Alberta Business MarketingJul
10
2010
Why your business simply can’t rely on the Yellow Pages.
“Yellow Pages only tells people where you are. Google tells you who you are, where you are, & how good you are – or are not.” gitomer
Jeffrey, this makes so much sense!
Jul
8
2010
Social Media and Search Engines are turning the sales world on its head. Is your business attractive bait in the online ocean or is your business just a small fish in a big pond. Businesses today are looking for what you have to offer but how are they finding you?
One of the questions I get asked throughout the course of my day, as a Canadian Social Media Consultant is how small businesses across Canada can actively prospect for new business in our online world. The Internet has opened the kimono when it comes to marketing opportunities.
Is your business leveraging what the Internet has to offer?
I continue to enjoy a strong passion for sales and marketing. This passion was born in my early days as a computer tech and IT Professional in the Calgary market. As a young computer support technician I had a knack for helping those get the right IT solutions for their business and with the right mindset. These core principles I practiced 12 years ago are now very relevant today.
It started with putting service first and the need to provide the client the right solution that allowed them to achieve their crucial business goals. I loved being involved in the sales process and eventually helping build IT Matters through a strong client-first marketing focus.
Like many of you, I had a number of so-called “sales experts” try to educate me on how to sell to my customers. Some strategies worked and some flopped. That was part of the education process. The important component of any experience is that we learn from it.
In a traditional sales environment, we have always taught our sales teams to go out and prospect. Chase down potential opportunity after opportunity and shake things out. Many of us are still taught to “go out and hunt for opportunities”. We do cold calling, warm calling, selling to people in our networking groups and the list goes on from there.
The question is, does it really work in today’s world?
The market is much smarter than just a few years ago. Google, BING and the Internet have helped educate our clients on exactly what they want or need. Social Media and online communities are breeding grounds for those looking for answers. However, many of us continue to turn a blind eye to the power of social media and continue with websites that don’t perform.
Today’s consumer plays the prospector role. Educated consumers lurk amongst us and the Internet allows these knowledgeable consumers to continuous search the information and answers they want. Many will never stop until they get the answer they want. These same consumers once relied on our expertise. Today, that expertise is available with a simple Google search.
I often think in order to fill this need and to be successful in our businesses we need to flip the prospecting model on its head. The roles have to be reversed. Our sales teams and marketing professionals must become the prospect and our future clients…the prospector. I think this is how the model has to look. It is the only way it can work in today’s world where answers are at everyone’s fingertips.
What can we do online and offline that facilitates others to prospect for our services and products? How do sales professionals and business owners become attractive bait for those in need of what we have to offer? I often think about what Jeffrey Gitomer says, “customers love to buy but they hate to be sold”.
How can we become that facilitator who allows people to do what they love…BUY. Can our social media activities play an active role? I think it has to. The reality of today’s world is never before has the opportunity for many of us to become great bait and allow the prospectors out there to find us. After all, isn’t that we all love to buy? The debt crises in North America can attest to that.
The Internet allows us to be searchable. Social media and search engines are the prospector’s tools. The scary part is for many of us is we are nowhere to be found. We have little or no online presence and we wonder why the guy down the street gets all the business. Maybe it is because he is out there, helping and serving those who are looking for what he or she has to offer.
That is the reality, it doesn’t matter what market you are in, you have an opportunity to educate and make yourself the most attractive bait out there. You just need to take the first step and learn how to participate effectively.
Jun
18
2010
All I can say is WOW…Mind Over Marketing has lived up to the hype and all of my expectations.
What happened?
Shawne Duperon and Scott Schilling happened…that is what happened.
These great people opened my eyes on how I embrace Social Media and how I serve the Calgary and Canadian small business community plus all of my IT firms that I currently serve.
Scott Schilling like another of my friends from the Dallas areas comes from Wisconsin (Just like my friend Pat from Carrollton, TX). Scott is also great friends with my good friend Bob Burg and shares the same visions of the Go Giver. Scott spoke on HeartCentered Selling and it was a very refreshing talk on the way we need to serve others and share our passion and vision. Scott really focused in what matters the most in how we market and sell – passion and service comes to mind again. I reflect back on a famous quote from Jeffrey Gitomer “People hate to be sold, but they love to buy”. Thanks Scott for your immediate friendship and leadership in our business community.
The other person who opened my eyes real wide was Shawne Duperon. Shawne is a talented speaker and a beautiful person. She is also a six-time EMMY award winner spoke to the group about Media and also touched on Social Media. She really reenforced what my talk was about which is a wonderful thing and helps me understand that our team at Ulistic is on the right track in the way we serve the business market here in Canada. Shawne also reminded me about the importance of marketing and why marketing our services (the right way) is crucial. She says that 80% of a business owners time must be invested in marketing. I totally agree…no better marketers than the business owner.
I am very grateful to the team at Mind Over Marketing for the opportunity to serve our business community here in Calgary.
Apr
6
2010
The other day I was having coffee with my good friend and trusted small business partner, Dr. Leslie Roberts. Leslie is a brainchild behind Calgary small business training organization, GoForth Institute.
Our conversations usually cover many topics ranging from hockey to business when we grab our Starbucks and catch up. On this day we focused on the importance of small business training, education and what the average business owner needs to do to keep their skills sharp, we were really focused from a couple of entrepreneurs. One question that came up in our coffee chat was, what is a suitable investment for the average small business to make in continuous learning and team development?
I know when I was running IT Matters with Rob Hay and Tony Mah, we invested up to $5000 each year per employee in training our staff. It was a very critical part of our employee retention program and important to ensure every member of our team had the skills they needed to do their job. If you read all the books or listen to all the CDs from the world’s renowned authors such as Jeffrey Gitomer, Harv Eker and others. These authors are always speaking on the importance of continuous learning and education. We understood this at IT Matters.
Now, in my new career as a Calgary Search Engine Optimization and Online Marketing professional I have to continuously invest in my own learning and always sharpening my own saw. Leslie confirmed this during our conversation about the importance of small business training in Canada and especially here at home in Calgary.
I have to give kudos to Leslie and her amazing team at GoForth. They ensure the Canadian Entrepreneur has the right tools in their business toolbox so they can become successful. Give them a call at 403 242 2546 to learn more.
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