The Marketing Mix | official blog of the Marketing Mentor community

If you still don't have a niche...

Judy Dunn has written an excellent article about why you really should.

Here's one thing I added in a comment:

Be patient.

Just because you finally choose a niche doesn't mean it automatically finds you. It's taken me almost 22 long years to settle into my specialty: teaching creative solopreneurs how to build their businesses.

During those years, I helped all different types of people (some I helped better than others) while I tried to find that sweet spot where I do my best work for people who know they need the help.

But it actually wasn't until 5 years ago, when we launched Marketing-Mentor.com that I claimed "creatives" as my market and committed my resources (time, attention and money) to it. And that does inevitably mean saying no to other opportunities. In fact just last week I declined a offer to write for a magazine because it just wasn't my market and one article wasn't going to make much of a dent if I couldn't support it with an entire campaign toward that market.

You see, I can't do everything. So I have to choose. And I have finally learned where my time is best spent.

Have you? If not, where are you in the process and what questions do you have?

Momentum is building

Welcome to Week 30 of my adventure of following the Start Up Version of the Grow Your Business Marketing Plan + Calendar.  In my posts, I talk about my voyage down the road of self-employment as a virtual marketing assistant, my achievements and roadblocks along the way, and I include a weekly recap at the end.

Things are happening over here.  I can tell that my efforts are starting to pay off.  Here’s why:

1. People keep finding me online (Google) and calling me.  3 more people have contacted me in the past week. Two weren’t a great fit, and I referred them to a contact on Biznik who might be.  One seems to be a possibility so we’re talking.  (I love Biznik because you can get to know people well enough to refer business to them, and vice versa. (If you're on Biznik, let's connect!)
2. I received one referral from a contact on Biznik.
3. A prospect found me on Biznik.  We are talking about his needs and I’m sending him a proposal today. (Maybe you can get actual clients from social networking!)
4. Someone just got in touch (who I sent a proposal to 3 months ago) saying the project was ready to get started!
5. Another contact that I “cold called” emailed me back and said he’s interested in talking some more to me.  We have a call scheduled for later today.
6. My “hot leads and prospects” section of my marketing plan is filled with names!

I can tell my marketing is paying off because leads and prospects keeping coming in, and they are all people who I’ve found (or have found me) because of my marketing efforts.

Do you have any marketing success stories to share?

Week 30 Recap:  Between my new prospects, trying to keep up with cold calling and follow up calling, and doing my work, I’m busy!  And I’m really trying to get this new copy writing website done so I can show you all next week.

Video for the web: thumbs up or down?

Video for the web is the latest, biggest thing, so I went ahead and made one with the help of Bill Kronemeyer, of WJK Seminars.

What do you think?

I know I’m the Marketing Mentor, but since this is my first trip down video lane, I’d like your input.

Where should I put it? How should I use it?

What about you? Has online video worked for your business? How are you using it? How is it working? If you have a video on your website, please show it to us by linking to it in the comments. We’d love to see it.

Growing Your Business with Marketing, Week 30: Marketing on the road

This is Week 30 of a 52-week project/experiment in DIY marketing. Armed with nothing but a copy of the 2009 Grow Your Business Marketing Plan + Calendar and my bare wits, I'm applying the skills you need to grow a business in real time, day by day, and reporting on them week by week. See my companion blog, A Virgo's Guide to Marketing, for some more in-depth posts, additional links and other marketing-related goodness.

If you want to see how much you've learned and grown—and also, how much you have to—try taking your act on the road.

This past week's trip to Chicago was wildly illuminating in so many ways: I learned about which processes are working and which aren't.

It was also really validating from the perspective of someone who's been plugging away, wondering whether any of this crazy stuff would ever pay off. It does, and it's thrilling!

To read the full story in all of its pain and glory, join me at the project mother ship, the Virgo Guide to Marketing.

Got my first client from cold calling!

Welcome to Week 29 of my adventure of following the Start Up Version of the Grow Your Business Marketing Plan + Calendar.  In my posts, I talk about my voyage down the road of self-employment as a virtual marketing assistant, my achievements and roadblocks along the way, and I include a weekly recap at the end.

I just got my first client from cold calling!  I called him last week, he said he might have some projects we could work on – he called back and voila!  I’m thrilled to say that cold calling really does produce results.  Real, live, clients and actual business!

I also took a look at my cold calling results so far.  I've called 25 prospects in total.  I have 10 good prospects (who have received my rates and samples) and one great client! 

Every call is a learning experience

I’m also learning that every call is a learning experience – a way for you to understand your prospects better. 

One of the people I called joked with me about how I needed to sound more confident in my last sentence.  (Where I ask if my services are something they might need.)

Accordingly, I’m changing my last sentence to, “if that’s something you’re interested in, I’d love to send my rates and examples over.”  She also recommended joining SEMPO NY, and suggested a book I might find useful called Persuasive Online Copywriting, by Brian Eisenberg.  (And also mentioned his blog at http://www.grokdotcom.com/)

So, every call is not only a chance to get new business, but also to learn and grow.

People are finding me!

In the last 10 days, 7 people (who were interested in my VMA services) found me online (Google, Biznik, or here at the Marketing Mix) and got in touch.  Three of them are excellent prospects and we are talking about working together.  I referred the others, who weren’t great fits for me, to VA’s I met on Biznik.

I also got a new client from a referral!

Happiness in my office

I added a palm tree, a ficus, and a lavender plant to my office – and they are making me very happy.  The lavender smells delicious.  Although plants aren’t directly getting me new business, they are helping by making me smile and creating a delightful working environment.

Week 29 Recap:  I’m still working on the text for my new website copywriting website.  It’s almost there.  Then I need to work on getting the site up.  After that, I need to start a newsletter.  This process is moving a bit slowly but I’m getting there.  And since I’m not beating myself up anymore – it’s all good!

Which markets are growing right now?

When clients ask which markets to focus their efforts on, I've been advising them to follow Obama, who is focused on healthcare, education and energy. But those are huge industries. Where, within each of them, will you find the growth?

Atlanta has some examples of how to drill down into the broad sectors to find it. For example, according to a NY Times article (from July 18, 2009), a study released by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce's New Economy Task Force identified four large categories: technology, supply chain and logistics, bioscience and business services. "But, with a nod to granularity, the study identified subsectors like high-growth wholesale, vaccine manufacturing, livestock engineering and areas where federal priorities and money might provide a boost, like health care software."

Lots of interesting food for thought in this article. Read the rest here: http://tinyurl.com/myhwxy

And once you've identified your market, you'll need to find the actual prospects. That's what I'll be teaching in a webinar on Tuesday, July 28 called, Who -- Exactly -- Are Your Prospects? Details here: http://tinyurl.com/nc4hvq

Growing Your Business with Marketing, Week 29: Systems and being systematic

This is Week 29 of a 52-week project/experiment in DIY marketing. Armed with nothing but a copy of the 2009 Grow Your Business Marketing Plan + Calendar and my bare wits, I'm applying the skills you need to grow a business in real time, day by day, and reporting on them week by week. See my companion blog, A Virgo's Guide to Marketing, for some more in-depth posts, additional links and other marketing-related goodness.

Week 29 may be the one that goes down in my personal marketing history as the week when everything finally came together—or at least, came together enough that I could notice how having done my marketing so consistently (yes, even with lapses) could make a real difference both in how I felt (supported, confident) and how things actually worked (relatively smoothly, bringing in business).

It was a week of travel, writing, networking, connecting and pushing myself to the max; it was also a week of intense discovery and lots and lots of fun.

To read more about the specifics and about how I started to see things through a different lens, jump over to the full story at the Virgo Guide to Marketing.

Pitch Perfect: call-in radio show Friday, July 17th

Need to perfect your pitch?  Here's the ideal opportunity, sent to us by Dyana Valentine, a self-proclaimed "instigator-consultant" whose passion is to help self-starters learn to self-finish: one project at a time. 

Have you ever gone doe-in-the-headlights when someone asks, "what do you do?" We've all had that moment of GULP! when describing our business or a particular project.

Well--here's your chance to get your pitch perfected. I'll be a guest on Colleen Rice-Nelson's blogtalk radio show today, 1p, Pacific: (you have to set up an account quickly to participate--sign up and my workshop are free!) I will be teaching listeners how to set up their perfect pitch--whether it's a 30 second blurb or a longer pitch to a prospective client. My goal is to help folks get their point across clearly, succinctly and with their own personal style.

This will be an interactive session and several folks are going to volunteer to work on their pitch LIVE on the radio! Invite a friend and have fun!

Don't have an hour to spare? Can't make it? No problem, check out the 2:35 minute version on my website or gimme a jingle and set up a free 30 minute session to polish your pitch or get your project rocking!

Cold calling makes me feel better

Welcome to Week 28 of my adventure of following the Start Up Version of the Grow Your Business Marketing Plan + Calendar.  In my posts, I talk about my voyage down the road of self-employment as a virtual marketing assistant, my achievements and roadblocks along the way, and I include a weekly recap at the end.

Sometimes I struggle with my mood.  Though I’m generally a cheerful person, I can have a hard time revving up.  At my corporate job, the bubbly co-workers who would pop into my office at 8:30 a.m. for a quick chat would usually do the trick.  But now that I’m on my own, it can be harder to find my jovial self without the positive influence of others. 

And sometimes, when I can’t attain that positive mood, I can be grumpy.  Like, all day long grumpy.   If 11 a.m. comes around and I’m still not feeling good, no amount of coffee can do the trick.  Papa Smurf could do flips on my desk and I'd still be a lost cause.  Worse than the grumpiness is the lack of motivation, sadness, or negativity in general that I can fall victim to.  I start thinking things like: What’s the point?  I’m not cut out for this… I’m never going to make any money, etc...  I can dwell in the doubt.

I’m not ashamed of this anymore – it’s just the way I can be sometimes.  Usually only a run (if I can get up the motivation) will snap me out of it.

Of course, dwelling in the doubt isn’t going to get me anywhere.  I know this.  And I’m becoming more and more aware of how to overcome it:  By having a positive voice that’s stronger than your grumpy sad voice.  I do believe feelings are important, but it’s also important to realize when your feelings aren’t accomplishing anything besides making you feel worse! 

I’m realizing that for me, action is the anti-grumpy.  If I can overpower my negative feelings for long enough to start acting – I have a really good chance of reversing that bad mood/lack of motivation/doubtful voice in my head.

And the action that's working best right now is cold calling.

Yes, cold calling makes me feel better... (I realize that is somewhat insane.  I would have NEVER imagined I’d utter those words.)  But it does.  It makes me feel less isolated and more in charge.  I'm interacting with people, which is much needed in the workday, and I'm giving my self-employment a fighting chance, using a very real and very effective tactic to find new clients.  Much like a run, it jolts my system and almost immediately creates cheer. 

PS.  Today’s calls went really well, as usual.  I have 3 more good leads in my pipeline.  And while today started as a serious struggle, I’m pleased to say I’m feeling so much better now.

Do you find the isolation problematic at times?  How do you deal with it? Any suggestions on where to find smiles or laughs first thing in the morning?  (There’s nothing like a good laugh to start my day off right.)  

Week 28 Recap:  I'm trucking along this week.  I'm making progress on my new website for web copywriting, but I still have lots more to do.  I'm getting there I suppose.  It's always nice to think about how much further along I am in my efforts now than if I hadn't followed this plan.  I'm also networking on Biznik regularly, checking web stats (which are way up), loosely crafting ideas for a newsletter, and of course picking up the phone for those intro calls.

What is your hourly rate?

Recently, on the Freelancers Forum, I answered some pretty pointed questions about pricing posed by Colleen Rice Nelson, who also runs the Freelancer Meet Up in LA.

The most-asked question: "What should I say when they ask, 'What is your hourly rate?'"

If you've heard or read anything I've written about pricing, you probably know I take a pretty provocative stand on this issue: Your hourly rate is none of your client's business.

In this interview I elaborated on this idea and then answered the follow up question: "What should I do if they push, push, push and insist on knowing my hourly rate?"

Listen to find out what I said, including when you can make an exception to this rule.

During the second half of the hour, I was joined by Dyana Valentine and the communicatrix to answer more listeners' questions about pricing.  (Note: there was a glitch in the recording between minutes 7-12, but it goes on for an hour altogether.and is worth waiting for it to continue, IMHO)

Listen here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Freelancer-Forum/2009/07/03/Talking-Money-with-Your-Client-with-Ilise-Benum-and-Special-Gusts

By the way, there will be an entire session on pricing at the Creative Freelancer Conference. Peleg Top and Lee Silber will be offering a hands-on workshop called,  The Price is Right. Sign up today here: http://www.creativefreelancerconference.com