Setting up for 2010

Have you ever noticed how the older one gets, the faster the years seem to blow by? It’s one of those time-relativity things. When you’re five, a year represents 1/5 of your life. When you’re 50, it represents 1/50. Each year, our perception of time compresses, so the years roll by, seemingly faster and faster, until the next thing you know, AARP is filling up your mailbox with membership invitations and you find yourself considering which Medicare plan is best. Now then, isn’t that a cheerful proposition?

But this post isn’t about our ever increasing race toward oblivion. It’s about planning. This year went by with head-spinning speed and the new year is upon us. Now is the time to close out 2009 and start to set things up for 2010. If you play your cards right, you can schedule your work for the next several months or more.

To do that, you’ll need to get chummy with your clients for more than holiday get-togethers and toasting the new year. Consider contacting your best clients – the ones you want to clone – and inviting them to lunch, on you. It’s a nice way to say, “Thanks!,” for sending you all that work during the year. But, it’s also a way to glean a lot of useful information.

During your lunch, ask your client how you did during the previous months. Scary? Maybe. But, it’s something you need to know. Are they pleased as punch? Were there some things you could have done better? This exercise will aid you in providing a better client experience in the future.

But, this breaking of bread shouldn’t be all about you. It should be mostly about your client. Once you have a handle on how you’re doing, ask them what their plans are for the upcoming year. Will they be presenting at any trade shows? Are their new products or services to be launched? Are they expanding into new locations? What are their goals and how can you help them attain them?

For example, during your conversation, your client tells you they’re planning to go to trade shows in June and October to support the launch of a new product they plan to roll out in May. You’ve just been presented with an opportunity to pitch a lot of work. Odds are they’ll need a product logo, some literature, website updates and, perhaps, a new trade show display. If you manage things correctly, you can schedule several projects for the first half of the new year, all for the price of a nice lunch.

Do this with several clients and you can see how your calendar and job roster can fill up pretty quick. Plus (and it’s a big plus), you’ll avoid the crunch of rush gigs, which are often the result of poor planning.

The thing is, your client will likely hit the ground running come January. They know they have a product to launch in May, but other, more immediate things, take precedent. Next thing they know, it’s April and the product launch has become a scrambled rush.

You can avoid this scenario simply by addressing their future needs now. And, you’re client will thank you for it. Taking some time now to plan the coming months will help them do a better job with a lot less anxiety. You’ll avoid that nasty feast or famine syndrome, too, knowing that you’ve got projects scheduled months in advance.

Now, isn’t that a nice way to start the new year?

Low & No Cost Marketing and Public Relations Tools, Tactics & Techniques Presentation

I'll be speaking to the South Florida Freelance Network on Wednesday, October 28th. The event starts at 6:30pm at Gatsby's, 1805 S University Drive in Davie, FL.

Attendees will learn how to get on their prospect's radar screen and leverage the power of the Web to build an online presence and drive more traffic to their site. They will also learn how to:

• Avoid common & costly mistakes
• Create a one-page marketing plan ... that gets results
• Position themselves as an expert in their industry
• Generate press coverage
• Write news releases that get noticed
• Build a media list
• Produce a press kit on the cheap
• Use Social Media for more than telling friends what you had for lunch
• Leverage the power of personal and business networks
• And more ... all without breaking the bank
  

I hope to see you there!

Click here to learn more and register. It's free. After all, it is a presentation about low & no cost marketing.

Leveraging LinkedIn

It’s been a while since my last post. Alas, summertime and all that comes with it. Today’s Labor Day, the not-so-official end of Summer. Now it’s nose to the grindstone and back in the saddle with today’s topic – LinkedIn.

Most of you, if not all, are aware of that LinkedIn is a business social networking site. From their About Us page:

“LinkedIn is an interconnected network of experienced professionals from around the world, representing 170 industries and 200 countries. You can find, be introduced to, and collaborate with qualified professionals that you need to work with to accomplish your goals.”

Think of it as Facebook in a well-tailored pinstriped suit.

Here are a few fun facts to know and tell:

• LinkedIn has over 46 million members in over 200 countries and territories around the world.
• A new member joins LinkedIn approximately every second, and about half of our members are outside the U.S.
• Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members.

Similar to other social media & networking sites, you start by creating a profile. This should include your current and past positions, education and a summary blurb. It’s a good idea to include a mug shot that displays your shining countenance. It’s helps to humanize this digital stuff.

LinkedIn is all about relationships. You probably have a few of those already. The site makes it easy to import your contacts from Outlook, Palm, ACT! or Mac’s Address Book. Plus, you can import your webmail contacts from Google’s Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL, .Mac and a slew of others. LinkedIn will let you know which of your contacts are members. Odds are many will be. You can send out an invitation to connect via LinkedIn for those that aren’t already on the site.

So, now you’ve got perky profile and the start of network. What do you do now? There are a lot of options. You might consider some of the following:

• Find and be introduced to potential clients, service providers, and subject experts who come recommended by folks in your network
• Be found for business opportunities and find potential partners
• Join in discussions with like-minded professionals in private group settings
• Find inside connections that can help you land jobs and close deals
• Post and distribute job listings to find the best talent for your company
• Post news releases and articles
• Ask questions and get valuable answers and insights
• Answer questions posed by members to demonstrate your smarts about various topics
• Feed your blog into LinkedIn
• Tap into the many third party applications like Box.net for collaboration, Slideshare, Google Presentations and Amazon Reading List

Check out the their Learning Center and you’ll find more ways to leverage LinkedIn. Plus, LinkedIn offers several User Guides to help jump start your virtual networking efforts. In addition to the New User Guide, they also offer specialized guides for:

• Job Seekers
• Entrepreneurs
• Attorneys
• Business Development
• Consultants
• Journalists
• Non-Profits
• Venture Capital

And there you have it. At the end of the day, LinkedIn is yet one more valuable tool in your marketing and promotional toolbox. As you explore the site, you’ll find more to help build quality connections, get your name out and build you business.

The Cycle of the Sale

Since sales is probably the one business function that most of us would prefer to steer around, or completely ignore, I thought it might be good to visit. So, put on your favorite pair of checker slacks and that stunning plaid jacket - we're goin' sellin.'

Selling services are different that selling a tangible product. With product sales, the prospect looks it over, compares features and benefits, compares competitive prices, etc. In days gone by, people would visit several stores before making their buying decision. Now days, they compare products and prices on the Net, often long before they ever step into a store or showroom. With service sales, the "product" is intangible during the sales cycle. That's one reason why the sales cycle (going from first contact to signing on the dotted line) can be 6 - 8 months or, often, longer. To keep yourself afloat, you'll need to have several irons in the fire at various points in the cycle. Some will close sooner, some later and some not at all.

Typically, there are three phases of the cycle: making contact; building the relationship and, finally, closing the sale. Let's take a look at each.

Making Contact
There's several articles across the Web (and on this blog) that talk about self-promotion and marketing tactics and techniques - all the fun ways to get the word out. None the less, it's always good to have a reminder. Here are some of the typical methods:

• Networking events such as ad clubs, chambers of commerce, trade shows, clubs & organizations.
• Direct Mail such as postcards, sales letters, printed samples, brochures, 3-dimensional pieces
• Cold/warm phone calls
• Speaking engagements such as seminars, lectures or talks and workshops to a targeted audience
• Press releases
• Writing articles
• Online prospecting
• Working on charitable events and programs
• Award competitions
• Skywriting above your prospect's place of business (Okay ... that's a wee bit extreme).
• Asking for referrals from business contacts, friends and family
• And of course, your Website, blog and social media of choice such as LinkedIn, Biznik, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

The idea during this phase is to actively be working several methods to get your name around, known and remembered. You want to meet people. But, not just anybody. Ideally, you want to meet and qualify folks who need what you provide and have the dough to pay for it. Plus, it's a good idea if they also offer the potential for repeat business.

Find those techniques that fit your style and personality. Shoot for at least three to five activities each day. If you plan well it won't take too much time. Maybe you make a few phone calls, attend a chamber breakfast, shoot off an intro letter with a few printed samples one day. Then, on the next, you give a talk at the local Rotary Club, attend a Board meeting at a nonprofit and crank out some emails to current clients and friends reminding them that you're always on the lookout for referrals.

If you're diligent, you'll meet several new people who just might become clients. But, to do that, you'll need to build a relationship with them.

Building the Relationship
Building a business relationship is like building a personal one, so don't sweat it. Unless you're a total hermit, you've already got the experience you need. Just like with a significant other, you need to show up. What I mean is to be available. Listen. Learn and remember what's important to them and help out where you can. Timing is the trick. You don't want to come off like a stalker or pain in the hind quarter.

Here are some methods

• Take notes during your conversations.
• Find out their spouse's and kids' names. Who's their boss? What are the challenges they face in their job and industry? Who are their key competitors? What kind of hobbies do the enjoy? Look around their office if you've gotten that far. What's on the walls? Any nick nacks and perhaps a paddy whack or two?
• Pop all this info into your handy contact manager (you've have one, right?) and set it up to alert you on important days.
• Be sure to ask how their family members are doing.
• Send out cards for birthdays, special achievements, etc.
• Send a handwritten thank-you note when appropriate
• Take them to lunch, dinner or a special event
• Forward articles of interest, special deals you may hear about, special events (Like that club meeting where you'll be speaking. What a coincidence!)
• If they've mentioned a problem or challenge they're having, and you know the answer, for goodness sake, tell them. Don't go too far with this, though. You can easily cut into your billable potential if your answers to their woes are the services you sell. Think of it as sampling and whetting their appetite for more.

The point is to become a resource and someone who is looking out for them. It's very important that this be true and authentic. People can usually spot a thrower of baloney. Have some integrity. Integrity, by the way, is rooted in the word, "integrate." That means what you believe on the inside is what you do on the outside. That's one reason why it's good to find prospects you like as people. Hopefully, you'll be spending a lot of time with them working on that big project. But first, you've got to close the sale.

Closing the Sale
The day finally comes. Mr. Marketing Manager gives you a call and asks you to submit a proposal for Da Big Project. You set up a meeting to go over the specs, at which time Mr. Manager clues you in that you'll be competing against three other groups. You're still not as "in like Flint" as you may have thought. You've still got one big hurdle to jump. You also learn you'll be presenting to a couple of VPs and the CEO, along with your buddy, Mr. Manager.

After the meeting, you get to work and begin to craft your perfect proposal and plan your presentation. You review the company again, its products, its competitor and audience. You go through the project goals and draft some delicious prose showing how you're going to meet them with your brilliant work.

Judgment Day comes and you make your pitch, showing what needs to be done and why your the right solution for the project. You ask for the sale. You're in good shape from all you learned during the relationship building process. You have an edge over the other groups who were called in cold. Your presentation is dead on-target. They give you a standing ovation, sign on the dotted line and write you a deposit check on the spot. The planets align and rainbows appear in the sky. You've closed the deal - all because you're the one who took the time to make the best use of the sales cycle.

Size Matters

In marketing, targeting is simply taking careful aim. It’s about knowing and understanding your best prospects. Who are they (ideally, by name and title)? What is their business and industry all about? What makes them tick? What are their buttons and what can you do to push the right ones?

When it comes to targeting your market, in most cases, size does matter. It matters for a couple of reasons. First, you’ll need a market that’s large enough to have an ample supply of prospects. Second, within that target, you’ll want aim for companies that are large enough to need a bunch of what you do.

Without enough prospects in your selected target market, sales can be tough. Competition gets stiffer. You run the risk of having one key client representing 25%, 30% or more of your revenue. That’s a very dangerous place to be. If something happens and, for whatever reason, you lose that client, you’re up the proverbial creek, sans paddle.

If you live and work in a smaller market area with few local prospects, you’re going to need to consider branching out. Tap into the largest city near you. Get aggressive on the Net. Become active in a few clubs and associations. Consider budgeting some money for sales trips. That is likely to mean putting some dough aside from a decent gig to hit the road.

If there are a good number of prospects, but they’re all small companies, you find yourself with a constant stream of “one off” gigs – one-time shots or once a year deals. That means you’ll need to spend significantly more time, and also money, marketing and promoting your business. That might be fine for you. I know a lot of creatives who do just that. But, if you’re like most of the folks I’ve worked with on their marketing, you’d rather be designing, shooting, writing or whatever than spending most of your time on the phone, networking and generally schmoozing it up looking for your next meal ticket.

Focusing on larger companies can be more effective in the not too long run. Sure, the sales cycle is longer, but the rewards are worth it. Larger companies often have a steady stream of projects with bigger budgets. They usually have a better understanding of working with outside resources. And, frankly, some notable names on the client roster can help landing some more down the road.

Even after you land some larger clients, it’s important not to rest on your laurels. Marketing is still critical. I believe it was Heraclitus, who said, “The only thing constant is change.” He was spot on. Continuous marketing and promotion is needed to ensure you have prospects in the pipeline. Contacts come and go. Management directions get reworked and you may find you’re not part of a client’s brave new world. It happens. Having several prospects in the hopper at various stages of the sales cycle will help you fill in the gap faster when a key client goes bye-bye.

Scoping Out Suspects & Prospects

Before you can become a leading designer, photographer or writer with great clients and a wall full of awards, you’re going to need to scope out some suspects and prospects. A prospect, simply put, is a potential or “prospective” client. They’re in your sales loop and qualified, but haven’t yet graduated to being a paying client with loads of work for you.

Just before them in the sales and marketing food chain are “suspects.” These are the folks you think may need what you’re selling, but you haven’t confirmed that through the qualifying process. Qualifying, simply put, is the process of determining whether or not a suspect needs and buys what you have to offer and can pay for it. The process can involve much more detail, but the previous is it in a nutshell.

While I’m writing definitions, this is a good place to define marketing and sales. If you look in the newspaper want ads, odds are, you’ll see several jobs for marketing reps. In most cases, they’re not looking for a marketing rep. They’re looking for a salesperson. Marketing and sales aren’t synonyms. Marketing tasks are those activities do to warm up the sales playing field. It’s sending out a mailer or press release, writing some articles or white papers, attending networking events, along with other tools and tactics to get your name out there and become visible. Sales, on the other hand, is about face time, making calls, drafting proposals, giving presentations and ultimately closing the deal.

Speaking of making calls, contrary to popular belief, most design firm principals do make cold and warm calls. As a matter of fact, design firm consultants, Design Management Resources, did a research study a while back. They found that as much as 30% of a designer’s or firm’s business comes from cold calls and sending cold letters with a phone follow up. That’s pretty significant. If you’re not sending letters and making calls to prospects, you might just want to rethink your efforts.

Okay, I wrote all that to write this. Where the heck do you find suspects and prospects? Search engines and the Web are good places to start. Poke around and look for some growth industries or businesses that are similar to work you’ve already done. Swing over to the library and hit the reference desk. Ask them to point you to the Index Guide of Advertisers and/or the Index Guide of Advertising Agencies, if you do trade work. These hefty tomes are also called the “Red Books” and they provide a wealth of information. Others are The Million Dollar Directory and O’Dwyers Directory of P.R. Firms. There are several other directories the Reference Librarian can suggest. Over the course of an afternoon you can build a pretty decent list.

The Web also offers some helpful sites. LinkedIn.com and Biznik.com are two popular business networking sites. You put together a profile and then build your network. The idea is something like six degrees of separation. Folks you know know others who know yet more. That's a whole lot of knowing going on. In a couple of steps you can gain introductions to several suspects and prospects. Another is Jigsaw.com. It’s an online directory of business cards and pretty slick. The other day I was trying to find contact info for a prospect. They have several locations, but I couldn’t anything about their corporate office and contact info. I popped the business name into Jigsaw and bingo! It returned several key contacts at the corporate office, complete with addresses, phone numbers and even phone extensions. How handy is that? For a pretty small investment, Jigsaw can bring you some big returns. Yet another is Spoke. It’s similar to Jigsaw and they might be just the ticket for you.

Finding and contacting suspects and prospects should be part of your regular week, if not your day. Schedule in the time to do it as though it were any other project-oriented task. Because if you don’t, there aren’t going to be many projects.

Ideally, you’ll want to build a list of about 300 or more people. Sure, it takes time and effort to build that amount of contacts. Obviously, the more contacts you have, the better your odds are of landing a juicy gig. Keep in contact to ensure you’re on their radar screen. Drop them a handwritten note, a link to a pertinent article, a phone call and promo piece here and there. When the time is right, you’ll be the one at the top of their mind.

Hot Off The Press!

Well, it’s not really hot ... and it’s not really off the press. It’s an e-book I’m just finishing up – Marketing Tune Up: A Turnkey Guide For Creating and Implementing Your Marketing Plan. Actually, this little tome was started a while back, but then all that life and work stuff got in the way.

Marketing Tune Up, affectionately nicknamed MTU, is a fun-to-read discourse about the ins and outs of writing, and actually putting to good use, your marketing plan. There’s nary a drivel of dry and droll marketing speak. What is contained within its pixeled pages are tried and true tactics and techniques to get your name out there, get the phone ringing and the inbox jingling. Okay ... enough with the alliteration.

This is a 75+ page beta version I’m putting out there at roughly half what it will sell for as version 2. I’d appreciate your thoughts, insights and suggestions for inclusion in the next version. If you’d like to email me some of your successful marketing activities, I’ll include them in the next version along with a credit line and a link to your site or blog.

Here are some of the topics covered in MTUv1:

Creating Your Marketing Plan:

• The Components of a Marketing Plan
• The Four “Ps” of Marketing
• Conducting A Competitive Analysis
• Conducting A SWOT Analysis
• Marketing Objectives & Action Plans
• Branding & Positioning
• Creating A Budget
• Developing Your Marketing Calendar

Working With the Tools:

• Advertising
• Direct Mail
• The Web
• Blogs
• E-Newsletters
• Online Forums & Discussion Groups
• Search Engine Keyword Advertising
• Banner Ads
• Print Collateral Materials
• Public Relations
• Press Kits
• Press & News Releases
• Writing Articles
• Tip Sheets
• Interviews
• Speaking Engagements
• Seminars & Workshops
• Networking
• Generating Referrals
• Building Buzz

Also included are a Sample Phone Script, a Sample Intro Letter, Competitive Analysis Charts, a SWOT Analysis Chart and an Hourly Rate Calculator.

You can read more about MTU here. If you’d like to cut to the chase and skip the descriptive stuff, you can use the button below to place your order.

Features are okay. Benefits are better. But, solutions sell.

All companies have problems. Sometimes they’re big. Other times they’re small. Usually, companies within industry niches have the same kinds of problems. If you can identify those problems and find an authentic solution to them you’re well on your way.

So, how and where do you start to scope out some problems? Industry association sites are a good place to start. Check out their articles, news, trends and other information they may have to offer. Odds are you’ll spot some common woes.

Often, business club and association sites will carry a membership roster. Follow some member links and check out their sites. Naturally, Google can be a great help in finding suspects for your detective work.

Many of my readers are web and communication designers. Let’s say you’re one of those. You might find that company sites are having a hard time converting visitors into buyers. They might need a better landing page and stronger call to action. Maybe there’s a lot of “me too” marketing going on with everybody saying the same thing. You just found yourself a differentiation problem.

On the heels of industry associations sites, networking offers some good opportunities. The trick here is to attend networking events that your suspects and prospects are also likely to attend. If you’re a designer, going to a design-oriented event is nice to chum around with your peers, but you’re not as likely to meet potential clients. But, going to an American Marketing Association meeting might be the ticket. Let’s say you’re a photographer. An ASMP meeting is nice, but an Art Directors’ Club or an AIGA meeting would be a better choice for meeting image buyers.

When you go to an event or meeting, listen more than you talk. That’s important. Pose some open-ended questions, not the closed variety that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” For more on how to fire up a conversation and avoid being a wallflower, check Marketing Mentor’s site and blog. Ilise and Peleg have some great advice.

Another inroad is conducting a survey. SurveyMonkey.com is a good one for this. You might also consider running a poll on your site or a fax-back snail mailed version. You can gather some good information from a well thought out survey. Plus, you can offer the results in the form of a white paper or report that can be downloaded from your site in return for the recipient’s email address.

You might consider offering a complimentary consultation for a well qualified prospect. This is a form of consultative selling and it’s a great sales method for service-oriented businesses. It doesn’t make sense to do this for every suspect that comes along because you’ll be investing some time.

Do some background research to scope out the problem. Get a good handle on the company and its marketing/business environment. Develop some workable solutions and make your presentation. If the problem-at-hand is one you’ve successfully solved before, you might be able to simply work it into a conversation or email. The trick is to not show your hand. Whet their appetite for your solution, but don’t give it all away. Perhaps demonstrate your expertise with a written or verbal case study highlighting how you solved a similar problem.

At the end of the day, people ... your prospects ... don’t want to be sold. They want answers. They want solutions. Finding those workable, suitable solutions to common target industry problems can help make you the hero or heroine who saves the day and is worth every penny of your fee.

A Time To Shine for Freelancers & Indy Pros

There’s more than a load of doom and gloom in the news these days. Recession. Depression. Bailouts. Credit crunch. Foreclosures. Layoffs. The list of nasty statistics goes on and on. I’m sure you’ve heard it all.

But, if you’re a freelancer, or independent professional, this might just be the time for you to shine. The “layoffs” entry in the previous paragraph is key. Many companies are laying off staff or completely dissolving positions. And therein lies the opportunity. Just because the staff goes away, doesn’t mean the work goes with them. Somebody has to get it all done.

Layoffs often mean smaller staffs are having to do much more with much less. Tie that to the fact that smart businesses know it’s wise to step up marketing and promotion activities during slow times. Why? Because many of their competitors are cutting back. It’s a time when those who crank up the marketing machine can overtake market share and be in a sweet position when the turnaround comes (and it will).

Savvy businesses know that freelancers can be their saving grace. They take some of the load off of in-house staff, companies don’t have to pay benefits, payroll taxes, buy new equipment and other employee related expenses. Plus, freelancers are usually easier to find and hire for a gig than a full-time employee. They’re in, do the job and out, until needed again.

In a nutshell, it simply makes sense during times like these. But, don’t take my word for it. Check out what CNN has to say. There’s also some good advice in the article about, as a freelancer or independent contractor, covering yourself when it comes to taxes and such.

Ireland-based designer, David Airey, also has some great insights on his blog, along with a few excellent resources.

Networking With Blue Skin

Boy, time flies when you’re freezing in South Florida. This is supposed to be the subtropics. Something’s gone horribly wrong. It’s been cold. Like 40ºF cold. Yesterday, it topped out at around 60º. Yeah, it’s better than 2º, but it’s still dang cold. One tends to get used to 80º and sunny skies right quick. Okay, enough with the blue-skin ramblings.

I attended a local Chamber of Commerce meeting last week. It went better than expected and I had the opportunity to meet some great people. I also got the word out to some friends and family types [again] that I’m still alive and reasonably well (People tend to forget if you don't keep in touch). Both of those activities landed a couple of meetings and one probable gig. So, it’s time to roll up the ‘ole sleeves and start drafting a proposal.

I also broke out my copy of Marketing Mentors’ book, The Designers Guide to Marketing and Pricing. Ilise Benun and Peleg Top did a great job writing this excellent almanac of all things business for the creative entrepreneur. It covers all the nitty gritty from determining your market to how to find prospects and clients, what to charge and how to craft a winning proposal. Sure, I write about marketing and self promotion, but that certainly doesn’t mean I know it all or don’t forget things here and there. So, I keep a shelf of books, articles and white papers for reference.

Speaking of networking, one little ditty I came across is Networking for Professionals. I’m just starting to poke around to see what they’re all about. I found them via a link on the South Florida Business Journal site. NFP holds regular face time networking events and I’m planning to go. Individual memberships are $20 per month in NY, NJ and CT and $10 per month in GA, AZ and IL. If I’m understanding things correctly, memberships out of those areas are free. Free is good. They might be something for you to check into.

Plugging Along With Intro Letters

It’s Tuesday and I’m plugging along. Today’s all about writing intro letters to some prospects. I put together a nifty list with the help of Jigsaw. Other than that, it’s working on a couple of site redesigns and my presentation for the 2009 HOW Design Conference.

My intro letters are just that ... an introduction. I’m not trying to sell anything. I’m simply looking to establish some name recognition and a bit of background. Fortunately, I have an oddball surname and folks tend to remember it. They usually get it wrong, but at least they remember it’s “Tort ... something.” “Tortellini?” “Tortella?”

A few days after the letters go out, I’ll follow up with a phone call. Again, I’m not selling my services on this call. I’m simply selling an appointment. I’m trying to get some face time with the prospect. Now, doesn’t that take the pressure off?

A lot of people try to sell the whole ball of wax with one phone call. That’s a tough, if not impossible, task to pull off. Someone, I think it was the great philosopher, Anonymous, who once said, “I don’t know you. I don’t know your company. Now, what were you trying to sell me?”

Before you can sell, you need to establish trust and cultivate a relationship. That can take time. But, you’ve got to start somewhere. A phone call. A brief meeting. Sending off some useful information. It will take time, but persistence pays off.

I’d like to make a toast

This past Friday, I attended my first Toastmasters meeting. The idea here being, to get out, meet some people and hone the ‘ole speaking skills. Getting involved with Toastmasters was one of those tasks that was always on the list, but I never seemed to be able to get it checked off.

For those of you not familiar, Toastmasters is an international organization that provides a supportive environment where one can develop their communication and leadership skills. That means they tend to not throw tomatoes. Yup, that’ll work. The dues are more than affordable and it sure beats shelling out a boat load of dough for the latest self-help CD set, seminar or training session (typically where you’re supposed to close your eyes, fall backward and hope the guy behind you likes you enough to catch you on the way down to the floor.)

For the record, public speaking ranks higher than death on the stressful things to do list. No kidding. But, even if you’re not planning to become a silver-tongued orator, this kind of training, feedback and experience will help you make better presentations and take a leadership role in projects and client management. Heck, it can even help you convince your significant other that going out for Italian is a better choice than Mexican. That sure can’t hurt.

The meeting was fairly small. The people were friendly and I was addressed as the “honored guest.” It was obvious that these folks don't know me yet. Give it a few weeks. I'm sure "honored" will digress to something along the lines of "hey you." Plus, the coffee was free. What more could you want? They’re a diverse group in terms of age, gender and occupation / vocation. The format was a bit more formal than I expected, but it was kind of refreshing and fun.

There were three speakers, each of whom spoke on their topic for roughly 6 minutes. Speeches are timed and the talks are critiqued by an “evaluator.” I thought the evaluations where honest, and helpful. There’s also a person to check your grammar and word usage and another who calls you on the carpet for using those little gems like, “Um,” “Er” “You know,” or, “Ahhh ...”

All in all, a good time was had. I met some delightful folks, including a guy who is the president of a $40 million company in one of my target markets. Yeah ... I think we’re going to get chummy with him. Plus, he seemed to be a really nice, down-to-earth guy.

If you haven’t done the Toastmasters thing yet, I highly recommend it. It’s an inexpensive way to sharpen your communication skills, meet some great people and get yourself loaded up on java for the day to come.

More on the South Florida Adventure

Today, it’s heading out to our local Chamber of Commerce to pick up a new member packet. They have a couple of lead groups I’m going to attend. I’m usually not big on lead groups. They tend to be a business card orgy with folks trying to sell you this and that. But, I figure it’s a good place to start to get know some people in the area.

After that, it’s off to Jigsaw and Spoke to hunt down some prospects in the area. South Florida is ripe with service companies, several large ones are right in my backyard. With this lousy economy, many have laid off in-house designers and are outsourcing. Once I have some names and contact info, I’ll be drafting intro letters and making follow up phone calls.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ll be getting in touch with friends and family to see if they know of some folks who might need what I do. That will be an ongoing practice. Out of sight is usually out of mind.

I whipped up a couple of site layouts for my cousin and shot them off as pdfs last night. I’m waiting to hear back. You know how that goes.

Other than that, I’ll be updating my contact info on several business networking sites like LinkedIn. I also need to start a press release about some Tortorella Design stuff that’s been happening and begin to build my South Florida media list.

Are we having fun yet?

A New Year ... A New Adventure

Well, it’s a new year and time for a change. I made the leap and moved back to South Florida. Land of sunshine, palm trees, unbelievable traffic, lizards and insects the size of your fist. Ah ... the good life.

I lived here long ago and now it’s time to reestablish myself here in the subtropics. Fortunately, I’ve always kept in touch with folks down here so, I have the remnants of a networks to build on.

I thought it might be fun to follow me through on putting my business together in a new place. The good, the bad and the ugly. Hopefully, not too much on the ugly side.

I came down for the holidays back in December and got together with the family I haven’t seen in years. That’s always interesting. I was talking with my cousin who owns a home remodeling business. One thing lead to another and we started talking about his business and his site. It needs help. Bingo! My first gig. Plus, he’s going to plug me into his network of friends and business associates.

First lesson: Ask and you shall receive. If you don’t ask, you usually don’t get. I simply asked him if he’d like for me to look over his site and make some suggestions. One thing lead to another in the conversation and he asked me to rewrite and redesign the site.

I also called my friend, former boss in another life and major mentor. Everytime this guy gets a new position, I get a new client. He’s a true gem and the arrangement works well for both of us. We’ll be getting together for lunch in a week or so. I also called a couple of old clients who live in the area. More lunches to rekindle some relationships.

Next up, Toastmasters, to hone my speaking skills and meet some folks. Also, calling pretty much everyone I’ve met in my entire life to let them know what’s up and that I’m ready to do the design thingy.

Here we go ...

The Importance of Follow Up

Well, I’ve been a very bad boy and haven’t posted for a long time. Bad, Neil! Bad! You know ... busy at work, life, yada, yada, yada. Excuses, excuses.

Let’s see if I can change all that and pick up where I left off.

Today’s ditty is about following up when you don’t win the gig. It’s one of those things that a lot of folks forget to do, or simply don’t want to do. But, it’s important. When you don’t land the project, you need to know why so you can adjust things, as needed, for the next go around. Without that information, you run the risk of repeating the same mistake (if there was one) over and over. That’s generally bad.

Some prospects will let you know, others will blow you off, but at least give it your best shot.

Here are a couple of examples:

We had a prospect call a while back to invite us to pitch their account. They’re a heavy industrial manufacturer. It’s an industry where we’ve historically had a lot of experience. And, it would be a high six figure chunk of change if we landed it.

So, we rolled up our sleeves and started to do the background research, went to several meetings and drafted our proposal. We felt good about things. The proposal was solid. The chemistry seemed positive. We didn’t get it.

Why? It turns out, when I followed up, the president of the company felt our experience was too much on the consumer end of things. He felt that way because the work on our site showed a lot of pieces with that slant.

Lesson learned? NE Ohio is still an industrial area. Even though the economy here for heavy industry is pretty much tanked, there are still prospects out there who need what we do and have money to spend. Needless to say, I’m working on adding more industrial pieces to our site.

Here’s another one. We had a former client contact us about a site redesign. We had done a few projects for them in the past, so they knew us. It was one of those Friday calls where they needed an estimate for a Monday meeting. I scrambled to put together the estimate and we got it to them late Friday afternoon.

Tuesday we got an email. We didn’t get that one either. My cohort here at the office called to follow up. Silence. Nada. Zilch. So, we figured they went with some other shop and blew us off.

A few days later, said cohort received an email from his contact. As it turns out, our numbers were fine. Pretty much the same as one of the other shops. They also had the place that did their current site quote the gig. They were lower than us, but the client didn’t have confidence in them anymore. Another firm came in roughly three times higher than us. What gives?

What gave was politics. One of the client’s employees spouse’s recommended the company that did their site and that’s who ended up winning the work.

The moral of the story is that sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. But, when you follow up and learn the reasons why you lose, you can position yourself in a better way down the road.

Get Rich in a Niche Webinar

You say your marketing mojo isn’t marvelous? Your promotion efforts are leaning toward paltry and you’re starting to believe “P.R.” stands for “Pitiful Relations.” Your niche is nixed and you don’t know what to do.

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• Why you must focus on a market if you want to succeed in business
• How to identify the ideal target market for your design business
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• How to determine if the market you've chosen is viable
• How to find and reach the best prospects in your target market

All attendees also get copies of the presentation materials plus easy-to-follow Marketing Mentor worksheets designed to help you zero in on your target market and build your client roster. And, you'll have 12-month access to the webinar, should you want to watch it again as a refresher course.

Need more? Here’s a taste of what you’ll hear:

How to Dominate Your Market
Many designers believe that marketing the widest range of services to the largest possible group is the path to success. You’d rather be a generalist because you think you’ll get more business. And on one level it makes sense: the more opportunities you have to make a sale, the more sales you are likely to make. But in reality it doesn’t work that way. In fact, success comes to those who focus on the smallest number of activities most likely to yield the quickest and largest return.

Look at all you get when you specialize:

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Fortune: You’ll command higher fees for your expertise.
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Choice: You’ll get the work you want instead of taking whatever comes along

If you resist specializing, what you fail to understand is that your clients need you to specialize in exactly the service they need. They need to know they are dealing with an expert who serves their particular needs. That’s what will make them feel more comfortable choosing you. That’s what will help them sell you to their managers. So in reality, and in the long run, specializing gets you more business.

But focus doesn’t come naturally. Focus requires ongoing attention and discipline, which is why many people don’t do it. In fact, it’s not something you do once and then it’s done. Focusing means committing, and then recommitting, to your plan every day, refocusing your attention and reevaluating your choices on a regular basis. That’s the way to dominate the marketplace.

Marketing Mentors, Ilise and Peleg, know their stuff. Together, they’ve helped hundreds of designers discover their niche and profit from it while helping their clients become more successful. It’s been said that if you find out how to do what you love, you’ll never “work” another day in your life. This webinar will set you on that path.

Take the steps necessary to ensure your success. At $69 this webinar is not only affordable, it’s an event you can’t afford to miss. Landing one gig through the techniques taught in this webinar will pay for itself over and over.

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