Are My Lips Moving … ?

Are my lips moving and no sounds coming out? That’s a question I am sure most of us have asked ourselves from time to time in attempting to communicate both verbally and in written form with our intended audience.

At times it can be hard to determine if your message is getting through all the noise, particularly when you consider that your prospects are flooded with more than 4,000 messages a day from various media sources.

So, how do you get your voice heard above the noise of the crowd? Continue reading…

Are You Stuck in the Friendly Networking Trap?

Many of the business owners I have met with during this past year have told me that traditional networking does not work for them, and as a result they are seeking alternatives in an effort to generate more leads, referrals and new business.

Some networking groups tend to be little more than social clubs where friends hang-out for breakfast, lunch or after-hour drinks, rather than venues to build business relationships, share referrals, and establish new partnerships and alliances that will enable them to successfully grow their respective businesses.

Are you stuck in the friendly networking trap? Continue reading…

Make Time for Conversations

Can we talk?

A few short years ago this would have been a ridiculous question. But today in a world that is dominated by “drive by” communications, it has become much more challenging to have a simple conversation.

When was the last time you sat around the dinner table as a family or with friends and just talked? Talked about nothing in particular, just had a conversation? Are you finding it more difficult to get your telephone calls returned, or to get responses to your emails these days? Or, to get someone to take 5 minutes out of their busy day to speak with you?

In this modern era of voice mail, email, text, chat, IM, tweets, etc. we have relegated conversations to sound bytes, 140 characters, or the 30-second elevator pitch. Continue reading…

The 4C’s of Social Media Marketing

For serious entrepreneurs and business owners alike, social media marketing should be all about the 4C’s …

  1. Content
  2. Connections
  3. Conversions
  4. Cash

It starts with knowing your targeted customer profile and how to reach prospective buyers through your social media marketing activities. Rich content will help you get the word out and draw the intended audience to your social media sites, drive additional traffic to your web site, and help you establish key connections that can be converted into cash. Continue reading…

Become a Leader in Your Market Niche – Part 2

In “Become a Leader in Your Market Niche – Part 1”, I covered some of the basics of how to get started in positioning your company as a leader in your industry. Now it’s time to fill in the blanks. At this point, you have completed a competitive analysis, a customer assessment, compiled your list of JVs and partners, and received expert advice on how to integrate social media marketing into your overall business plans.

So, what’s next?

Identify your leadership target(s). What do you want to be known for, or a leader in? And what are your recognized strengths that can be leveraged as a competitive advantage? Are you perceived as an innovator or technology leader? Do you offer superior products or services? Is your company recognized for quality or operational excellence – i.e. Six Sigma, ISO 9001? Do customers rank your company’s service ahead of the competition?

Does your company receive high praise from its employees as a great place to work, or from the community at-large for its charitable donations and volunteer work? Select your leadership target(s) carefully, and make sure they are in alignment with how the market perceives your business today. Continue reading…