Off-Line Networking

13 Overlooked Barriers Between You And Your Market

by Russ Henneberry

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Overcome Barriers Between You And MarketWe put up barriers.

Not intentionally but nevertheless, they are there.  If there were zero barriers, we would have a 100% conversion rate.  Every sales call would result in a sale.

If you are closing at this percentage, don’t read this article.  Instead, start a marketing and sales consulting business.  I’ll be your first customer.

If you want to improve your close rate and build stronger relationships with your market… read on.

Here is how to overcome 13 overlooked barriers between you and your market:

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A Subtle Little Difference that Makes All the Difference in Business

by Fred Miller

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We, as Tiny and Mighty businesses, should adopt that as our mantra!

Subtle Difference In BusinessWe should then practice it every day!  The fact is that it’s not very hard to distinguish yourself from others in a positive way.  Amazingly, it’s relatively easy because so many people don’t GET IT!

Those subtle little differences can make all the difference in how others perceive you, your products, services and business.

Here are some examples:

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The 3-Step Routine Guaranteed To Multiply Your Sales

by Russ Henneberry

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Routine to multiply sales

The concept isn’t new, the tactics are.

Business has been done this way for decades.  What is different is the tools we are using to execute this strategy and the power we now have as tiny business owners to make this strategy work.

Here is the 3 step routine:

  1. Create valuable content
  2. Build an audience around that content
  3. Make offers to the audience

Television, radio and print advertising all work this way.  It’s not new.

It all starts with the content.  If the content is no good, there will be no audience.  No audience, no offer.  No offer, no money.

Think about what happens to television shows with poor content.  They are unable to gather an audience and therefore, there are no advertisers willing to make offers around that content.   For further information, see any television program Julia Louis-Dreyfuss has done since Seinfeld.

It’s important that all three aspects of the routine be in place and be executed consistently.  Without content, there is no audience.  Without an audience, there is no one to which to make offers.

Step 1 – It begins with content

Ask yourself this question:

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The Ultimate Guide To Running Successful Live Business Events

by Russ Henneberry

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Same as it ever was.

Successful Live Business EventsOff-line events are still one of the best ways to grow a business.  And not just attending other people’s live events, but creating your own as well.

Hands down, the cheapest and most effective way I market my business is by running live business events.  It is not only low-cost from a financial perspective, but it also doesn’t have to be a burden on your time.

When you combine off-line events with a blog and social media, you will generate a staggering amount of sales, leads and referrals for your business.

Do your homework and develop a plan for your own off-line business events.

Why run a live business event?

Here are five reasons to run live business events:

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Learn To Increase Sales (While standing in line at the grocery store)

by Russ Henneberry

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Learn To Increase SalesA sale is a response.

It is a response to a call to action.  It is a response to marketing.

So, if you want to learn to increase sales, you must learn to increase response.

When you stand in line at the grocery store you have access to 100′s of lessons in response.  As you stand, unsuspecting,  in the checkout line you are targeted by the best direct response marketers in the world.

Usually to your left, you will find a dozen or so magazine covers printed with headlines that are proven to create response.  They draw consumers in like magnets and they get consumers to respond.

Where to apply these lessons

The lessons you can learn from these headlines can be applied in literally thousands of marketing and sales activities.

Here are just a few:

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11 Ways To Make Business Connections By Removing “Networking Event Camouflage”

by Russ Henneberry

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Ever attend a networking event and feel invisible?
Make Business Connections

You walk in and you immediately start thinking…

Why did I come to this event? I should have stayed home, I have plenty of great stuff on my DVR and some left over thai food in the fridge.

It sucks. It’s uncomfortable.

There are a million ways to make yourself more approachable at networking events: wear a smile, wear a name tag, practice your elevator speech, et cetera.

But there is no method that comes close to rivaling these methods. The eleven methods described below will make you feel like an ‘A list’ celebrity arriving at the Oscars at your next networking event.

Benefactor Before Beggar

You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.
~ Zig Ziglar

When we decide to attend a networking event we often think about what is in it for us. I will make new business connections, maybe get a new client, and chow down on some of those awesome chicken wings they have at these events. :)

All of that is potentially true. If you attend a networking event, it may provide you with all of that and more.

And it may not.

In fact, if you walk into a networking event “cold” you will often leave with little more than a chicken wing stain.

One of the major goals of any public networking event is to attract more quality people. Without quality people, the event fails.

So, the organizers of the event want more quality people. And hey, you know some quality people. If you don’t, you have a bigger problem than networking event camouflage.

If you want to be a hit at your next event, promote the event using your network.

Guaranteed, this will get the attention of the event organizers and any other stakeholders in the event. Believe me, if you go out of your way to promote someone’s event, you will become a celebrity at that event.

Here’s how to make those new business connections…

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17 Ways To Tap Into The Least Crowded Marketing Channel

by Russ Henneberry

Least Crowded Marketing Channel

Scream louder?  Scream more often?

How do we get our message through to our market in channels that are choked with marketing messages?

There is still a channel available to all of us where it’s not so crowded.  Where you can get one on one with prospective customers, partners or colleagues.

It’s called in-person networking.

The secret to cutting through the crowds is to show up.  In the flesh.  And talk.  Socialize.  Make nice.

In fact, in-person networking is perhaps the most powerful form of Content Marketing.  For centuries, people have shared value over a cup of coffee or a cocktail.  Providing each other with advice, comradery, entertainment and… yes… referrals.

And you can do it all without screaming.  In fact, screaming is generally frowned upon at in-person networking events.

Here are 17 great ways to get the most out of the least crowded marketing channel:

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A Time-Tested Marketing Trick That May Make You Feel Like A Dummy

by Russ Henneberry

Time Tested Marketing TrickIn 1950, the short-lived comedy sitcom The Hank McCune Show introduced the American TV audience to “canned laughter.”

Most television viewers would describe “canned laughter” or “laugh tracks” as phony and obvious.  But despite the scorn of TV watchers and critics, the laugh track has been with us since its debut over 60 years ago.

Why?

Laugh tracks work.  And the principles that make laugh tracks work, can be employed to grow your business.

The Law Of Social Proof

Dr. Robert Cialdini, Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University, has been studying “the psychology of persuasion” for decades and has published several best-selling books on the subjects of influence and persuasion.

In his breakthrough book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Cialdini introduces us to six laws of persuasion that are hard-wired into our minds as deeply as breathing, sleeping and eating.

The Law of Social Proof is simple:            Click to continue…

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The 5% That Matters Most In Effective Email Communication

by Russ Henneberry

Effective Email CommunicationsI am totally guilty of this.

While I take more time than most in crafting emails that are clearly written, I often do not add the 5% that matters most.

A clearly written email is:

  • Concise
  • Thorough
  • Not too wordy, gets to the point without extra fluff.

Effective email communication is critical today because we are all very busy.  We don’t appreciate flowery language in emails the way we do in a Dickens novel.

Get to the point.  What do you need?  What do you want?  What should I do?  Don’t tell me anything more or less than I NEED to know.

Being clear and concise is a given.  If you aren’t being clear and concise, your email may do more damage than good.

But clarity is not the 5% that matters most.

The Trouble With Being Too Concise

Often, in our quest to clear out our Inbox, we get too short.

Suppose you send a colleague the following email:

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How To Handle A Referral (When You Are Doing The Referring)

by Russ Henneberry

How To Handle A ReferralThe best tiny business owners both receive and give referrals.

When you give a referral, you take a risk.  You are putting your own reputation on the line with (possibly) no direct financial gain of your own.

Why give referrals? Because if you want to receive, you must give.  When you give referrals, you increase… actually — wait a second — if you need convincing to give out referrals — go read another blog. :)

Qualify Before Referring

When you refer someone, you need to do your homework on both sides of the referral.  It must be a win-win.

In order to know that you have a win-win, you need to do a bit of “qualifying” for the person you are referring.  You need to understand the services that they provide and what a good client looks like for them.

This includes:

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