business and individual brand.

Yep, what was originally viewed by many as online blabbers looking to have a voice has revolutionized commerce and economies as we know it.

The World as We Know It has Changed

20 years ago, what defined having a ‘business’ was the ownership of some type of storefront or professional office. Today, what defines the image of that same business is its website.

It used to be that company websites were few and far between. But now, in a short space of less than 10 years, businesses are expected to have websites. Such an idea would have been preposterous to many less than a decade ago, but the information age has come in with such a furry that a website is the core representation of a business and its brand.

What’s Next?

So the question is what is the next phase of this Web 2.0 revolution? What’s next that consumers will expect?

Over the next few years, as consumers embrace web technology even further, and as they are more and more adept at judging a business by its website, they will soon look for a company’s, or an individual’s, blog. Yes, just as a website is a consumer must today, a company blog will be a consumer must tomorrow.

Although I know many of you are shaking your heads in agreement right now, there are sadly still some that may feel like blogging is a silly rambling of words that holds little weight when it comes down to the successes and failures of a business.

Oh, if I could only help everyone to stop seeing the world their way and instead see the world the consumer’s way. But alas, many will be left behind. Many businesses will not embrace. Many will simply fade off as so many did before them. Such is the way of business cycles, and such is the times in which we now all live.
So my question for you is simple: Are you in or are you out?
Seriously, have you decided to make a commitment to elevating your business to the standards that are expected in the 21^st century? Are you ready to make blogging and content-giving a lifestyle, and not just a poorly thought-out new year’s resolution?

Infopreneurship and Content Marketing

As many of you know, my entire life and business changed drastically when I, along with my two biz partners, elected to become ‘infopreneurs’. For those of you who haven’t heard the word, an infopreneur is like an entrepreneur, the only difference being that an infopreneur’s entire foundation is built upon giving information to others so as to build value in the marketplace. Another phrase for this could be called ‘content marketer’.

The best way to explain content marketing really has to do with a company’s approach to business. For example, it used to be that I saw my business as a ‘pool company’. Yep, that’s what we were. We installed lots of swimming pools and therefore we were a pool company.

In hindsight though, this mentality was all wrong. Today, I see my business as a content marketing company. In other words, my entire goal is to give more valuable, helpful, and remarkable content to consumers than anyone else in my field, which will in-turn lead to more sales. Through this blog, I’m able to share these principles with tons of other companies in and out of my industry. Literally, I have absolutely no fear about the fact that I ‘give away’ every single trade strategy and ‘secret’ I have here on this blog to companies down the street that I might be selling against in an appointment tonight.

And why such a strategy?……………… Because it works.

The more valuable information you can give to others, the more you will become viewed as an expert and therefore gain their trust—hence the utmost need to blog.

Blogging as a Culture

And when I say ‘blog’, I don’t mean that your business has a section on your website that says ‘blog’ on it and when a visitor views the page they see a handful of articles that are weeks, maybe even months, old. Such a strategy is ludicrous and an utter waste of time.

I recently had a nice gentleman call me from Minnesota who was just beginning to catch the vision of what Web 2.0 is all about. One of the questions he asked me was about blogging and if I was still doing it after having established my company’s website as the industry leader (through blogging). Honestly, I had to snicker a little bit at the question because blogging, i.e. content marketing, is not a quick fix. It’s not something to ever check off of your ‘to-do’ list. Frankly, blogging should be to a business what breathing is to man—done, almost without thought, because of one’s need for survival.

This is the great misunderstanding that so many businesses have. Content Marketing is not static. Search engines, as well as consumers, simply appreciate web sites that are constantly evolving and being added upon. This way they’ll keep coming back and also the scope and influence of the site itself will just grow and grow, line upon line, with every new bit of valuable content that’s added.

A Commitment

This is why my swimming pool company, at least as long as I own it, will receive 1-3 fresh articles in its blog every week forever. And when I say forever, I really mean forever . At this point, adding articles isn’t a question of ‘if’ because it’s part of our culture. This also includes adding more and more video and relevant pages to the website itself on an ongoing basis. Again, it’s all about more and more great information. Such is the goal and once a business realizes and embraces this critical paradigm, everything will change.

So that is my challenge to you. Become an infopreneur. Embrace information. See yourself, and your business, as a content marketing machine. And as you do this, I can absolutely promise you that every ounce of energy and effort you put in to it will return 10-fold. Such has been the case in my life as well as thousands of other forward-thinking persons who have made the decision to see business and marketing in a whole new light.

Questions about content marketing? Agree or disagree? As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

4 Ways to Deal With Customers and Prospects that Just Don’t Like You

Marcus Sheridan — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:59:05 +0000

OK, I’m going to ask a question here that might sting a little but let’s just be real for a minute: Have you ever had a customer that didn’t like you? If so, why didn’t they like you? Was it something you did? Maybe something you said?

Sometimes in sales and business, personalities are like oil and water.

I ask this question because just this past week I was reminded of this interesting subject, and to the best of my knowledge, I’ve never seen anyone write about this question in another blog article. So in an effort to portray my life as a small biz owner as ‘real’ as it gets, allow me to explain the following experience.

Personality Clash

I went on a sales appointment last week to see a couple who were interested in an inground swimming pool. During the majority of the visit, I discussed with the husband (the wife was there but doing other things) what type of pool and options he was looking for and we were having a rather pleasant conversation. At the end of our discussion we began covering the cost of the project and by this point the wife became actively involved in the meeting.

Finally, when I showed the couple my price for the project, the wife immediately told me I could ‘do a lot better’. Being a little surprised by her sudden vigor, I then attempted to discuss the value of the pricing they’d been given, which value was the reason our company already had so many swimming pools on our schedule of installs for 2010. When the lady heard my response, friction quickly entered the scene, as she retorted by saying:

‘I simply don’t believe in this economy you have so many pools on the schedule. I would think that you’d be willing to give us a much better price than you have considering the way the market currently is.’

Upon hearing this statement, I, in hindsight, got rather miffed. Essentially, I felt like she was calling me a liar and I therefore explained that our company wasn’t like most pool companies and we were doing great with sales, whether she wanted to believe me or not.

Needless to say, I did not earn this prospect’s business that day. In fact, I left our meeting thinking I’d likely not hear from the couple again. Despite our cordial departure, both the lady and I knew that we clearly were not a ‘personality match’.

They Just Don’t Like You

The reason that I wanted to share this story though is because about a week later my business partner Jason emailed me and said he had been contacted by the customers I had quoted above. Upon hearing this, I naturally inquired why they hadn’t called me instead, at which point Jason replied, “Well, I just don’t think the wife likes you very much.”…….Ouch!

Everyone, whether they want to admit it or not, wants to be liked. And considering I’m a professional and see myself very good at what I do, it always stings a little when I find out that a prospect or client doesn’t care too much for my personality. Obviously, such cases are extremely rare, but anyone that has been in sales or marketing long enough knows that not everyone is going to like you. Frankly, this is just a fact of life.

Because I knew my initial meeting hadn’t gone well with this couple, Jason’s comments came as no surprise. In fact, I knew it was the right thing to turn these clients over to him. I can say this because by this point in my life, I understand this simple truth.

Not everyone you come in contact with in life will be a personality match.

And although this is rare for most nice, good-hearted people(I’d like to think I fall in this group), it’s just the way it is. The same thing has happened with my business partner Jason before. Anyone that has ever met Jason will typically say he’s one of the most kind, friendly, and thoughtful people you’ll ever meet. Notwithstanding, there have been times (albeit very few) where I’ve just had a better personality match than Jason with certain customers. For whatever reason, they just didn’t ‘get’ Jason, or he didn’t ‘get’ them, and therefore something needed to be done about it.

But because this anomaly certainly does happen to all of us in business, I wanted to mention 4 ways to deal with this problem when it arises.

1. Be Honest with Yourself

Almost always in life, when we find someone doesn’t like us, we get on the defensive. In fact, we typically verbally spout off about the other person and the reasons why they are actually the source of the problem. Although I’m certainly guilty of this, over the years I’ve learned to swallow my pride and try to view the relationship from a 3^rd person perspective. For example, upon further review of this most recent customer experience, I realized that I clearly could have handled things in a more patient, and less defensive, mindset. Fact is, I did not show any empathy whatsoever to this lady nor her ‘concerns’. And whether they were valid or not, I still could have gone about resolving her concerns in a different manner. Therefore, I suggest we always start with ourselves when this type of situation arises rather than immediately going on the defensive and attacking others.

2. Confront the Issue Head On

Often times, customers and clients can get offended without us having any idea what sparked the storm in the first place. This is why it’s always a great idea to address the problem directly with clients if you know they have some type of problem with you. Almost always, customers appreciate and respect someone who is honest and genuinely shows that they want to resolve apparent concerns or flaws within the relationship.

3. Value, Value, Value

We’ve all heard that people buy from sales persons they like, right? So then why did the couple in this experience end up calling my partner Jason to get the pool anyway? Fact is, sometimes value beats likeability. In this case, the couple had done so much research on our website and talked to so many of our customers that they felt they had no other choice than to go with us despite the fact the wife didn’t think too much of me. Kinda crazy, huh? But it is what it is, which is another reason why content is king and can overcome many deficiencies when it comes to sales and marketing in this Web 2.0 era.

4. No When to Say When

Because these types of personality clashes have happened before in our business with certain customers, my business partners and I clearly realize when we aren’t a personality match with someone else and don’t hesitate to swallow our pride and ask a co-worker to step in when needed. Sadly, simply because many professionals don’t want to admit it when there exists a personality issue with a customer much business is lost that could have been prevented.

Hopefully you’ve found some value in this unique topic of customer relationships and personality matches. As I’m sure many of you have had similar experiences, what solutions would you add to this list? How can we, as businesses, overcome personality issues? As always, your thoughts and comments are very much appreciated.

photo credit

5 Utterly Stupid Mistakes I Made Starting My Small Business

Marcus Sheridan — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 23:56:55 +0000

This is one of those posts where you’ll read it and think I’m a total idiot for some of the things I’ve done as an entrepreneur and business owner these past 9 years. And frankly, the fact that you’re likely going to have such thoughts is a good thing, because hopefully that means you won’t go down the same road I’ve been down in terms of dumb, as well as preventable, mistakes made.

The Beginning

Coming out of college 9 years ago, I was really not sure what I wanted to do with my life. I knew I wanted to be successful, but in terms of how I was going to get to that point, well that’s another story. By fate though, I happened to move back home to eastern Virginia immediately after college, thinking it would be a short pit-stop where I’d get a chance to check out my job prospects and lay the path for my future.

It was during this time that my good friends Jason Hughes and Jim Spiess had just started a swimming pool company. They had dreams of grandeur and needed someone to manage a small retail store they’d just opened up, selling hot tubs, swimming pools, etc. And just as these two men were opening up this store, I was moving back to town. Before I knew it, they had asked me to be their first employee, with the hopes of running their retail location while they worked in the field doing construction.

Knowing very little about sales, and knowing much less about business, I naturally accepted their offer. . Little did I realize that this seemingly small decision would have such a huge impact on my life. In fact, within 6 months of my employment with Jim and Jason, they offered me a partnership and, as they say, the rest is history.

And considering we now have about 9 years of ‘history’, I’m able to look back, partly with a smile and partly with a head-shake, at some of the terrible business decisions and mistakes we have made. So without further ado, here are our top 5 mistakes we’ve made as a business during this time:

1. No Hedgehog Concept

Never heard of a business’ hedgehog concept?? Well if you haven’t, you absolutely need to read the book ‘Good to Great’, by Jim Collins. It’s an awesome read and every new business owner and entrepreneur should give it a look. Essentially, a hedgehog concept (see visual) is the one thing a business can be passionate and great at. In other words, what can your company do better than anyone, making it the best of its kind? If you can’t answer this question, then Houston, We Have a Problem.

My business partners and I had absolutely no idea of what our Hedgehog Concept was when we first started. Not only did we want to be the best inground pool installers in the world, but we also wanted to install more above ground pools than anyone, sell more hot tubs than anyone, and also have a power-house service department. Although all of these concepts were ‘nice ideas’, in reality they prevented us from having an identity. In fact, it took us 6 Years to develop a hedgehog concept, which today is:

Become the Premier Inground Fiberglass Pool Installer in the Country, as well as the Swimming Pool Industry’s Beacon of Consumer Education.

9 years after starting our little business, I’m happy to say our hedgehog concept is now a reality.

2. Brick and Mortar Doesn’t Always Mean More Sales

I had this silly idea years ago that if your company had more retail stores, we’d naturally make more sales. This is why, after having a few years of moderate success as a company with one retail location, we opened a second retail location in Richmond Virginia. Although such a business strategy may have made sense 10 or 20 years ago, it makes very little in today’s world because of the internet. In fact, the brick and mortar of today is what’s found on a company’s webpage.. It is for this same reason that I closed my Richmond location exactly 5 years after I opened it- It didn’t fit our company’s hedgehog concept and was only costing us time, money, and headaches.

Today, instead of having the nice retail stores that I once had, I simply have a large plot of land off the highway with offices, warehouse space, and an area outside for model inground pools that are actually installed in the ground. Because we now understand what we can be the best at with our business, we do not focus our energies in those areas that only held us back before. Frankly, getting out of retail was possibly the smartest thing we ever did as a company. Remember, just because a facet of your business may be making you money, it may actually make you more money if you let it go to focus on the aspects of your business that make you the most money.

3. Accounting Knowledge a Must

I recently shared an experience on this blog about how my biz partners and I went through a major embezzlement about 6 years ago(due to our poor accounting knowledge), as well as the trials and tribulations we passed because of that very difficult ordeal. Although many lessons were learned from this experience, the main one was that business owners must have at least some basic accounting knowledge when starting a business. In fact, I’d consider this a moral imperative. And because so many do not, embezzlement crime runs rampant throughout the world as business owners are to blind to know when their money is being stolen right from underneath them.

4. Shotgun Marketing

Geez…When I think about all the money my company wasted because we had no marketing plan for so many years I almost want to vomit. Actually, one could argue that we did have a plan. It went something like this:

If it sounds good, let’s try it!!

What’s crazy is that many, many small businesses throughout the world have no true marketing plan or strategy whatsoever, which makes them fall victim to great sales pitches from advertising agencies and unending monthly bills. This is why I’m of the opinion that a marketing plan should also have its own Hedgehog Concept. As I’ve talked about countless times on this blog, my company, because we understand our marketing identity, does ZERO outbound marketing. No radio, no TV, no print, no direct mailers—none of it. Our complete and entire focus is to have a content driven website that blows people away and leaves a powerful impression on their minds because of its many blog articles, videos, testimonials, etc.

5. Slow to Embrace Technology

This goes hand and hand with our marketing mistakes, but because I now understand just how critical web advertising is, I only wish I had embraced it, as well as other technologies, sooner. Luckily, I found Hubspot a little over a year ago and learned how to take our website from a Web 1.0 to a Web 2.0 structure. And although this was one of the best business decisions of my life (especially considering The Sales Lion is a direct result of this decision), I can’t help but think what might have been if we had embraced Web 2.0 sooner.

So there are my 5 worst mistakes made since becoming a business owner. I could literally list about 20 more but I’ll stop there. Hopefully though, you have found a few of these applicable to your situation and will use this advice to skip over such errors and arrive at your business goals and dreams sooner.

So what are some of the mistakes you’ve made as a business owner? Questions? Comments? As always, your thoughts are invited and much appreciated.