The Sales Lion by Marcus Sheridan » Sales Professional

B2B vs. B2C Marketing: It’s the Same Thing People!

Marcus Sheridan — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:25:35 +0000

This whole concept of B2B vs. B2C is driving me nuts. Heck, even after having owned my own business for 10 years, I never even heard the dumb acronyms until I started reading marketing blogs about 2 years ago..and quickly realized either I’d been in the dark for a long time or there was a group of folks out there who were apparently suffering from a serious case of The Curse of Knowledge. Over time, I’ve clearly learned it was the latter…

(Side note: Go ask your local plumber or electrician or auto mechanic if his/her business is a B2B or B2C (Business to Business/Business to Consumer btw for those still unaware). The odd looks you’ll get with such a question might seriously amuse you. )

The Rules of great Content Don’t Change

You see, I talk about sales and marketing. I write about it. I speak about it. And it always seems there is someone out there listening who has the audacity to think because they’re a ‘B2B’ or ‘B2C’ the rules and principles don’t apply to them.

Sure…whatever.

P2P is the Future

In fact, I’m here to say we need to throw out this whole B2B/B2C phraseology from our modern day vernacular. Let’s change it instead to P2P. That’s right, people to people, because all of us, no matter how ‘special’ we think our industry or niche is, are a P2P company.

And when it comes to proper content marketing, the rules do not deviate when it comes to people. The customer has questions. The content marketer (if they know what the heck they’re doing), has answers. It’s a simple process, so let’s stop making it out to be some deep science, because it’s not.

Let me give you a personal example from my swimming pool company. In the fiberglass pool industry, there are fiberglass shell manufacturers, and then there are builders (the guys that install the pool in your back yard). The manufacturers would be considered B2B. The builders would be considered B2C. But here is the thing– There’s not a wit of difference in the way a pool manufacturer or pool builder should be producing content.

The same questions a pool builder might have about a fiberglass shell are the same questions an end-user would have about said shell. Whether it’s the manufacturing process, the features, etc– it’s all info of potential worth to a business/consumer.

Over the last 3 years, my company’s blog has had a major, major impact on fiberglass pool brands throughout the country because of our content. It has also had a serious impact on the fiberglass pool industry in general from an end-user educational standpoint. (In other words, it rocked both B2B and B2C boats) But if I had to go back, as a pool manufacturer instead of a builder, I’d go about it the exact same way, simply by asking myself the singular question that everyone company, no matter their silly self-imposed acronym, should consider:

What are the questions customers ask about my product?

The minute a company shifts their every focus to just that, and takes the time to answer every single question…then said company’s brand will explode and become one of the key voices to their industry– B2B, B2C, OPP, XYZ, whatever.

Great content has eliminated the divide between B2B and B2C.

Good information is good information.

People are people.

So quit worrying about the letters in your business’ ‘classification’ and start writing about stuff people actually care about. Become a ‘teacher of men’. Give liberally. By so doing, I can assure you that P2P will be the only self-imposed acronym you’ll ever call yourself again.

***The following video is a little snippet from an interview I gave at Content Marketing World last week. It’s only about 2 minutes, but it hits on the principle of P2P (or what customers really want). The rest of my entire CMW session will be available as soon as the great folks of CMI are able to release the footage.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Your Turn:
OK, although this article was short, I expect most will have an opinion on this simple question: Do you feel there is a difference in marketing a B2B vs a B2C company? If so, what is it? If not, then why the heck do we keep using the dang acronyms? As always, I’d love to hear your opinions, and if you disagree, well then speak up!!

PS***: I’m speaking to a company in Michigan today about inbound marketing and then flying out to speak at the Hubspot User Group (in a session with Kyle James) on Friday. I’ve got a big announcement I’m hoping to make out there as well and so for all my fellow inbound marketers, please let me know if you’re going to be there, as I’d love to catch up and chat!!!

Subtle Selling: The Key to Writing Great Content AND Making Money Online

Marcus Sheridan — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 11:32:55 +0000

Note from Marcus*** Just some quick news before today’s rockin article folks. Today(Tuesday) I’ll be flying out to Cleveland to speak at Content Marketing World. I’m sure I’ll be writing quite a bit about this event in the coming days but if anyone lives in the Cleveland area and would like to catch up, please let me know.

Also, last week I was interviewed by Steve Roy over at the great blog Ending the Grind. If you’d like to listen to the podcast, please check it out, as it really dives into how the community here at TSL has grown into something so special, as well as many other areas of business and marketing.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming……

I look around the web and can’t help but notice how many bloggers get so frustrated with the fact that they can’t seem to make money with their blogs. And honestly, when I see this, my response is normally about the same:

“Duh, you’re not selling me anything.”

Yep. That’s right. You may think your offering this product or that service (because you *mention* it somewhere on your ‘about’ page), but the reality is I (and everyone else), as your potential customer, have no clue what you do, which is why you keep wondering when the checks from your blog are going to start rolling in.

The Art of Subtle Selling

Here’s the thing my friends: If you really want to create a brand and a blog that make good money you have to learn the art of ‘subtle selling’ (as I like to call it), which is essentially the skill of integrating your services into your content…without sounding like a pitching machine.

You know what I mean by pitching machine, right? Yeah, it’s that guy or gal that seems to offer you something ‘amazing’ and ‘for a limited time only’ with every new email that hits your inbox. Eventually, after you realize this blogger gives you the content value of a brick, you happily unsubscribe from their mind-numbing newsletters. (Nod if you’ve seen this before…. )

But on the other hand, you’ve got another entire group online that are the opposite of ‘the pitching machine’. They write content all day, even sometimes build awesome communities, but don’t sell squat.

Thus we have an ‘all or nothing’ mentality all over the web, and it’s got to stop if we want to start making money folks.

Great Content Combined with Selling

Let me give you an example of exactly what I’m talking about. This past June, I wrote an article entitled 12 Hours to Change a Company Forever: A Story About Business and Life. For those of you that haven’t read this article (actually, stop now and just read the thing ), it tells of a trip I made to Arizona to help a company kick-off their inbound marketing efforts and revamp their web presence. The post, which was written with a unique hour-by-hour timeline, discusses every facet of inbound marketing I covered with the company (i.e. my services) and what was accomplished (i.e. the results of my services) with the visit.

Because the experience was full of lessons of what this company was missing and what they needed to do next to achieve better marketing, the article had plenty of value to the readers of this blog because just about everyone could relate to components of the story in one way or another.

But what most folks don’t understand is that because of that one article, on multiple occasions since I’ve heard a derivative of this phrase:

Marcus, I remember reading about how you went out to that one company and worked with them and their website. I’d like you to do something similar with our company…

My friends, this is the type of statement you should be hearing again and again from your customers. They read your stuff. They hear your stories. And they clearly see you can be the guy/gal to come up with the answers to their problems.

But again, the key here is learning to talk about client experiences while offering killer content to your reader base.

Let’s look at another person who really ‘gets’ the art of subtle selling.

Falchetto Doing It Right

Last week, John Falchetto wrote an article entitled “4 Ways to Manage Fear in Business Abroad”. At the beginning of the piece, he says:

Yesterday I had a conversation with a client about fear, let’s call him “Steve”.

Without going into the details, Steve feels that if he embraces who he truly is, he would end up alone. His business has been growing steadily over the past years but he doesn’t feel he is expressing his unique and authentic self.

He fears that by discovering his he is more than what he thinks he is, his world as he knows it will collapse. It will…

John went on to talk about ‘Steve’ and used the story as the foundation of the theme of the article—overcoming fear.

In essence, this is the perfect example of subtle selling. To one reader, John was simply talking about fear. To another, he was telling him “Hey, I can coach and mentor you just as I’ve coached and mentored ‘Steve’.

Get Real

Do you see what I’m saying here? If you’re not talking about real life experiences that you’re having with customers often on your blog, then you’re seriously missing out on major business opportunities. (BTW, John has signed up multiple coaching clients this year simply because of his blog.)

Keep in mind though that this principle applies to any blog, any industry, and any niche.

Just to give you one last quick example, let’s use the article I posted for my swimming pool company today. The title of the post was “Just How Much Fun are Inground Swimming Pools…Really??”, and it consisted an incredible under-water video taken by a customer of mine as their boys kept jumping in their swimming pool. If you read the article(and watch the video), you’ll see the ‘theme’ of the piece is ‘Yes, Pools are dang fun.’, but you’ll also notice how in a very subtle manner I mentioned the fact that the video was produced by a very happy customer of River Pools and Spas who had their pool installed last year in the town of Stafford Va. (Little details like places add social proof, and further enhance an article’s ability to sell).

Tell the World

My point in mentioning this is simple my friends. Stop just writing content that doesn’t actually talk about your services. If you really are helping people out there, for the love of Pete start telling the world about it. Again, this doesn’t mean that you brag. Rather, it’s a simple process of telling others what life has taught you….which in-turn tell us why you’re the best man for the job.

Subtle selling folks. Do it, and watch the results that will follow.

Your Turn:

OK, so we may not get 250 comments on this article like we did on the last one, but I still expect some great discussion. In your opinion, what makes for great ‘subtle selling’? And, are you using this skill like you should be on your blog? If not, WHY?? If so, what works well for you? As always, jump on in folks, I’d love to hear your story.

Transparency and Inbound Marketing: The Greatest ‘Sales Technique’ of the Information Age

Marcus Sheridan — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:43:51 +0000

I got into a nice little debate yesterday with my good friend Danny Brown over at Gini Dietrich’s site, Spin Sucks. You see, I wrote a guest post there entitled ‘5 Reasons You Should Discuss Pricing on Your Company Website’ and as I’d hoped, it sparked great conversation and debate on both sides of the issue (you really should check it out btw).

<Marcus Tangent Alert***> Speaking of ‘debate’, I don’t think we see enough of that in blogs (See Davina’s virtual love fest post). I love it when people don’t agree with me yet still act civil. For example, in the article I wrote earlier this week about some of the best blog header designs on the internet, Gini Dietrich and Shonali Burke both didn’t like my choices. In fact, Shonali was the first to comment, and gave me the immediate ‘thumbs down’. I was thrilled. Seriously. But that’s a whole other discussion and now I’ll get back on topic

In this debate with Danny, of which many other folks chimed in, the key word that kept coming up again and again was ‘Transparency’. You see, I firmly believe that transparency, combined with great inbound marketing, is the greatest ‘sales technique’ in the world today. And no, I’m not exaggerating one iota.

The Age of Sales Techniques is Dying

There was a period in my life of about 5 years when I read just about every book on ‘selling’ that was ever written. I couldn’t seem to devour enough of the subject and my natural tendency to ‘be the best’ lead me from one book to the next. But all of this stopped a couple of years ago when I started to undergo a complete paradigm shift regarding my approach to selling, and it happened when I truly started to understand the principle of inbound/content marketing.

Frankly, I don’t think most people really understand inbound marketing from a contextual standpoint. Seriously. They don’t get it. Heck, many make it out to be a ‘science’ way more complicated than it really needs to be. As for me, I see it in these simple terms, and if you never remember another thing I say here on TSL, please just remember this:

If your customers have questions, it’s your duty to answer them….with utter transparency.

Got it? Good.

The entire reason my swimming pool website is the most popular of its kind in the world, and the entire reason it generates more leads than I could ever possibly handle, is because it follows this simple aforementioned statement.

That’s why if someone asks me a question, I go write an article about it.

“How much does a fiberglass pool cost?”
“Who shouldn’t buy a fiberglass pool?”
“How do fiberglass pools compare with concrete pools?”
“Do fiberglass pools look cheap?”
“What are the problems with a fiberglass pool?”
“Who are your biggest fiberglass pool competitors?”
“Who makes the best fiberglass pool?”
“Are fiberglass pools ugly?”
“Are fiberglass pools too small?”
“How does ‘Brand X’ compare to ‘Brand Y’?”

The list of questions goes on and on, but with each one, upon hearing it, I wrote about it. 400 brutally honest articles later, it’s a consumer’s best friend—The voice of the fiberglass pool industry.

All this with no Google keyword grader, no expensive SEO consulting analysis, nothing.

Just listening and writing, that’s all it is.

But transparency goes way further in the sales process too. Whenever I set up a sales appointment with a prospect, one clear point is always made, and it usually sounds a little something like this:

“Mr. Customer, the entire reason I’ve spent countless hours writing articles and creating videos about fiberglass pools is because I care about consumers like you. I want you to be educated. I want you to be informed. This is also why the purpose of my visit to your home is not really about teaching. I’ve already done that and I expect you to take advantage of the tools I’ve given you. The purpose of my visit is to help you choose which pool and options, price them for you, and then earn your business at that time. In other words, I’m there to sell you a pool. Sound Good?”

Almost always, after a few second of surprise, the prospect says “Ok Marcus. That sounds great!” As you might imagine, this then leads to an incredibly productive sales appointment and very high ‘closing rates’.

Is Anyone Else Sick of ‘Sales Techniques’?

I’ve always been bothered by the fact that selling involves one sales technique after another that eventually leads to one closing technique after another that eventually leads to one ‘no’ (from the prospect) after another that eventually leads to more ‘resolve concern’ techniques after another that eventually leads to a ‘yes’…or ‘no’. Crazy, huh?

I now prefer to skip all that junk and simply give great content, make sure the prospect does his/her homework, and then reach a natural conclusion—either we’re a good fit or not.

Do you realize how many consumers are simply looking for a voice they can trust? People are so jaded with tricky semantics and silly sales processes (especially online) that all they want is for someone to be straight with them.

Why Not?

So I say why not? Why not be brutally transparent with your approach to business? Why not be the voice of your industry? Why not address issues that no one else has the bravery or guts to talk about? And why not earn the trust of all those around you in the process?

Your Turn

So what’s your take on all this? Do businesses need to be more transparent with their content and approach? Or should we not try to fix something ‘that isn’t broke’? Whether you have just a thought or a diatribe, I’d invite you to jump in below and say what’s on your mind.

That Ain’t My Shtick…The Power of Knowing Who You Are in Business

Marcus Sheridan — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:11:18 +0000

A few weeks ago, my business partners and I had the interesting experience of having 3 cameramen follow us around for a day as part of a documentary they were doing that would end up being used as an education piece in college business schools across the country. The group had read about us online and knew of our unique story(for those unaware, I own a swimming pool company), so they wanted to catch footage of all aspects of the business—from installing pools to taking lead calls in the office.

During one of these lead calls in my office, as the cameraman stood over me and recorded, I had a very interesting conversation with a prospect. Basically, the prospect had two major needs: He wanted a pool large/deep enough for a diving board, but he also wanted a very large play area with the pool (section of water less than 4’ deep). After discussing these needs with him for about 5 minutes and realizing they were a critical aspect of his buying decision, I told the prospect the following:

Me: Well sir, to be completely honest, I don’t think we have a swimming pool that’s going to fit your needs based on what you’ve told us.

Prospect: Really, why is that?

Me: Fiberglass pools do not get any larger than 16’x40’. What this means is that if you have a diving pool, the first 1/3 of the pool, or about 13’, is going to be play area. The next 1/3 of the pool is going to be a hard slope, which serves very little purpose. And the final 1/3 is going to be a diving well (8’ deep). Because you’ll only have 13’ as a play area, I don’t think that will be enough to make you happy.

Prospect: No, 13’ is not enough, what’s our solution?

Me: Well, I think you’re going to need a concrete pool in this case. They don’t have size/shape limitations, and it sounds like what you’re really going to need is an L-shaped pool—two unique bodies of water, one being shallow and one being deep.

Prospect: But you all don’t sell concrete pools, do you?

Me: No, we don’t. But if you’re really serious about your two major needs of play area and diving area, that’s the only solution I can offer you. Honestly, I just don’t think we’re the company for you.

Prospect: Well thanks for your honesty, I do appreciate it.

After I got off of the call, one of the cameramen looked at me mystified, and this was the conversation that followed:

Cameraman: Are you telling me you turned down that guy’s business? I would never do that!

Me: Our product doesn’t fit his needs, and I’m not going to lie to the guy. He wants a large play area and a large diving area in his pool. We simply can’t offer that, and I’m not going to pretend we can.

Cameraman: Yeah, but selling is selling and you should still try to convince him that he should go with your company.

Me: First of all, I am not dying for his business. We do inbound marketing, and because we’re so dang good at it I get tons of leads every day. I’m looking for great leads, not ones I have to convince about our product. If I had met with this fellow at his home, two other concrete pool guys would have come out and convinced him what I just told him—our product isn’t the right fit, period.

Cameraman: Well I’ve never turned down a job.

Me: That’s because of two reasons: Your marketing has never been that good and you really don’t know who you are. My product fits 80% of the marketplace. I don’t worry about the other 20%. The fact is, I sell more because I’m worried about less.

Cameraman: I think that’s crazy.

Me: (laughing) Yeah, I may have thought the same until I really learned who I was and stopped trying to please everyone else. The moment I did that, everything changed. You should try it sometime.

I’m not sure if that phone call is going to be on the documentary, but if I was calling the shots, it would be the first thing college students saw, as it’s that important. After being an entrepreneur for over 10 years now, I’ve come to this conclusion:

Most people in business have no idea who they really are.

For example, as I’ve mentioned here before, when I started my pool company I offered vinyl liner inground pools, fiberglass pools, above ground pools, retail, and many other items. Today, 10 years later, I do ONE thing—fiberglass pools. And because of that, our company is nationally branded as the fiberglass pool company. I’m not saying this to brag, that’s just how it is.

Blogging Identities and Shticks

I see many bloggers suffering from this same problem when it comes to branding and identity. They try to make money in a handful of ways but they never become truly known in the blogosphere for anything, and that’s why they eventually give up.

For example, folks in the blogosphere know me as a guy with an incredible community that passionately talks about inbound marketing and Hubspot. I don’t spend a bunch of time trying to act like I know all things web, social media, affiliate marketing, etc. Although I may be interested in those things, they aren’t my shtick. But when it comes to inbound marketing and blogging—oh yeah, that’s me.

For example, last week I had two large companies contact me about what I would charge to come out and speak to their organizations. Both requests were practically identical—they wanted me to get their employees fired up about inbound marketing. These types of contacts are starting to become very common, but they’re just a natural result of consistent branding, hard work, and a sense of self.

But I see many other bloggers who know who they are. John Falchetto is an expat life coach. Wim is a sales coach. Alex Whalley rocks with niche and affiliate websites. Steve Scott is solely focused on helping people make money online. And the ever popular JK Allen teaches people how to hustle through life and business. These are just a few examples of bloggers with a clear sense of ‘self’.

So that’s the challenge folks. Who are you? What’s your shtick? And do other people see you or your business the same way you do? If you know these things, your ability to experience huge success on and offline will be increased dramatically.

Your Turn:

OK, simple question for all readers: What’s your shtick? What do you want to be known as in the blogosphere and in the rest of the world? C’mon, jump in and promote yourself a little bit, plus I’d love to learn a little more about this awesome community.

***Speaking of inbound marketing, I’ll be giving a rocking webinar for the folks at Spin Sucks this Thursday. If you’re interested in having a good time and learning a ton in the process, check it out here.

Yes Mr. Godin, All Marketers Really Are Liars, Especially McDonalds!

Marcus Sheridan — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:58:00 +0000

Wow, I can save a penny!!!! Thanks McDonalds!

Short and sweet today folks, but boy is it a topic that I can’t wait to talk about….

I was driving down the road yesterday and another McDonalds billboard felt it necessary to inform me, for the 73^rd time this week, that I can now get a 20 piece chicken nuggets for $4.99. Upon seeing the message I couldn’t help but shake my head and think two distinct thoughts:

1. McDonald’s lies like a rug

2. Consumers are really stupid

You see my friends, for the last decade, McDonalds has been selling a 4-piece nugget on their dollar menu. So, if you’re really quick at math, for over 10 years now we’ve been able to buy 20 nuggets for exactly $5. That’s right—one little Abraham Lincoln more than this amazing ‘sale’ on chicken nuggets that McD’s has spent millions in advertising.

So the question begs: Why in the heck do they do it?

Answer: Because it works.

The truth of the matter is that all marketers(as least the great ones) really are liars(or extreme ‘truth stretchers’ ), just as Seth Godin said in his best-selling book All Marketers Are Liars(2005). Godin states:

“All marketers tell stories. And if they do it right, we believe them. We believe that wine tastes better in a $20 glass than a $1 glass. We believe that an $80,000 Porsche Cayenne is vastly superior to a $36,000 VW Touareg, even if it is virtually the same car. We believe that $225 Pumas will make our feet feel better–and look cooler–than $20 no names. . . and believing it makes it true.”

So is McDonalds’ sale on those ‘all white-meat fritters’ really that bad? The answer, of course, is not so much. What they’re really doing is giving us something to talk about. They’re making chicken nuggets relevant through an ‘amazing sale’ that is only one penny less than the product has been available for 10 years now. Freaking hilarious if you ask me.

But McDonalds understands that great marketing ain’t so much about pennies. It’s about perception. It’s about delivery. And it’s certainly about creating feelings.

When it comes down to it, this is exactly what consumers (you and I) want. We want companies to ‘lie’ to us. We want them to give us a reason to buy. We want to feel like we just got the greatest deal in the history of the world.

In fact, when was the last time someone said to you, “I bought a brand new car but boy did I get ripped off!”

Chances are you’ve never had a friend tell you that. But how many times has someone told you they bought a car and ‘got a great deal’? Hundreds, I’m sure.

We all want deals. We all want specials. Perceived or real, we want them. Anyone that says otherwise is lying. So if you really want to be a successful marketer, chances are you better do just that.

Am I saying you should lie? No, not exactly, but to make my point I’ll refer back to what Godin said regarding the title of his aforementioned best-seller:

“I wasn’t being completely truthful with you when I named this book. Marketers aren’t liars. They are just storytellers… I was trying to go to the edges. No one would hate a book called All Marketers Are Storytellers. No one would disagree with it. No one would challenge me on it. No one would talk about it.”

So let’s not call it lying—‘Story telling’ will do just fine.

That’s what you must do with your business folks. Have a story and tell it. Push the envelope. And if you do anything—get people talking.

Your Turn:

So let the debate begin. Is it OK to lie or stretch the truth with marketing? Is the fact that McDonalds is ‘lying’ about their amazing special a bad thing? And what’s the deal with all of us wanting ‘a great deal’? As always, whether you agree or strongly disagree, I’d love to hear your thoughts below.

Dumb It Down, Will Ya?!!!—Plus a Video Interview with The Sales Lion

Marcus Sheridan — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 13:50:43 +0000

I had an ‘SEO Expert’ call me last week and this was his opening line: “Mr. Sheridan, do you realize your site is not optimized for many important keywords in your niche?”

As soon as I heard this question, I debated having a lot of fun with the guy and continuing the conversation, or just simply letting him be and allow my pity to quickly end the conversation.

I chose the latter but as I hung up the phone, a simple thought came to mind: ‘This guy is too dumb to dumb it down…and he’ll never make money because of it.’

Yeah, kinda strong, but it’s true.

The Curse of Knowledge is Getting Worse

My friend the ‘SEO Expert’ wasn’t different than most folks though. In fact, his actions represent the majority—in all industries, niches, and segments.

In the early days of this blog, when I had like 5 readers , I talked extensively about the Curse of Knowledge, and how most business owners and employees use a vernacular well above their clients, thus destroying common sense communication and sales in general. And as I continue down this road of teaching and speaking about sales and marketing, I’m seeing the Curse of Knowledge more and more and more.

Just last week, as I was speaking to a variety of SEOs and marketers at the MarketingSherpa Optimization Summit (which was awesome btw!!!), I asked the group a very simple question:

“Everyone (in the world) knows what optimization is at this point, don’t they?”

As I expected, the majority of people in the room shook their head in the affirmative—another sign that most simply don’t understand their clients and prospects.

My follow up went something like this:

“Actually, NO. Most people have no clue what the word ‘Optimization’ is. In fact, 95% of all business owners still don’t know what a ‘keyword’ is. Furthermore, most of the people in the SEO and marketing industry use a slew of ‘common words and phrases’ that very few small businesses actually ‘get’.”

Stupid Acronyms!

And speaking of common words and phrases that most people don’t get, I’ve got to take a second to mention a second curse—The Curse of Acronyms.

I’ve got to tell you, in general, I hate acronyms (with the exception of Davinas ). They stink. (except TSL of course, which is the coolest!! )They assume people have a clue when they don’t. And often times they kill good conversation and ultimately cost people (that’d be you and me) lots of money. Here are a few examples of the most commonly used:

ROI (Return on Investment)

ROS (Return on Sales)

B2B (Business to Business)

B2C (Business to Consumer)

CMO (Chief Marketing Officer)

CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

CPC (Cost Per Click)

CTR (Click Through Rate)

SMBs (Small Medium Businesses)

Although I could go on and on with a list of acronyms, I’ll stop there and just say this:

If you’re utilizing acronyms all of the time in your sales, marketing, and content—you’re losing lots of money. Yeah, sure there are many people that know what they mean, but there are many more that don’t know what the heck you’re talking about– they’re just too embarrassed to admit it.

This rule obviously also applies to any other industry or trade specific words that are applied to your niche.

Our Goal is NOT to be a Genius

At the risk of sounding a bit prideful (please don’t take it that way), the #1 compliment I receive regarding my speaking and writing is this:

‘Marcus, you said it in such a simple way…now I get it!’

Do I ever get accused of being a genius? Nope, but that’s not the goal. The goal is that everybody gets what the heck it is I’m saying.

When we speak or when we write, we have a choice to make folks—We can try to impress ourselves or we can solely work to enlighten the audience. But be rest assured, the more ‘big words’, acronyms, and scientific stuff you say—the less you’ll actually communicate a lick of value to your audience (at least in most cases).

Because I have the ability to simplify subjects, and because I try to never speak above my audience (whether it be a single client or a room of 500 people), I’m beginning to experience tremendous success in my life. As an example, I’ve been traveling around the country in the last few weeks to help existing Hubspot clients find success with their inbound marketing.

But do I bring any more knowledge to the table that Hubspot doesn’t already do with their hundreds of awesome employees, thousands of articles, and slew of helpful videos?? Nope, not at all, but the one thing I can do pretty darn well is explain how the system works to average Joe and Jills that have a desire but simply don’t ‘get it’.

So that’s the challenge folks—start dumbing it down and stop assuming your clients know more than they do. If you do this, I can assure you the results will be astounding….

Video Time!

While I was in Atlanta last week, I met an incredible guy named Michael Aagaard. What’s amazing about Michael is that although he is very young, he has turned down some high paying and secure internet marketing jobs to do his own thing and be his own boss. He even flew all the way across the Atlantic from Denmark (where he lives) to attend the SEO conference I spoke at. After Michael and I met and he attended my seminar, he invited me to do a video interview for all his followers in Denmark, which I’m now sharing with you.

Although the video is long, if you’ve ever wanted to hear my thoughts on business and marketing, or listen to my goofy Virginia accent, I can assure you this video has it. It got a huge response on Michael’s blog and I hope if you find a few minutes here or there, you’ll give it a listen, as it won’t be a waste of your time. Oh, and one other thing– The first two minutes are in Danish, so you can fast forward that…or just listen to it if you want, because it’s kinda cool.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Your Turn:

Why is it so hard for people to ‘dumb it down’? What acronyms and other phrases have you heard that many people simply don’t understand? As always, I invite all readers to leave your thoughts below, as the comment section is where the strength of community is allowed to work its magic and we can all learn from each other.

Have a great week everyone!!!

7 Content Ideas that Will Blow Up Your Brand and Business in 12 Months or Less—Guaranteed

Marcus Sheridan — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:02:48 +0000

OK, we’ve heard all the phrases—Content is king, Content Rules, Content is Everything…Yes, yes, yes, it’s true, no doubt. But the real question is no longer about just producing content—it’s about writing stuff that truly teaches, inspires, and answers consumer questions. And not only that, it’s about producing content that stands out—that’s opinionated—and makes the world (your industry) take notice.

So the obvious question is how? How can your business come up with article ideas that will skyrocket your brand, garner web traffic, and also rock and roll when it comes to SEO (search engine optimization)?

That’s what this article is all about. Having coached in the last year businesses from all walks around the globe on this very subject, I’m stoked to discuss today simple yet extremely unique strategies that will not only give you stacks upon stacks of consumer and SEO friendly content, but will also leave you thinking in no time (once you look at your website’s analytics)—“Wow, how did this all happen??”

7 Content Ideas that Will Forever Change Your Business

1. Pricing Articles

I’m always amazed at how often I’ll go to a company’s website and they are afraid to discuss pricing. I’m telling you, this is just about the dumbest thing ever. For whatever reason, many companies want to have customers meet with a sales person before that evil thing we call ‘pricing’ is ever brought up.

But think about it for a second—When you’re interested in a product, what’s the first thing you look for when you’re on someone’s site? Yep, that’s right, you want to know how much the dang thing costs. And if you can’t find any pricing info? That’s right, you move on to the next site.

So if you’re a business owner and you’re not talking about product pricing on your website, then get with the program, because you’re not only losing business but it also appears as if you’re embarrassed about your own pricing. ( Keep in mind here that you don’t have to always give specific pricing per se. Ranges are fine, especially if your product or service varies in its cost.)

Just to give you an example of what I’m talking about, type in ‘fiberglass pool pricing’ in your little Google box. In the first couple of places you’ll see this article that I wrote about 1 year ago. And how many views has it gotten during this 12 month period? Well, to be exact, a decent 31,279 reads. Not too bad, eyy?

2. Cost Articles

I know what you’re thinking—“Marcus, you just talked about this.” Yes, I did, but in the eyes of Google and their algorithm, I clearly did not. You see, when it comes to product pricing, there is a large group of people that will type/search (let’s assume your company sells widgets) ‘Widget Pricing’ or ‘Prices on Widgets’ and then there is another group that will type in ‘Widget Costs’ or ‘Costs of Widgets’. Are you seeing what I’m saying here? When it comes to awesome content that gets major love from the search engines you need to write articles that address exact phrases and words, not just general ideas. This is very, very critical to understand if you want to be successful.

Just to shed further light on this, the most successful page on my pool website is far and away the fiberglass pool cost page, which, in the last year alone has been read exactly 54,305 times. (And no, I’m not kidding).

So to reiterate what I’m saying, the 2 most popular pages on my entire website both talk about the exact same subject, but address two very, very different words—cost and price.

3. Vs. Articles

Whenever I meet with a new client, one of the first things I talk with them about is their competing products and manufacturers. For example, let’s assume that your company sells John Deere lawn mowers. This being said, you are competing with handfuls of other lawn mower manufacturers, which also means your potential customer base has to choose between said manufacturers.

Let’s assume someone came to your store and got a quote on John Deer X model. Then, after going down the street or looking on the internet, they get a quote on a Husqvarna Y model. Being confused as to which is better, they go to Google for advice and type in John Deer X vs. Husqvarna Y: Which is Better? If you’ve written an article on such a topic, and it’s good, there is a very good chance you could show up on the first page of Google for said results.

A perfect example of one I’ve written is ‘Fiberglass vs Concrete Pools: Which is Better?‘. This article alone has garnered 56 inbound links and has been read 8,652 times in the last 15 months.

4. Problems Articles

Whenever a person is looking to spend money on a product, one of the first things they do is seek out the negatives or drawbacks to said product. For example, in the inground swimming pool industry, there are 3 types of pools—concrete, vinyl, and fiberglass. And considering that many builders like to blab all day long about the ‘problems’ of the other products (types of pools), consumers are constantly typing in Google ‘problem’ oriented phrases.

To give a powerful example of this, my business partner Jason (of Skyward Blog) once wrote a landmark article called Top 5 Fiberglass Pool Problems and Solutions. Because no one in our industry had ever had the guts/marketing sense to write about such a topic, it immediately shot to the first page of Goolge. And how has it done since? Well, in just over one year it has garnered 137 comments, 168 inbound links, and 25,589 views as of today’s date.

Seriously folks, this is an amazing content strategy and you need to do it today.

5. Review Articles

I love review articles. So do consumers. But for whatever reason, companies are afraid to write them. My question is this—We market and sell our products and services all day long, during which time we are comparing said products/services with other companies, so why are we so afraid to take these same thoughts and put them to pen?? Frankly, it makes no sense to me at all.

If you really want to see further what I’m talking about here, just type in Google any phrase that has to do with ‘fiberglass pool reviews’ and you’ll see one of my articles show up on the first page—every time.

6. Awards

Ahh yes, award articles. Man these work great! Here are a few I’ve written over the past couple of years with their corresponding stats:

4 Fiberglass Pool Manufacturers to Watch Out For in 2011: Written only 2 months ago, this article has garnered 118 inbound links and 1544 views

Large Fiberglass Pool Design Awards For 2010: 1749 views to date

Small Inground Fiberglass Pool Design Awards For 2010: 54 inbound links and 6,886 views to date

You may be asking yourself the question, “What gives me the right to give out awards to vendors/manufacturers in my industry?” The answer is simple—You have an opinion. And you’re an expert in your field. So share it.

As you can see, the traffic and SEO juice is exceptional.

7. Gimmicks

Every industry has its gimmicks. I see it every day in the internet marketing world, the swimming pool industry, and the many other fields in which I’ve assisted clients. It doesn’t matter the niche, they’re all the same, and there are going to be gimmicks, frauds, hacks, whatever.

But the main question is this: What are you going to do about it? Are you going to just let it be or are you going to nail your 95 Thesis to the church door and call them out? Yes, the latter will garner positive and negative attention from those in your field, but in terms of marketing and branding, there’s no question the results will be well worth it.

Here’s an example of a ‘gimmick’ article I’ve written before:

The Most Egregious Fiberglass Pool Warranty I’ve Ever Seen

So there you have it folks, 7 content ideas that should get your creative juices flowing and if followed through with, will have a huge impact on your company’s brand, web traffic, and bottom line. Yes, I know much of what you read above is a new way of thinking, but trust me, it will work, and if you have further questions as to how, contact me above or just email me at marcus1@thesaleslion.com and we’ll make it happen together.

Your Turn:

So my questions today are simple: Have you or your company ever utilized any of the content ideas above and if so, what were the results? Also, why do you think so many companies are afraid to produce content that talks about the things consumers are truly searching for—problems, gimmicks, reviews, etc. ? Jump in folks, this is an incredibly powerful subject, and I’d love to discuss it with you below.

Attention Sales Lion Community, I Need Your Help!

Marcus Sheridan — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 14:19:29 +0000

That’s right, I need your help guys. Here’s my problem: If you look at the header atop this page there is one glaring weakness (And no, it’s not the goofy guy standing next to the AWESOME Lion). The problem, if you take your eyes to the upper left hand side of the page, is that there’s a large, empty black space. Do you see it? Yep, nothing there at all. But that’s about to change, and I’m calling in the infantry(that’d be YOU) to assist me with the challenge. And what is the challenge? Well, if you guessed that I needed a ‘tagline’, then you were right. Well done.

A ‘Tagline’, for those of you unfamiliar, is defined in Wiki as:

“a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product or to reinforce the audience’s memory of a product.”

For quite some time I’ve known that I was lacking in the tagline department, but I decided to actually wait until two important events had transpired:

1. I had a killer community

2. I had a clue as to who I was as a writer

You see, I don’t know if it’s possible for first time bloggers to come right out the gates clearly defining their brand identity. As many of you know, this blog started off much more ‘sales’ oriented. I wasn’t dabbling nearly as much with subjects like blogging, content, personal development, small business, branding, etc.

But as time went on, passion and inspiration touched me on multiple occasions, and so the subjects of the blog diversified into what it has become today.

Successful Taglines

Most successful bloggers come up with their own tagline. In fact, here are some blogs with their corresponding taglines that I find to be excellent:

Alex from The BridgeMaker: Simple Paths to Positive Change

Danny Brown: The Human Side of Media and the Social Side of Marketing

Frank Jennings from A Spark Starts: Life Changing Inspiration

John Falchetto from Expat Life Coach: Abroad but not alone

Bryan Thompson from Elevation Life: You: Unlimited, Unsilenced, Unleashed

Shoe Money: Skills to Pay the Bills

SEO Book: Learn, Rank, Dominate

Troy Claus: Marketing and Branding the Right Way

Brankica from Live Your Love: How to Blog Like a Star

Jason from Skyward: A Blog about Growth!

Eugene at Reality Burst: Reality Creation through Net Domination

So as I’ve been thinking about taglines, I figured why not ask my community? Why not allow the people that come to this blog, week in and week out, to help me fill in that black space in the upper left?

I Need Your Help

This is why I need your help, each and every one of you. As you’ve probably noticed, this blog is solely meant to give back to you, the reader. But today, I’m asking for more. I need your help, and it would mean a lot to me.

So whether you comment on this blog all the time or have never left on word under an article, I’d ask you to consider the following:

1. Knowing what you know about me and The Sales Lion blog, what would be a fitting tagline in your opinion?

2. If you’re not sure of a tagline, but you do know of certain words that should be included, what would be those word(s)?

Please don’t be embarrassed or at all hesitant to leave your thoughts below. There are no wrong answers here. And again, whether you can think of an entire tagline or just one or two words, that’s great.

C’mon folks, let’s let the magic of community do its thing and have some fun in the process. What say you??

Blogging, ‘The Force’, and How to Sell Like a Jedi Knight

Marcus Sheridan — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:03:37 +0000

So we’re all starting to get it by this point—Blogs, and the content a business produces, have become imperative to a company’s success in the 21^st century. But despite the fact that so many individual entrepreneurs and corporate marketing departments are beginning to appreciate the impact said content can have on SEO, branding, sales, etc; I still have a strong feeling that 99.9% of the world simply doesn’t catch the vision of the magical difference content can make.

When I think of the word ‘content’, Star Wars comes to mind. More specifically, ‘The Force’. Ahh yes, the magical ‘force’ that, at some point or another, we all imagined having when we were kids growing up. When referring to ‘The Force’ Obi-Wan described it by saying , “It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.” Hmmm, deep words Mr. Kenobi, you would have been quite the content marketer.

You see, content is today’s ‘force’. It binds us. It penetrates us. And it certainly brings us together. But not only that, it convinces clients, who otherwise would never see your side, to commit to do exactly what you’re saying. In fact, watch the following famous clip from Star Wars to see what I’m talking about. (Note*** It only lasts for 34 seconds so don’t be a slacker and skip it )

Click here to view the embedded video.

Real Life Application

The other day I had a business owner call me who had read a few of my articles here on TSL. Like many people I talk to, he was extremely worried about his web marketing presence and felt completely hopeless in terms of his ability to get with the information age. He had no website. He felt embarrassed by this fact when asked by customers. And he saw his competitors passing him by.

But because of the content he’d seen in the articles on this site, and the feelings he derived from them, he was motivated to give me a call.

Such is sales. Prospects have problems, businesses have solutions…or, better stated, we hope businesses have solutions.

By the end of our initial conversation, the prospect (we’ll call him Jeff) told me he liked what he’d heard but still wasn’t sure what he was going to do. This was my reply:

I understand your concerns Jeff. Embracing blogging, content, and Web 2.0 principles can be a bit intimidating. So this is what I want you to do. I’m going to email you when this call is over 10 articles that I’ve written here on TSL. These articles apply specifically to the situation you’re currently in. I expect you to read them tonight. Once you read them, you will realize you’re capable of doing this and then I suspect you’ll call me tomorrow and commit to a contract.

Now some of you may think this statement to Jeff was a little bold. After all, I gave him an assignment and then told him that the result of said assignment would be that he would call me and want to move forward with a contract.

Here’s the thing—Most sales professionals try to ‘pitch’ there way to success. In other words they pitch their product or service so much to a client that eventually the client either gives in or tells them to go away.

Personally, I don’t believe much in this concept. I’d rather give great content to a prospect, put the onus on them to take some initiative and read it (or view it), and then allow ‘the force’ to bind us.

The End Result

So how did the story with Jeff end up? Well, the next day, Jeff called me and this is what he said:

Marcus, I was up till late, late last night reading your blog. And then I got up this morning and read some more. You were right. I’m convinced. Let’s get this started right away.

That was it folks. ‘The Force’ wins again, and balance is restored to the universe.

So here’s the challenge: Are you using your content like you could be? Is it your greatest selling tool like it should be? I can promise you that if you’ll simply shift your paradigm and start to view your business’ content as its greatest asset, everything will begin to change, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll make Uncle Ben Kenobi proud.

Your Turn

OK folks, couple of questions to throw at you. What’s your take on the power of content for a business? Do you believe it makes that much of a difference (experiences)? Also, if content is a major part of what you do, are you currently using it as you could be in terms of being an incredible sales tool?

Don’t be shy, whether you’ve got 5 words or 5 paragraphs worth of thoughts, let’s talk about it.

Gutsy Bloggers and the Amazing Power of Opinion

Marcus Sheridan — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 13:45:40 +0000

It was December of 2007. As a ‘pool guy’ during Christmas season, I was sitting at home, feeling the need to get something accomplished despite the seasonality of my business. I had been in the fiberglass swimming pool industry for about 6 years and knew it was time for a change.

Opinion Takes Form

You see, up to that point in the industry, no one had produced content to teach consumers how to buy, install, or own a fiberglass swimming pool. And as I looked around the country, all I could see were salespersons that were pitching their products, yet rarely giving consumers an ounce of value. With the information age in full effect, I decided it was time to put my thoughts to pen. It was time to write. It was time to teach. And it was certainly time to share my opinions.

So before I ever even knew what a ‘blog’ was, I sat down at my kitchen table and commenced typing everything I’d been teaching consumers in the home about fiberglass swimming pools for the previous 6 years. I spoke of the right and the wrong ways to do things. I mentioned the good, the bad, and the ugly of the industry. And I even, based on the hundreds of swimming pools my company had installed up to that point, came up with the first consumer review/ratings system for fiberglass pool manufacturers—the ‘Big Boys’ of the industry.

After 3 days and 50 or so pages, the eBook was complete. About a month later, my first ‘educational’ site was live, and ‘Pool School’ was born.

The site was a simple one, as you’ll see if you go there today. Its main purpose was to sell my little eBook . Little did I know it would change my life in many, many ways.

The Attacks Begin

Within days of releasing the book, almost every fiberglass manufacturer (most of which I’d never spoken to previously) in the country contacted me directly. Some praised the eBook. Others angrily questioned its statements. But be rest assured, everyone had an opinion….and it was the talk of the industry.

But the commotion didn’t stop there. A few weeks later I received 2 different letters from attorneys representing manufacturers that were ready to sue if I didn’t remove their names from my eBook.

The Power of Opinionated Content

For the first time in my life, I was catching a glimpse of the power of content. But not just the power of content per se, but the power of content with an opinion.

Without going into too many details, that simple eBook, and my subsequent blog which was started months later, has taught me incredible lessons about life, opinions, boldness, and guts.

Heck, I was once even sued for 5 million dollars. Can you believe that? Yep, all in the name of content.

But here I am today, unscathed, and a better man for the trials I’ve faced over these past four years. And what have been the results of such an opinionated and educational focus? Here’s the quick version:

1. As most already know, my swimming pool blog is the most popular website in the entire swimming pool industry. Companies that do 50 million dollars a year in sales don’t hold a stick to the amount of traffic we get on our site. Just to give you one example, we once published an article called Top 5 Fiberglass Pool Problems and Solutions. A gutsy article to say it in the least, it was read a meager 35,000 times in 2010.

2. Our company has been branded as the premier fiberglass swimming pool construction company in the country. This has lead to major respect from consumers in our area and around the globe. In fact, during the summer, I typically receive 10 or more emails a day from consumers from all over the world asking questions and looking for solutions to their swimming pool problems.

3. My little eBook, at almost no expense to me, has sold well over 1000 copies, and sales go up each and every year.

4. We sell pools….and lots of them.

But there is one reason why all this happens folks—It’s because we take a stand with everything. We don’t believe much in gray. For us, there is almost always a right and wrong way to do things, black and white, if you will.

Are You Willing to Take a Stand?

I cite this example because every great blog—whether it’s run by an individual, a small business, or a corporation—needs to be willing to take a stand with their content. We do not live in a world where fence sitters get rewarded on the web. Only the ones with guts and audacity stand out.

Mr. Brown and Race

This past weekend, Danny Brown wrote an article entitled “Social Media—It’s Not Just For White Folks”. Catchy title? Heck yeah it was. The article was even better. Most bloggers would have shied away from this topic, but Danny, after reading Jay Baer’s excellent article on the same matter, had the guts to tackle an issue most people are scared to death of—Race. Well done Danny, well done.

A Movement is Born

Most of you by this point have heard me talk about Hubpsot. But what has caused Hubspot’s popularity to explode to the point where they are now getting 32 million dollar investments from Google? Well, although you may hear many reasons for such a telling investment, the main reason, in my opinion, goes back to the company founders, Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah, who took a hard-line opinion and approach to old-school (outbound) marketing from the beginning. Their thoughts? Well, to put it in a nut shell, Outbound marketing sucks and Inbound Marketing is the future….plain and simple.

Did Brian and Dharmesh get their fair share of criticism with this bold paradigm? Darn right they did, but behind these strong words has grown an entire industry and movement (inbound marketing) that has only begun to see its own potential.

Decision Time

So that’s our challenge folks. Let’s not be fence sitters with the things we write. Have an opinion. Draw a line in the sand. Call a spade and spade. Will you upset a few people along the way? Of course you will, but this is how movements are started and fans—true fans—are created.

So be bold. Be audacious. And most of all, Have Guts.

Your Turn:

Do you feel that having a strong opinion is a key to blogging success? Why or why not? Also, what prevents you from being more opinionated with your writings (if it’s something you struggle with)? Finally, take a moment to think about some opinionated bloggers you’ve noticed on the web. Who are they (throw a link in if you’d like)? What makes them unique?

As always, your stellar comments make this blog rock, so let’s get this week started right folks!!

photo credit

______________________________________________________________________________

As a side note, I wanted to list a few examples of some ‘gutsy’ bloggers. There are tons more, but I’ll let you add the rest:

Tristan at Blogging Bookshelf always has an opinion. In fact, he currently is showing a guest post from Tito Phillips that rips quite a few ‘blogging habits’. Whether you agree with them or not, I give them both props.

JK Allen at Hustler’s Notebook has guts. Just read his article on ‘Why Being a Hustler is NOT for Everyone‘

Elise at Elise’s Review is one of the gutsiest ladies on the web. Whether she’s ripping Facebook for being stupid, or simply delving out witty insight on social media, that girl brings it.

John Falchetto, an Expat Life Coach, always has something to say. Anyone that will stand face to face with Tim Ferriss has guts in my book.

Gini at Spin Sucks seems to write by this code: Have an opinion or go home. Of course, with a blog entitled Spin Sucks, would you expect anything less?