Consulting Pulse

February 3, 2010

The one that didn't get away...

The Dip is a concept you see every corner you turn.

We recently signed a number of large scale contracts with significant organizations. Not an easy thing to do. In fact - it took over a year to sort out.

A year of trials, reference checks, small starts, false starts, meeting up and down the food chain, and tests of how well we reacted to specific situations.

It is so similar, in so many companies, that you start to realize that this isn't an accident. It's The Dip.

The road in is filled with enough twists and turns that would discourage smaller and less focused businesses. You need to have had the resources, persistence and patience to get over the line. And the ones that get over the line, enough times, win.

The Dip teaches you to be better, faster and more persistent. It teaches you how to run a better business. Is their really no chance of you finally sealing that long term contract with your dream client - or is it just a dip?

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February 1, 2010

What they need to know...

In just about every area where you have to convey your thoughts in print it is wiser to restrict yourself to what they need to know.

Whether it is a CV, a quote, an end of engagement report or a marketing handout.

Every time there is an urge to add a little more detail or explain every nuance , and every time it has the exact opposite effect.

Instead of providing a more complete picture it clouds the issue. Instead of showing clarity it actually reduces the likelihood that you will get your point across.

I have always found that placing yourself in their position, and then writing it to make sure they had the information they needed to have or whatever decision you are helping them to work through.

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January 28, 2010

The iPad and the secret of PR led advertising

Ever notice that Apple's new products are greeted with almost blanket coverage and buzz, even without publishing their first advertisement.

When Google was beginning it shunned advertisements in favor of a PR led approach. Even today I cannot recall ever seeing an ad for any of Google's products except the Adwords ads they run.

And just in case you missed the whole concept of trying to be the news and not the ads, have a look at the current PR blitz that Seth Godin has unleashed ahead of the release of Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? (Already #15 with a bullet on Amazon)

How do these juggernauts develop this PR steamroller, and more importantly could you do similar in your area?

The answer is your brand.

Everyone wants to hear what Steve Jobs has to say because he has a track record of beautiful designs, revolutionary products, and (of course) the coolness factor.

Google, even back then, was immediately obvious as a search engine that was fast, accurate and incredibly simple compared to the complex sites offered by Yahoo and Alta Vista. This was the brand, this and the distant rumbles of an incoming tide.

And Seth... what can I say that hasn't been said...

If you want to be the news and not the ads then you have to be newsworthy. Unfortunately, as a consultant you don't get to determine what your brand is - we do! But you can influence it...

1) Products and services that deliver scarce value. In the 21st century, all marketing is product based.

2) Articles, tweets and other interactions that provide scarce thought leadership.

3) Customer services that are focused on saying yes - not telling people why you can't help them. (I hate you Telstra!)

4) A level of ubiquitousness from paid blog posts and interviews throughout the net. Do not sweat it even slightly if they are not all positive. Negative reviews and posts mean people are at least engaged with what you are saying or doing.

5) Continued ubiquitousness through regular (2 - 3 per week) press releases designed to show value, tell a story and be picked up by news outlets.

6) And of course the standard Old media stuff like media kits, videos of speaking engagements, articles in prestigious magazines, copies of published books and so on.

The last tip I would offer, based on my own experience when I owned an engineering marketing firm in Latin America, that if you want to be on the news - then you have to ask the question.

Backed with your brand and focused on relevant issues... how could they refuse you?

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January 27, 2010

5 must do strategies for B2B marketers on LinkedIn

1) Update your profile to reflect the value you add, not what you do. LinkedIn, or any B2B marketing mechanism, is all about value, value, value. Always value.

With this goes regular updates of your status. But not the salesy stuff. real updates based on where you are, what you are doing, your current thoughts on...

2) Make sure you have real recommendations from people who can speak authoritatively about your work and ethics. These recommendations cannot merely be from anybody. They must be from people who others in your targeted sectors would find trust worthy.

3) Reach out to people who are likely buyers within your field and industries with InMails first.. be humble but do notbe a sycophant. Nobody with real authority needs yet another nodding head around them.

4) Restrict your connections, yes restrict them, to people within your targeted industries. And only those people who are at or near the level where they can sign checks for he amounts you wish to bill.

When you connect with others like this a number of things happen.

People tend to connect with their peers, so you get to have a deeper reach within a very specific area. Which is great because it is what you are after.

Your update stream turns from a mush about people you don't know doing things you don't care about - to a fine tuned source of unique business intelligence.

You don't get spammed by LION's, TopLinked and other variants of "Linkers".

5) Join relevant groups. (Another way to ensure your updates stream is relevant and useful) While building a specific network, as well as joining only relevant groups, you get another bonus.

When you search, or used saved searches, you are able to find all sorts of people who are one or two degrees away from you. Enabling you to start your networking efforts there with a courteous InMail.

6) Use Saved Searches to send you emails once a week (say). This is a real game changer. That way you get automatically notified when people who fill your search criteria come within your network through connections by your peers, or because they have just joined LinkedIn.

I hope this is useful, feel free to let me know how these are going for you.

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Audiobook review: Free Prize Inside!

This is the first in a series of posts that will review audio books from Audible.com. I discovered audio books about a year and a half ago and it has dramatically changed my life.

I used to read a book every 4 - 6 weeks, today I run through two to three audio books every week. Learning is the best way to leverage dead time, and audio books are the best tool for that I find.

I now look forward to the drive out to see a client, or a flight across the country! (Imagine that!) So I am going to work as hard as I can to evangelize everyone else!

It is only fitting that I start this series by running through my most recent audio book Free Prize Inside!: The Next Big Marketing Idea.

I am not sure why it took me so long to download and listen to this book. I discovered Seth Godin via Meatball Sundae and I have been a fan ever since. This audio book, as usual, didn't disappoint.

Listening to Godin can be rather disconcerting at times. His viewpoints are often both new and refreshing, as will as incredibly obvious. You find yourself drawn to his quotable gems but all the time thinking "yeah, I should have noticed that!"

That's real brilliance for me...

He runs through some familiar themes on the death of advertising as we know it, and then sets up the theme that marketing today is via remarkable products. His case studies, authenticity and personal track record in this area makes his words extremely credible.

Although not a classic "how to" type of book, Seth spends a lot of time running through different types of remarkable products and some ideas on how to innovate and create a fun environment.

The real selling points for me were the tips on selling your idea. I thought his views on gaining momentum were excellent. Great points on why superiors don't get it and how to get around road blocks.

His great take away quote for me was "Remember there is no correlation between the value of your idea and your company adopting it".

He goes on to explain that the art of gaining momentum is actually the key, and then goes on to list a range of tactics and techniques for doing this.

Brilliant book. A game changer for me, and something I am trying to work into a product launch of my own in the engineering fields.