Metaphors and Marketing

I'm tired of expending my energy on people that are not 100% sold.  For now, I'll target the low hanging fruit.

Every organization I've ever worked for calls "easy" opportunities the low hanging fruit.

If you're a very tall person, does that mean you can reach higher than most on opportunities?

Metaphors have helped us understand technical sounding terms and form our own perceptions.  I love this because each marketer has their own spin on common marketing vocabulary.  You even have companies that have completely created terms that we all utilize.

Unicorn

One of the terms I particularly love is "Unicorn."   I didn't know what a Unicorn in marketing was until about this summer.  A unicorn was originally thought as a start up company whose value had exceeded $1BN dollars.  The term has now spilled into marketing for the very few that can do it all.  A do it all marketer that uses both their left and right side of the brain is a unicorn.

Creative+Technology+Writer+Salesperson= Marketing unicorn.

Metaphors have an ability to make us pause in question.  They are great to disrupt conversations. Debates, arguments, opinions, are all psychological dances we have with each other.  A metaphor creates a logical distraction used in a powerful way.

Marketing rant

The following writings  compile of marketing opinions expressed solely by me.  If you agree, then you are pretty awesome.

I love seeing cheesy commercials late at night that highlight why customers should buy something.

"Buy _____ you need this to save the day."
"Be the hero and WIN for your business."

These bold claims are becoming less and less receptive for customers.  Marketing data scientists swear by data to make decisions and it's not as easy anymore.

On the other hand, if you don't have the data, then you just carry an opinion.

My opinion: Customers don't know what they want.  They can't communicate it and half the time what they need, makes them very uncomfortable.  The unknown is a scary beast that brings out the true character in people.

Enter Maslow's hierarchy of needs.  - I'm still working on 3..in no particular order.

How do you market to people that don't have a need or know what they want-without sounding like a salesperson.

How does a salesperson sound anyway?  If a person asks another person to marry them, aren't they sorta selling their vision to that person.

If I believe my service is the best in town and I offer that service to numerous companies, am I cheating?

The relationship between the customer and I ends in polygamy while we prefer they remain monogamous.

Mom didn't raise a cheater-I love hard.

Love your customers opinions--It means they care enough to write a thought about your service/product.  I believe that's the most positive thing a company can do on Social media.

Don't flag customers for bad experiences.  Figure out why they are upset and let them vent.

For people who LOVE to complain. There's a site that allows you to do just that.

Rant over....

Personality volume

"Can you tone it down a little bit?"

We may have important figures we look up to and emulate but it doesn't take away from the fact that we all are individuals that carry varying volumes to our personality.  Each of us has an invisible  remote button that turns the volume of our personality up or down.

When I say personality, I mean: the set of emotional qualities, ways of behaving that makes a person different from other people.  You are who you are but not always who you are with situations.

Sounds confusing? Looks confusing too.

I remember a former co-worker who had become a new hire at a previous job.  Initially, he was really quiet and reserved.  In a sales office, it's no holds barred to what people will say or do and this kid said not one word.  Fast forward to his first happy hour with the team.

volume up +2 

He came out of his shell.  He began to crack jokes and loosen up a little bit.  It's funny how we subconsciously adjust our personality traits to the company we are around.  I do this to an extent. Because we are so unique, there's an underlying fear people will not accept us.  This former co-worker also happened to be gay.  Fast forward a month later and our sales team decided to do a Friday night bar outing.  He really came out of his shell even talking about his relationships.

volume up +3

While alcohol can calm most people down, he just simply began to turn the volume up of his personality.  It turns out, he loved attention and thrived where he could be the focal point in all conversations.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel came in our office and it was  probably one of the cooler experiences we had.   Some people shook his hand and even shared office jokes with him. This co-worker did not say one word. Nada. Zilch.

volume down -5

He knew when to dial his personality up or down.  He adjusted to different situations and held back who he truly was at times.  Everyone does this and it's not necessarily a bad thing.  We all want acceptance and as long as "tact" and professionalism are valued, people will continue to hold that remote and adjust the volume.

Now Playing- "Turn it down"

I've been Rocky Balboa

These posts are always dangerous because while there's an obvious biased view, there's usually "selling" of a product going on.

I'm not telling you to go out and watch any of the Rocky movies, but there is a lesson to follow each movie.  Rocky was more than just a fictional Italian fighter that becomes famous.  He represents the true underdog.  Someone who was doubted constantly throughout their lives and yet still, viewed the world in a positive manner.  The parallels to rocky movie and real life are very much relatable.

Rocky was a late bloomer

Rocky was not some young boxer with loads of potential.  He was a 30 year old slightly moving out of his prime boxer.  In marketing and sales, you are not only combating yourself, but the young people that had a head start learning new technologies and up to date information.  As you age gracefully, you have to always be learning and realize you can "peak" at the right time.  You have to maintain the enthusiasm of what you do.  

Parallel's-  I spent a lot of time dedicating my attention to music.  I officially came into the marketing world at 26.  It was tough when there were people 3-4 years younger that were doing things I didn't quite grasp yet.  I had to understand that I didn't peak yet and not talk in past tense.  At any point, we all can be a late bloomer that realizes their purpose and passion.

Rocky was not afraid to lose

Rocky went into every fight understanding he could lose or be severely hurt.  Rocky was humble and a lot of it had to do with people not expecting much from him.  When you get older, it becomes tougher to "fail."  Failing at an older age has repercussions that are different than age 22.  

Parallel's-  I've certainly failed at quite a few things.  There's a good and bad to being self aware.  The good is you understand your limitations and ability.  The bad is you can hold yourself back.  I've been victim to being comfortable in my own skin.  Any kind of marketing campaign has a chance to "fail." I learned you have to take the chances.

Rocky had a passion

His passion is boxing.  Rocky's passion allowed him to apply it to several facets of his life.  When he experienced financial hardship, he applied boxing principles that helped his attitude.  If you have a passion, it means you stand for something.  If you fall, you get back up and keep moving forward.

Parallel's-  Passion for marketing and music has helped my sanity.  When times are rough, my passions prevent me from doing the "wrong" things.  

Arguing with myself

I've been gone for a little while but I'm back.

The more responsibility you are given, the more you have to manage your time better. When it comes to applying this, I've been off and on the wagon.



I keep forgetting what off and on means within context- Anyway, back to the my post.

It's been over a week and the holidays have been a pleasant distraction for me.  Still, there were days I could have written a post.  I honestly didn't know what to write.  I could write about marketing principles but there are about 200 articles daily saying the same damn thing.  You know, the articles that are copied from everyone alla crib notes so other marketers can get their writing quota done.

I probably didn't make too many friends with that response.  Am I feeling snarky? No, just thinking how I could change the marketing world.

You know what inspires me?  People who think and force me to change my stubborn views.  When I come across great writers, I don't see them as competition. I see them as people that will make me better and more flexible.

"Study from the greats and become greater." -Michael Jackson

Who out there can I study from?  Am I even someone you can study from?  These are questions I ask myself monthly.   There's an internal struggle I have with myself on my blog and direction.  Moving forward, I will be incorporating some original visuals to stand out from the rest.  I will also become more organized and separate the helpful articles from the opinionated professional rants ( like this one.)



Now playing- "Having an argument with myself"

NOT getting the meeting

This post is dedicated to any entrepreneur, salesperson, business development, or account executive that's first goal is to get a meeting with their prospect.

Getting a meeting with a prospect always puts you in the right mood.  Sometimes you need that one person to believe in talking to you to reinforce what you're doing is great.  Anyone that regularly tries to bring new meetings to their business understand the many facets of getting a meeting.  What happens when you don't get the meeting?

It's frustrating.  You might have a quota but your pride may affect you more.  People saying no is never the problem.  The issue has always been people that will talk to you for a duration of a an initial phone conversation yet refuse to officially "commit" to a meeting on the calendar.

I've had quite a few prospects I've had great conversations pertaining to their business.  They acknowledge there is a challenge there and they don't know how to solve it.  They speak candidly on their business challenges and it feels like I'm being positioned to save the day!

Sadly, no.

They have a challenge but they aren't really thinking about it.  They don't want to take an "official" meeting because they know they won't/can't buy what I provide.  It took me a long time to realize this and it makes a lot of sense.

A previous post of mine mentioned how people hate to give a clear yes or no answer.  Humans love to be appreciated-especially sales professionals.

Stroke their ego, and challenge them a little bit and you get better conversations which eventually lead to "official" meetings.

Why re-purpose crap?!

I was on my Facebook timeline looking at obnoxious web humor. (It's like junk food-Not good for you but tasty in spots)  I'm friends with a few people that work in digital marketing that posts articles daily.  I saw an article that immediately captured my attention-in the wrong way.

How to create marketing content when feeling lazy?

There are quite a few things wrong with this title.  Grammatically, it abuses preposition rules(Grammar nerds consider this a big topic).  It also breeds a sense that creating content is so easy that you can recycle it.  There's some truth to this but you have to be truthful to yourself.

When creating content, is your content so memorable that you can re-purpose it?  I'm willing to bet only a small fraction of your content can be re-purposed.  This is not a list post on why you should re-purpose.  It's really not that hard.  There's nothing wrong with re-purposing content toward various marketing platform channels(twitter says, hello).  The main issue I have is people reusing content that is questionably weaker just to meet a "quota."

I love great content and I dislike when I see people looking for shortcuts to build relationships with customers.  Building a brand takes time and a lot of work.  Great content is facing noise, and a "me me!" attitude.

Create quality.  I'll take 3 very good content pieces over 12 average pieces.  If I can take those 3 pieces and promote, I can get by farther than flooding timelines with average content.

Practice what you preach VP's

Story+Rant= This..

I've not yet experienced the responsibility of being a senior leadership member.

I'm probably about 5-10 years away from that even being in the equation-Unless my entrepreneurial skills transcend to that status.  There's been hundreds of articles on the art of cold calling and every sales leadership executive still believes in its benefits.  These VP's of sales and marketing tell their managers how many more dials are needed and why it's important to cold call.

"The more touches you make, the more sales we get Fred!"

Quite a few of you sales VP's have said this multiple times in your life.  You empower your sales teams to hit the phones with reckless abandon and not take no for an answer.  If you are annoying your prospect, it's the last thing you're thinking about.  The word "touches" repeatedly comes up so much it sounds like a HR could be knocking on the door.  You constantly look at metrics.  When you have a bad quarter, you REALLY start looking at the metrics.  You're stressed because you have to report a President and he/she has to report to a board on why things aren't going well.  Never mind the fact that you are in a mature market, you still go to your managers saying..

"Pound the phones harder.  We need more activity." 

Your phone rings constantly everyday.  Over half of them are cold calls from sales executives that want to help your problem.  You have team meetings upon team meetings trying to figure out what everyone in the room knows is the problem. You get out of that meeting and walk to back to your office.  Someone's calling your phone...

"Hi ___, My name is Gavin from solutions services. I wanted to_X

You immediately shut down.  If you haven't already hung up the phone, your guard is up and you just don't want to hear it.  Despite the fact that you tell your team to listen, show empathy, and be professional, none of this applies to you.  You hate sales calls  and the older you get the more you hate them.

What happen to you?  What triggered you to be so cold to cold calling.  You tell your teams that's the only way the business will succeed yet you refuse to practice what you preach toward others.  There are some bad sales people out there and I can agree it will frustrate you.  Instead of shutting down, why don't you try to disqualify yourself from salespersons list.  They are just going to do what you've been teaching your team.

Call and call until they break your will and you take the meeting.

Everyone's a critic

Disclaimer: This is a rant.  There is no perceived educational value to this rant.  It's just my opinion and does not reflect the opinions of others.

Nowadays with social media really contributing to narcissistic views, more than ever there are more critics.  There are couch coaches, as well as actual consultative coaches.  Everyone is saying the same damn message and just re-purposing it for their benefit-not yours.  I wonder if there's a study about lack of productivity due to reading a million articles telling why you should work harder.

How many people are actually reading these memes and posts only to get sidetracked and read 5-6 more posts that detail the same message.  one hour later, you still haven't accomplished much.  It's like reading instructions on how to build an IKEA table for hours only to not have done one thing to put it together.

Everyone having an opinion is not a bad thing-but it's not great.  For every great idea, there is always a skeptic that believes they spot a problem or constraint.  Part of validating your ideas involves your ability to "fight" through the criticism and not take things personal. Ultimately, we as marketers need to know when to listen and when to ignore the noise.

Abusing adverbs is a no no

I seriously started seeing my writing was clearly not being effective.  I would send emails and eventually, if I was lucky, I got a response and it was not always what I wanted.  I definitely needed to improve my writing because it was clearly holding me back. -Gabe

You see what I did there?

Adverbs wreak of nervousness in your writing.  There's a lack of confidence when a writer abuses adverbs.  I look at sales emails all day and I count the number of unnecessary adverbs in paragraphs.  You'd be surprised how powerful your writing can be without beating around the bush.

You see that's a negative with adverbs-they let you beat around the bush and prevent you from asking for what you want.  Mark Twain has a quote that sums up the abuse of adverbs.

"I am dead to adverbs; they cannot excite me. To misplace an adverb is a thing which I am able to do with frozen indifference; it can never give me a pang. ... There are subtleties which I cannot master at all,--the confuse me, they mean absolutely nothing to me,--and this adverb plague is one of them. ... Yes, there are things which we cannot learn, and there is no use in fretting about it. I cannot learn adverbs; and what is more I won't."- "Reply to a Boston Girl," Atlantic Monthly, June 1880

 I agree with Mark.  Adverbs do not excite me either.  They take away the power a sentence can give for call to action.   Let's be honest, prospects know you want something from them.  We don't just call(most of the time) asking how they are.  They know this.  We need to stop insulting the intelligence our prospects have.  It's a challenge, but by removing unnecessary adverbs, you can help your writing stand out from the rest.

For information on the various types of adverbs, I love Grammar Girl.

Are you In or Out?

How many times, as a kid, do you remember your parents saying this?  It's summer time and you constantly are going in and out of the house.  Your parents always would be upset and if the air conditioning was on, you better believe you heard..

"Are you in or out!?"

Some people prefer air conditioning and sitting in a home comfortable and away from outside elements.  Personally, I hate bugs and anything coming from outside that could annoy me.  However, some people prefer breathing in the air that comes outside.  Everything that comes outside can be a nuisance to your home.

In a weird way, this reminds me of Inbound and Outbound marketing.  If I could sum them up I'd say:

Inbound (Pull) - 

This was coined by HubSpot.  It's all about producing market messaging to people already curious about what you offer.  Inbound is more than just content marketing and info-graphics.  It's about taking the time to truly understand what attracts people to your offer.  There's so many resources on inbound marketing because it's now the "IT" thing.  When you really sum it up, it's making people at ease with you and pulling them in your world.

Outbound (Push)-

This is considered the old style of marketing and sales. Outbound marketing has one message that's broadcasted to as many people as possible.  Outbound marketing can take the form of TV, radio, snail mail, or good ole fashion cold calling.  It's been one of the most "trusted" methods in marketing and sales.  It's one voice delivered to everyone in hopes someone will respond and buy.

Do you Push or Pull?

This is really up to your industry and methodology.  If you ask most marketers, they will tell you Inbound is much more cost effective.  Inbound takes the form of utilizing the most of your current resources.  You put yourself out there to answer questions, concerns, or opinions from customers.  If you have a service minded business, Inbound will be the way you truly pull people into your business.  Getting wrapped up in the numbers game can be very short sighted and that's a downfall with Outbound.  Outbound also has been utilized for decades and does offer success in certain industries. 

Whether you leave the door open or not, it's up to you if you should be in or out.

Patient through the noise

(Great artwork by Alliecat at DeviantArt)

For a moment, think of any networking or social media based environment.

So many people to speak to yet so little time to do it.  You're excited because you know exactly what you want to say to anyone who give you attention.  You're like a dog when they see the leash in the owners hand for the walk.  You ask all these questions to yourself so you can anticipate the moment to say..

Keep calm...you will eventually hear the words you want to hear.  You just can't force it.  Remember, effective marketing nowadays is about pulling people into your world and having them become curious.  A sense of mystery goes a long way.  I look on LinkedIn and I see businesses that post content and it always comes back to what they really want to say:

"Come see us at ________ We can help you solve your problem." (Not sincere)

With more and more digital noise, this has become an annoyance for people.  Skeptics will believe you wrote the post for your business, not solely to provide a great nugget for people to remember and use.  All this digital noise turns into a cacophony.  It's way too much noise. People tune out noise.  If I can quote a song lyric from AlunaGeorge:

"It's just noise. white noise."
"I'm hearing static, you're like an automatic. you like to keep me on repeat and hear me crying."

Once you look at a conversation and provide a sincere opinion or statement,  you'll pull that person in and they will say...

"So tell me, what do you do?"

SUCCESS


Now Playing- "White noise" (by AlunaGeorge)

Failing on an ice breaker

Fall in Chicago has me dreading the harsh reality that winter is not too far.

For the last four winters in Chicago, I have not worn boots.  The main reason is how ridiculously expensive they can be and how much a pain it is to take them off.  Wearing regular dress shoes on ice, has me tip toeing to the train station.    My biggest fear....

I'll fall like charlie brown trying to kick a football.




The more resistance I put on my foot steps, the easier it seems I will fall.  

It can apply to over thinking a situation and a person's response.  We always talk about "ice" breakers to get people comfortable with us.  Too many times, people are scared to break the ice for fear of falling.  One of my sales managers always told me you slowly walk on the ice to get your footing.  Once you do that, you begin to take quick steps so you are confident.  You ask questions leading to the reason you are talking to that person.  Whether you ask for a close, or a conversation, don't be afraid to ask for what you want!  You test the ice by jumping a little and you simply ask for what you want.



The ice is stronger than it appears.

The Neverending story

You must like my Never-Ending story title reference.  As a child, this was one of my favorite movies.

Enough 80's cheese....

I'm a big fan of TV screenwriters.  It's really challenging to write something that will catch a person's attention over 22 minutes ( subtract for commercials) There'e so much character development in creating a villain and hero.  Imagine how much tougher it is grabbing someones attention for 30-45 seconds.

There's a story that never ends and it's a story of conflict.  Every story has to have a section where you raise an eye brow.  In sales, we talk about pain so much that it pains me to say the word.

I'm trying to save the day of people yet sometimes I forget my own story.  The story is imperative to grab the attention of people.  It's way too many products and services out there.  Your product offering is no different than the next persons and very few people have a true monopoly.  Whoever has the most engaging story wins the trust and business.

"We have the lowest prices and offer the best service"

Prospect says, "Ok."

"We actually had a client in similar size to you voice pricing concerns.  We were able to show them some data on costs and they were surprised to see we weren't priced as high as they initially thought.  They told us about the lack of service attention their previous company gave them.  We told them we're dedicated to their business goals and want to help them go farther."
!
"Really?! Ok, we're listening to you now."

Long winded..I am

So on my blog, Not only do I poke fun at marketing and people-I poke fun at myself.  I realize there's something I suffer from and it's being long winded.

I don't mean to be long winded; it just naturally happens.  I'm a mix of visual and auditory  and I feel like it comes from a creative person aiming to be memorable. I was able to break down myself and some of the things I do that keep me long winded.

Going from 0-100 real quick

I constantly think about ideas and concepts.  It's not uncommon for me to wake up in the middle of the night to write down a few ideas or play a musical phrase.  My phone has about 50 ideas now. My older phone has about 200.  My thoughts race against each other so much that I'm interpreting what I want to say to you on the spot. Data driven people call theirs "analysis paralysis."  I like to call it "trying to be a differenter."  Sometimes I try too hard and I admit it.

Natural improviser

When it comes to my music background, it applies to my professional life.  In music you have structure for 8-12 bars but then you come alive and showcase your ability to randomly create for a specific time.  I'm the most comfortable when I have the opportunity to step out of structure.  Don't get me wrong; structure is good.  Too much structure and things get stagnant for me.  I get bored easily if something becomes too predictable.   Stock piling ideas is never good for an improviser and marketers have to be as flexible as a musician.

Storyteller

I've always been a story teller.  Date back to 1992 and I was creating movies with my toy action figures.  I'm long winded because when I tell a story, I want you to see the beginning, middle and end.  I talk with my hands-even when I'm on the phone.  I tell the most basic point in the most dramatic and climatic way.  Have you ever gotten so passionate or excited about a story, it took you forever to get to the point?  It's in my nature and one of the reasons my stories can get long winded.

Prospects initially don't want to hear a long winded response; they want you to get to the point.  If you get long winded like me, save that great story for the 2nd or 3rd meeting.

Now Playing-"One Week"

Marketers have a reset target button

As a tall man with big feet, my in store shopping experience is limited.  Not many retailers carry size 15 shoes.  My only option is big and tall and they usually  have some of the ugliest shoes.  Shopping online has become my best friend.  I go to my favorite brands website, look at shoes for a moment, then I leave the site because something else has distracted me.

I swear I'm getting somewhere with this.

I get on my social media talking to a friend I like enough to talk to but not enough to hang in person.  I see an ad on FB for the same exact shoe item I clicked on.

Deja Vu....

It's not Deja Vu--I've been apart of a re-targeting strategy that the company is using for online "window shoppers." They were able to track my site activity and essentially reinforce my initial interest to buy the shoes.

Re-Targeting

Re-targeting in laymens terms,  targets users who have previously visited a website and displays the websites  ads on social media and other sites.  It's a great way for companies to have their products in the back of their users' minds.  It feels like sales has slowly begun to move toward psychology books and less sales jargon books.  Humans are creatures of habit.  If marketers can host ads in consistent areas, this will increase the chance they convert that user.  

Re-targeting and behavioral based marketing is pretty complex.  If you are interested in learning more,  I've attached some helpful links at the bottom explaining it.  I'm far from an expert on this matter.

Moz Re-Targeting basics- https://moz.com/blog/retargeting-basics-what-it-is-how-to-use-it

How Re-Targeting works- https://www.adroll.com/getting-started/retargeting

Proactive or Reactive

I've always heard the phrase "Be proactive, not reactive." 

People want to be proactive-They really do.  Everyone is not so naive they can't see something isn't  right.

 There just seems to be a greater fear in being wrong.  Being wrong puts your word and credibility in danger.  My boss told me after growing his first start up successfully, He though he was the smartest man in the world.  No one could tell him different.  Then he hit obstacles with the economy and realized, he wasn't always right.  He got fed up with reacting to things out of his control.  I've seen so many marketers become reactive to what others do in their industry that they attempt to play catch up.



 It's easier to say, "Well that firm increased their conversion rate 15% higher! Let's do this." It's much harder to say, "After data and valid assumptions, we believe this could make us the market leader." 

You could be wrong and looked at as a fool.....or you could be right and considered the ultimate thought leader and expert.

Got me workin day and night!

"They say that working...is what.a.man's.supposed.to.do.
I say, It ain't right! if I can't give sweet love to you"

While you read this blog post, feel free wear a sequined glove, moonwalk, and scream "HeHe."

Besides being one of my favorite songs from the king of pop, I had a conversation with friends about having a work life balance. We are all young and very early 30's men that work the professional 9-5 grind struggling to maintain semblance of an actual life.  By actual life, I'm talking the outside hobbies and passions that don't coincide with professional work.

Of course all the people with kids will look at us going "What do you know about work-life balance?!"

I do not want to open up a can of worms--We ALL struggle with maintaining our professional and private life.

US corporations have been slow to recognize true valued time of their workers.  "work hard. play hard" has been the mantra given to entice employees to work for a company.  One of the things I love with my company now is how my boss truly believes those who work smart can enjoy life much better.  This strict work week of 9-5 has been supported with mixed results.

Are the workers getting everything done in the allotted time to be productive?

What if those same works had a shortened schedule, but same pay-Would they be more productive?

Other countries like France have been experimenting with the work-life balance.  Facts state that the US is at the bottom of programs for child care, paid time-off, and hours worked defining "work-life" balance.

 It shouldn't be just a gender thing, there's more to life than working long hours and watching events fly past you.  OK, when you have a career that you love, it doesn't feel like work-I get that.

Work should never cause you to lose sleep, lose weight in an unhealthy way, or become estranged from your family.  To quote the Dalai Lama...



Now Playing- "Working day and night"

Disarm them with empathy and wits.

"I bet you can't spend all that money in your pocket right now.  I bet you're too scared to even attempt a risk that could make you millions of dollars.  You're friends are doing it-I don't think you even qualify for what I have."

Sales is a chess game

If you say what I just typed, you definitely won't go anywhere.  Sales is not Russian roulette, but more a never ending chess game.  It's continual strategy and everybody has their tactics but after time, these tactics wear off.  In my young sales career, I'm always looking at ways to be a better at persuading people why they should listen to me.  Prospects are always prepared with responses to stop me in my tracks.  Like a chess game, I have to anticipate the various moves they can make.

Old sales books are rather archaic

I've never been the hugest fan of sales books because they are just sales authors trying to sell you on tactics that maybe worked at their peak.  Approaching prospects with old school tactics is not effective anymore.  The prospect has much more power and information at their finger tips.  The word "value" gets tossed around so much but the guessing game is finding out what they value most.  the digital marketing consulting firm I work with has been utilizing social media, and true engagement to connect with prospects.

OK, I can recommend one book and that's: "Predictable revenue" by Aaron Ross. 

I love sales and psychology behind what influences people to buy.  Every buyer has their own motives that trigger their senses to go "Listen to what this person is saying." It's up to us to anticipate what they may say.  It's dangerous to do this because when we make assumptions..well you know how it goes..

How do you do it?

What we can do is take their objections and find buzz words that trigger their response to saying to NO to us.  I usually like to take what they say to me and throw it back at them mirroring their concern.  This doesn't work unless you actually care about helping them more than just getting a sales quota.  Once I do that, I usually think which services I can provide confidently to get rid of the "pain."  Add a little wit to make the conversation feel lighter and you're one step closer to winning the prospect over.

Avoiding yes and no

It's amazing how often people avoid saying these 2 words.  These words are so powerful and real, people literally can be stick to their stomach awaiting the answer.  Both words indicate a decision is made and there's no turning back.

It's True....



When people get married and the priest says: "Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"  The woman doesn't say Yes.  She says, "I do."

When you buy a product from someone and you both agree that it is going to help you, I'm willing to bet you don't say the word yes.  The litany of responses will be:

"Let's go with it."
"Do you get credit for this?"
"This makes sense"
"I'm on board"

In professional life,  we have so many people that are scared to tell people they can't do something that they avoid the "No" Response.  It's just 2 letters but it strikes fear into anyone who faces an encounter.

You know who will give you a straight yes or no?

children.....



When we all were little kids, if we didn't like something we weren't shy to say how we felt.  There were no filters.  A kid can say "No I don't want to" and not feel pressure to be public relations friendly.  Now these filters are important as we get older, but why is it so hard to elicit a simple yes or no?

I can only think of the medical profession where people HAVE to say either yes or no for diagnostic purposes.

People avoid situations where they have to say Yes or No.  If you were to google "Yes or No",  You will see blogs and articles with people giving advice on how to avoid saying Yes or No.  (I did the homework for you- "Yes or No")

Now Listening- "Am I Wrong"

NFL offense and Marketing/Sales..Eeerily familiar

The similarities are uncanny.  How can a sport of brute, stamina and athleticism be so similar to a team of marketing and sales?

It's simple. While defense wins championships, offense wins you games and positive gains.  I want to focus specifically on my theory by utilizing NFL offensive skill position players .  In the NFL you have Wide Receivers, Tight Ends, and Running Backs.  Their jobs are to support and provide help to the Quarterback who is in charge of making sure everyone is put in place to succeed.  Once each position knows their place, it's up to their individual talent to make a play that results in yards or points.

You still following? Good.

There is also an Offensive line that protects the Quarterback at all costs.  They insure the Quarterback is not affected by challenges such as aggressive pass rushers.  The Quarterback has a wealth of knowledge and relies on his Center to make sure the infrastructure is sound and not prone to attack.



Whether you catch on or not, Salespeople and marketing need each other and have a rather symbiotic relationship.  Salespeople are the revenue drivers scoring points for your business.  They are brave, energetic, and can get through any hole and create positive gains for you.  Sure, there are rock star salespeople that may have a natural ability to sell but even they need support.  Marketing is the structure there to protect sales and help them succeed.

Marketing creates that open lane for sales to run through and score!

30....The great years

On September 9th, 1985,  a woman named Lovel and a man named Bode(bo-day) conceived a child that would later turn out to be destined for greatness--Says every child born EVER.

Today I face a milestone.  Turning 30 wasn't as intimidating as I thought.  I've never been a big drinker and don't do drugs, so the mileage I have at 30 is different than someone living a crazier life.  I still have my best friends from when I was 15 and it feels great. I've had some close calls in 30 years being here and I'm thankful to even have the ounce of health I have.  People make jokes about turning 30 and say that it's time to be a grown up.

You talk to a man in his 40's and he will reply "young buck."

You talk to a 21 year old and they look at you as one step away from Keith Richards.

You talk to your mom and you just remind her she's getting older, not younger.

30, for a man is suppose to be his great years.  You're old enough to have the knowledge to take calculated risks but also not young enough to continually "fail."  Failure as an option decreases as you get older and 30 is the proverbial "You better get it right" phase.  Relying on youth can be a gift and a curse--30 challenges you to be better.

Some would say I should be focusing on getting a wife, kids, picket fence house, and a life insurance policy.

 I'm only 30.

Inspire to Aspire

Every time I face a challenge or doubt in my mind, I look at inspiration.  There's a trigger for everyone linked to their motivation and desire for a particular outcome. Everyone on social media has some type of quote or credo they live by--It's what makes us individuals.  Creative people constantly look for inspiration in the most unexpected places.  Inspiration can lead to having that "lightning in a bottle." When you come up with a great idea, it can be intimidating to view it bigger than it seems.

"Dream Big" is a common theme.

Here are ways I've found inspiration to aspire.

Watch young children together

Seriously, watch young children.  Young children don't have the rules and people telling them they can't do what they feel.  I've got baby cousins that have these HUGE aspirations and it makes me almost want to be a kid again.  When you're an adult, you get told by investors and various people the flaws in your aspirations.  The reality and perception leaves some people jaded.  Young children don't feel that because they don't let their dreams become bounded by rules.  Inspiration can come from watching youth aspire to do the unimaginable!

Look at your heroes

There's so many people that have inspired me and shown me most things can be possible.  When I struggle with reality telling me "You can't do this", I look at the people I greatly respect that have done amazing things.  They had people tell them they couldn't do certain things and they stopped caring about what those people thought.  If you were to look at my creative DNA you would see:

Meditation

Sometimes you just have to shut everything down and get in a zone.  As a creator, the best ideas that become works happen when you're not thinking about them.  You put yourself in somewhat of a trance  and incredible things can happen.  My favorite exercise to do is simple sit in a room with no monitors, no screens, eyes closed, listening to music at a low level. I've come up with some really cool ideas using this method.

Trying new things

Trying new things will give you a different outlook.  Getting a different outlook helps you see things you may not have noticed.  I've found when I try new things, my creativity sparks and becomes fueled by my bravery to experiment.  There are times I feel like I'm a genius and there are times I don't want anyone to know my ideas.  

Help others

I'm not just talking about going on a mission trip to Africa, I mean helping people in the most sincere way.  I'm not the biggest reach out and touch somebody type person but I'm passionate about helping people seek out their creative being.  When I help people less experienced than me, I walk away understanding a different perspective.  

Ummm...great!

As a child, my favorite commercials growing up were the Kellog's frosted flakes commercial.  Tony the tiger persuaded millions of parents to buy overly sweet sugared cornflakes for their children.  He was a man of few words but they were powerful words.

Frosted Flakes aren't just good..they're GRRRREEEATTTT!!!!

The reason I tell this story is because of a meeting we had at work yesterday.  Two of our presenters gave speeches to our group about technology.  One of the men was very smart but used the word "umm" so much that I began to count each time he used the word.  He gave us great knowledge but it was cloudy due to his filler words he was using.  I began to think about the times I used filler words.  I've thankfully, never abused the word "umm" but my filler word has always been "you know."  

Hearing "umm" so many times you're probably getting annoyed with reading it in this post.  I'll stop.  It was tough to hear his whole presentation and I honestly don't remember a whole lot of what he said. 

The next presenter was a typical sales guy but used different filler words.  I noticed after every phrase, he would say "right."  If he made a solid point he would say, "great."  He replaced filler words with positive words that made his conversation flow smoother.   People would rather hear a "right" than an "umm."  I can remember most of what he said and he wasn't even the most technical guy.

We all have our filler word we use to help us figure out the next phrase or sentence.  Sometimes, silence is golden.  Ads rarely use filler words and we remember these ads much more than the every day conversations we have.  I definitely don't condone being a monotone robot, but perhaps we can create our own positive filler word that invokes confidence.  

Focus more on ideas, not the money.

Generation Y (I really hate using this as an example, but it's easier to understand) idea makers are realizing retiring off the stock market and social security are not probable realities.  We're working our tails off and there's no guarantee we can one day retire at 55-60 years old.  For each Mark Zuckerberg or Evan Spieberg that comes out, we like to think:

Why not me?  Why can't I be a change the world?

We won't go into too much detail-It's way too many moving parts and would have as much depth as a dissertation.  (I'll save it for the day I get a masters.)

We come up with ideas and they're very good but we get lost in how much money we can make.  It's important to measure the profitability of your app but don't let it cloud the main reason you created it.

I do marketing for a few start ups and their creators  begin to focus solely on how much money they can make.  They forget that their app is to help solve an issue or annoyance for people.  It's difficult to be consistently keeping the target in mind without thinking about the money.  If you have a million dollar idea, your life could change over night. It's not a million dollar idea if there's no focus and tact to go for it!

I'm not here to preach. Neither should you.

Can you help people and change their situation for the better?  Good.

Say Hi

I got up out of bed. Brushed my teeth and took a shower.  

I didn't wake up in a particular happy mood; I just wanted to be spontaneous.  When you are a creative person, even the smallest things can inspire you.  Spontaneity creates situations which creates opportunities.  

I'm not a big fan of routine; routine bores me.  I decided to to do one of the more simple things I could do...Say Hi!

Doors appear when you simply say, "Hi."  Every single person I made eye contact was told by me..Hi!  Some people looked at me crazy and didn't want to be bothered; some looked refreshed and asked me, "Hi, how are you?"

One word got me to find out about people and their early morning.  It felt almost like a cold call in every day life.  Some were good and some were bad.  The weird thing is, when I tried this experiment, I ended up being a lot happier over the phones.  It put me in a good "selling" mood and I was ready to talk to random people and convince them they should work with me.

What's your writing style?

How do you write?

As elementary as that sounds, it's a valid question.  I'm asking this to myself every single day.  It's become apparent that every marketer has to be a decent writer.  We can't just sell ideas with our voice--Writing clear, concise emails is a requirement.  The big question still is:  How do you write?

I've been around some great writers and noticed there are a couple of styles out there that work.  Everyone puts their own individual twist to their style.  Whether it works for you is up to interpretation.

"The funny writer" (I'm going to entertain you)

Make anyone laugh and you can disarm their barriers.  Being able to write with humor can always make you stand out.  The problem is it's hard to write humor engaging content with a professional touch.  It truly is an art and if done the wrong way, you can offend people that read your material.  Depending on your industry,  being the funny writer may not convey a clients confidence in you.  The funny writer works when selling to marketing, hospitality, and entertainment.  Standing out is the key to getting responses.  If you are selling solutions to professional industries like finance, medical, or education,  You have to be REALLY good to get away with it.   It could be cheesy, and ineffective.

"The Technical writer" (I'm going to give you stats)

Stats, stats, and more stats.  This writer has a deep knowledge and excels in conveying that knowledge to prospects.  The analytical writer's persuasion comes strictly from using data to prove their point.  Theses writers think with their left side of the brain and want to assure you risk is minimal.

"Short and sweet writer" (Straight to the point.)

Straight to the point.  You're either thinking about what they write or not.  Either way, this message is going to be easy to tell if you want to know more or not.

"The Expressive Writer" (Feel what I'm saying?)

This person wants to make love to the words and allow them to marry.  They want you to feel.  A lot of beauty care and fashion marketers utilize "expressive" copy because that would make it the most effective form in that channel.  Expressive writing can be like reading a novel.  They emphasize a story filled with pain, confusion, and closure.  This style would not be as effective in other industries. but is perfect when the target is women, family, and self image.

"The All-Purpose Writer" (I adapt)

This is the writer that can adapt to its customers and market.  They can sense triggers to adapt to how to communicate toward their prospect.  This writer also has written for years and has developed a way to read their prospects.  One style doesn't work for everyone.  What makes reaching people more complicated is the various personalities and the challenges to connect with them.   This is the writer everyone should aspire to be.

Be flexible, personable, smart, and a sense of humor goes a long way.

Responding to a rejection letter

"Thank you very much for your interest in ______.  We appreciate you taking the time to come into the office to meet with John, Woody, and Sara.  At this time, we are exploring other candidates but will keep you in mind for future opportunities that might fit your skill set.

Thank you again and best of luck in your search.

Sincerely,

Casey Bender
Sales Recruiter"

In your professional life, you've read this and immediately thought: "What's wrong with me?"

Fit my skill set? You wanted two years of sales experience.  Hell, I'm more qualified than the manager you selected in house. (inner voice speaking)

There's nothing wrong with you.  It's semantics and it can easily bring down your confidence.  I've seen this email more times than I'd like to mention and they simply just don't bother me anymore.  The corporate world is exactly like High School.  People form cliques, posse's, whatever people are calling similar groups nowadays.  For as much as they judge you, you should judge them.  It's important to recognize if you even could get along with your potential managers.  

Some people would say if you get a rejection letter, you should just say thank you and move on.  I am a little more rebellious and open.  I believe as much as they are evaluating you, you have the right to evaluate them.  If a recruiter contacts you first, why not voice what you enjoyed about the overall experience?  

Your time is just as valuable as theirs.  You're not perfect but neither are they.  I am not insinuating that being obnoxious is key; each industry seems big but is quite small.  A lot of these recruiters and hiring personnel move on to similar companies.  

You definitely don't want to burn bridges.  Thank them for the opportunity but also express what you feel about the experience.

I follow up

I have been blessed to have amazing friends.  As we grow older, we all  have been facing more responsibility.  We're getting older.  Gone are the days of  bar visits and debauchery; we all are focused on our future outlook.  I'm the main piece between all my friends because I'm the only one that seems to check up on everyone.  If I don't bring a conversation up, nobody talks.  They applaud me for it because

They SUCK at following up.

I follow up.

One of my strengths in connecting and maintaining my relationships has been to show people I acknowledge them.  People I value will never get away from me.  Even if they do not value me as much, I'm hard to shake!

Of course with my friends, it's maintaining current relationships.  For newer relationships, it's crucial to constantly follow up.

Every sales org has sent an email emphasizing the importance of following up on prospects.



Based on my experiences, this is true.  It's a process and sometimes it feels unnecessary but people seem to love being chased.  Every customer(or prospect) has an ego about their company.  It's a cat and mouse game and for some strange reason, the more you follow up the closer you are to being their preferred vendor.  I believe prospects secretly like the attention of people vying for their services.  I believe even if you have a product that helps them, they don't want to move too fast and have you think they are "easy."

The toughest thing about following up is dealing with the various moods people display.  One minute they hang up on you, the next minute they need you.  We still follow up because we are marketing ourselves to them.  They develop a short memory because we are the last thing they think about.

Some people just suck at returning calls and remembering people.  Following up is great and a lifetime skill.  We all have a network that needs nurturing. It takes a long time to build a solid network.  If you don't follow up, let's see how your network does.

Everyone talks, no one listens

Get off your high horse.

Everyone talks, but no one listens. (MESSAGE!)



Anticipating when someone finishes their words so you can speak... NOT GOOD.  You have this amazing concept that you can't wait to tell people.  It's a competition, in your eyes, for who has the best idea.

Many meetings have a few people battling who can be the hero of the moment.  I'm sick and tired of people working against each other than for each other.  I've always heard the phrase...



TWO heads are better than ONE.  I have had great ideas become even better just by listening to others.  Collaboration has led to a lot of masterful projects.  From platforms like Facebook to music albums, there are many important people striving for greatness.

Using basketball as an example, Hero ball doesn't win championships.  It's not worth being a cancer to your team by not listening to them.  In the marketing world, there's not enough listening going on.  No matter how great, everyone's idea can be flawed- Trust me, I know.

I don't intend for this post to be a public service announcement.  I just want to see great ideas and everyone being given a fair chance to display their thoughts and ideas!

Recruiters, you're not so bad.

There's a relationship that needs repairing. It's a relationship that is based on two sides helping each other and networking- the recruiter and salesperson.

Truth be told, a recruiter and salesperson are the same thing.  Salespeople recruit companies and people to buy and try products while Recruiters sell companies human capital.  Both sides have an entrepreneurial spirit because it's all about increasing their book of business.

Nowadays, Recruiters determine the fate of most Sales professionals.  Salespeople argue a recruiter has too much "power."  What if each side could write a letter to the other detailing their frustrations for one another?

 There's friction between both sides.  Neither side understands the importance of working together.  Salespeople need a recruiter who can match them to the right projects and hopefully, not waste their time.  Recruiters need Salespeople to fulfill what their clients need in human capital.  The problem is...

There are people that absolutely suck at their job.  



You have Salespeople that don't make the recruiters job easy.  Some recruiters may try to coach you up but most will move on to the next candidate that will give them the incentive they need from their client.  The recruiters primary job is not to get you a job-It's to fill a position for its client which is the employer.

It took me awhile to understand the habits of a recruiter but their motivation and pay is based on bringing the best candidates to an employer.  Results driven jobs are difficult.

Cut those recruiters a little slack.

Money isn't everything, but it doesn't hurt

I'm feeling extra motivated.

I didn't need a bunch of quotes or sayings to get me started. My motivation comes from where I'm at in my life.

X that

I'm nowhere near where I want to be in my life and since 30 is approaching, I've re-developed a laser sharp focus that had unfortunately, been missing.  

Each day is a grind that involves a million pieces to my proverbial puzzle. Being a creature of habit can be bad for you and you get into a funk.   my mother's birthday is today and it reminds me of the times I was little and told her I'd one day, give her the world.

I'm not sure I can give her much now but I'm working to making that a reality. A wake up call was needed.

Money is a motivation for a lot of sales people and there's nothing wrong with that.


Money creates opportunities and if you're not motivated to make a lot of money, you won't be successful in sales or marketing.  Some people want to live the life of "Wolf of Wall-street" and believe that's success.  Hollywood portrays sales and marketing professionals as egotistical, self destructive individuals hell bent on greed and short cuts.

Not me.

I want to make as much money as I can but not to show off.  I want to have options.  Money to me, bring possibilities.  I'm a creative person and at any moment, creative people can create an amazing idea!  Money can aide in your creative endeavors and make those ideas a reality.  It can also bring true wealth to my family and help prepare the next generation to carry out the family name proudly.

I want to be able to walk with a group of friends, see a big time club for bottle service enticing us to enter.  More often than not, I won't walk in that bar or club but it would be nice to know anywhere I walk in I don't need to check my chase account balance to enjoy a moment.