MyStrategicMarketer.com

What's in it for ME?

The purpose of business is to create a customer.
--Peter Drucker

I was talking to a colleague the other day who is struggling to take his business to the next level.  He's an IT guy who helps companies "maximize their technology dollars."

"I know when I stand up and say that I work with technology, 80% of the people in the room turn their brain off," he laments.

Ew!  I think I might be one of those people.  Talking about technology, to me, is stressful, frustrating, and frankly, B-O-R-I-N-G!  This guy's service offerings really are fabulous; he's a best-kept secret because people "don't want to talk about it."  Been there?

So what do you do when your prospects, though they NEED you, don't want to think about the problem(s) you can help them solve?  In the new book I'm finishing (details coming soon!), we talk about this in detail:  Before you can package your offerings, determine your marketing strategies or develop your promotional tools, you must know who your customers are and how to connect with them.  When we take our clients through this phase of the marketing-development process, there is travailing and gnashing of teeth; figuring this out can be tough.  But when the finally light dawns (and it always does), they have a born-again experience! 

The first step in the sales cycle is ATTRACTION.  You MUST position yourself in the marketplace so that what you offer is attractive to your prospects.  You do this by understanding your prospects' frustrations and pain, and showcasing your solutions to connect with them (leave out the "icky" details for now).  You are their RELIEF. Once you've connected with a customer's pain and they've said, "Tell me more!", you can schedule a follow-up "consultation" to provide more information.

This can be the most difficult, frustrating puzzle to solve in your business.  But solving it is CRUCIAL if you want to connect with qualified prospects.  No matter how difficult this conundrum seems to be, there IS a way to strengthen your position of power.  You can, and you must!

My first presentation ...

Last week, I did my first presentation for the National Speaker's Association's Cavett Institute, and I had a bit of an epiphany ... anyone who knows me know that I don't love the idea of speaking in front of the room.  I'd rather leave that to my clients.  But there was something surreal about having people come up to you afterwards and say, "This is exactly what I've been looking for!  I'm so glad you were here today."  It redeems the panic attacks and makes your fears and apprehensions seem so small and irrelevant.  Hopefully, there will be more presentations to come, and I'll learn to enjoy them.

For the presentation, I put together a workbook that outlines the process that we take our clients through to help them determine their Marketing Gamplan.  It also guides us as we build their websites and other marketing tools.  Since most of you weren't at the Cavett Institute, I want you to have it, too.  You can download the "Getting Unstuck:  Developing a Marketing Gameplan that Works" Workbook here!

I'll give anyone who downloads the workbook a free 45-minute Strategic Planning Session to go over the workbook and answer any questions you may have.  Email me to schedule your time:  Misty@MyStrategicMarketer.com.

Happy Summer!