by Andrea Dale on July 16, 2010
This spring and summer, a friend of mine has been enjoying fresh fruits and vegetables from Cedarmore Farm a nearby Amish farm through a CSA arrangement (Community Supported Agriculture). A such, every Tuesday he picks up a lovely box full of farm fresh seasonal stuff from a nearby pick up location.
Dropped into each box is a typed up note with one or two paragraphs about “the farm.” I adore those notes. Andy, the person who writes them (I assume it’s Andrew Hershberger, referred to on the LocalHarvest web site), talks about their livestock and farm practices. He mentions what’s happening with “the cows,” “the pigs,” “the horses,” and next week it’s about “the goats.”
In the most recent note he said that in the spring after they put the cows out to pasture, they stir up the many layers of manure and straw in the barn by letting the pigs root out the corn kernels that were sprinkled in throughout the winter.
Now, I am pretty much clueless about farms, much less Amish farms, so to me this is intriguing stuff.
Sincere and consistent communications trump most spiffy marketing message, especially when it’s genuine and interesting. It draws me in, engages my desire to understand and makes me feel included.
As you communicate with your clients and prospects on social media, your blog, in email and in person, consider “letting them in” with insights and tidbits revealing what you and your business are about.
by Andrea Dale on June 8, 2010
Concise Marketing Advice Podcast
Rewrite the bone dry copy in the “Experiences” section of your LinkedIn Profile and then spunk it up. How? Ask yourself “How does this experience help me serve my clients better?” Pair your answer with quirky, out-of-the ordinary or striking one liners and vignettes that you’ve dealt with at work. To recall those stories:
- Print out your LinkedIn profile.
- Review the chronological list of your positions and career changes with an eye for:
- Distinctive or off-the-wall products you created or facilitated. Did you puzzle out how to put a company logo on a tiny ceramic pig, or shoot classy photos of a woman and her pet aardvark?
- Uncommon hiring/work situations. Unexpectedly hired or approached for a project at a non-business event? For example, The Executive Happiness Coach, Jim Smith, was later hired by a Maid of Honor, after she asked for (and he gave her) a business card at her wedding.
- Curious clients (and this is true). I provided technical support to a one-armed retired Russian academic who used a custom English keyboard to type his research papers in a Cyrillic alphabet.
Sprinkling little pieces of intriguing work experiences into your profile introduces humor, invites questions and adds depth by illuminating you, the person behind the profile.
This blog was written for the ezine Concise Marketing Advice (CMA). Receive this ezine in your inbox by subscribing to CMA via the sign-up box in the upper left hand corner of this page.
by Andrea Dale on May 5, 2010
Are you meeting with lots of prospects and getting no results? How do you approach for sales meetings with prospects? Do both of you have the same expectations each time you meet? Do you:
- Both agree on a basic agenda or goals beforehand? Or
- Assume that both of you know what will happen, and just wing it? Or maybe,
- Agree to an agenda and then let the conversation veer off topic, never to return?
Remember your frustration after attending a badly-run meeting? You thought, “I could have used that time to finish a critical project or rearranged the pencils in my desk drawer!” Busy, successful prospects (the kind you’d like to have) feel that way, after aimless or off-topic sales meetings.You are responsible for obtaining their input and agreement on a basic agenda or a list of shared goals, unless the prospect says otherwise (and sometimes they will).
Build trust, avoid rushing the sale and establish rapport by:
Being a Sales Professional
- Clearly understand your sales process, including what steps and how many meetings it typically takes to sign-on a new client.
- Prepare standard leave-behinds and information appropriate for each stage.
- Only meet with prospects and businesses who are your ideal client.
Communicating With (versus to) Your Prospects
- Establish beforehand what types of information and decisions you seek by meeting’s end.
- At the meeting, set firm dates for following-up and following-through on decisions and requested information.
- When appropriate, ask for a final decision or a solid deadline of when they will decide…And let the prospect know you will contact them soon after that date, if you have not heard from them.
Setting pre-meeting expectations keeps the actual conversation directed and yet open; because you’re both on the same page, keeping the pressure off. It also shows your prospect that you appreciate their time and energy, while engaging them from the start.
And should they become a client, it increases the likelihood of referrals. They know you will prepare for, respect and communicate with their referrals just as you did with them.
This blog was written for the ezine Concise Marketing Advice (CMA). Receive this ezine in your inbox by subscribing to CMA via the sign-up box in the upper left hand corner of this page.
by Andrea Dale on May 3, 2010
As of Friday, I am now belong to the Northeast Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce!
Do you belong to this chamber? If so, what are your favorite events and benefits?
Is your business a member of a Cincinnati or N. Kentucky Chamber of Commerce?
If yes, tell me which one and why, including your favorite events.
Please post your answers in the comments section…I look forward to hearing from you!
by Andrea Dale on April 20, 2010
Do requests for referrals from clients or colleagues fall on deaf ears? If so it’s time to handcraft your approach.
Make it easy for colleagues and clients (aka referral partners) to send you business. Ask them to keep an eye out for specific situations, projects or emotions signaling a need for your services or products. Take into account potential conversations or comments between your referral partner and prospect that could naturally lead to recommending you. For example:
- Most business owners won’t mention their bottom line, but they may express concerns about obtaining affordable health insurance or paying high taxes. These comments may indicate a need for CPA services or business consulting.
- Newly-promoted executives aren’t known for openly worrying about succeeding in their new position. They may however, discuss departmental politics or management issues with other executives or frustrate the company’s executive team by putting off critical decisions. These conversations and issues may imply a need for executive coaching or mentoring.
Keep your referral request straightforward by focusing just one type of ideal client and not more than two services. If you feel the need to “educate” your referral partner about your services or prospects it means you haven’t crafted your approach based on their profession and point-of-view. Go back and rethink it.
Do you desire client-getting tactics that work? If your answer is” yes!” contact me today at 513-561-2642, or email me at adale@tothepointwriting.net.
This blog was written for the ezine Concise Marketing Advice (CMA). Receive this ezine in your inbox by subscribing to CMA via the sign-up box in the upper left hand corner of this page.
