More about Ilise here.
More about Peleg here.
More about Colleen here.
It's Tuesday! Which means it's time for a new episode of the podcast. This week, the fourth of 12 podcasts covers Chapter 3 from Peleg's and Ilise's new book, The Designers Guide to Marketing and Pricing: How Should I Present Myself?
Enjoy!
With Peleg & Ilise in Boston for the HOW conference this week, previous guest mixer Jennifer Neal of K9 Design agreed to pick up some of the slack. In this post, she talks about some great tricks for keeping marketing duties under control.
Before my metamorphosis into the design world, I was a head hunter for 8 years. We had, back then, what we called “Prime Time” -- this is 9-5, otherwise known as "business hours". You never did things during “prime time” that could be done on "off hours". This becomes almost everything but calling!! I still have that mentality in my head and herein begins the problem.
I am trying so hard to do ALL the marketing things I should be doing that my efforts are getting derailed due to lack of time.
Now I need to find time to prospect, time to call, time to follow up calls, time to attend events, time to find events, time to read blogs, respond to blogs, time to send out packages, time to create packages...UGH! Oh and then there's MY job... the client service, account rep, accounting and mother part.
Somehow it's getting done – but I am in OVERWHELM.
So, I read the "what to do when you are in overwhelm" post a few weeks back and by the time I got finished prioritizing my list, I had a very busy notebook with lots of pretty icons - but no work done yet. (although after all that, I did have a clearer picture of what to start on first.)
I am always looking, as you probably know by now, to make this "marketing thing" easier. One of the areas I always seem to fall down on is the database management. There is always a new contact to add or a change to be made. The biggies are the brand new entries. I find myself saying "Oh, I'll enter that in later – after “prime time" and then the pile of post prime time becomes a monster.
So how do I tame my database beast? This is what I do.
Tip #1 - Mondays are prospect days (I go on the web searching for my target’s contact info). Once I have them and their details, I copy and paste from the web into the notes section of my database or anywhere there is a lot of open white space for notes - I add their name to the appropriate field and I SAVE it. Even if that's all I do I now have a record for them and they are on my call list for the next day, so I know I am going back to it.
The next day, when I go to that person - as I am calling them, holding on the line or being transferred, I am tidying up that entry. Cutting and pasting the proper info into the proper fields. Adding the web site link, adding all of the email addresses etc. I find there is always a field I can add to.
Then, as I return to that entry over time I am perfecting it and before long it's picture perfect. We all know there are fields we need more than others - like e mail addresses - those I do those first so that if I need to send out an email message before I get back to it – the info is there.
Tip #2 Take good notes. I know that sounds obvious, but it really is key. My notes are very full and when I return back to them in a month's time I am so glad I took the time to record our conversations thoroughly.
Here is a sample entry:
March 26 - 2008. Sylvia was very open, they use many different design teams and have no agency of record. Didn't feel what I send her was enough to base a decision on. Send our whole portfolio and send another copy of the magazine - she sent it around. Would like to see the whole package. DO NOT SEND MONTHLY E MAIL.
This way, I know exactly what I am walking into the next time I talk to her.
I know these are really basic things – but when you are trying to put the whole Marketing Machine together from scratch, it’s these little things that help to keep it on the tracks.
Hopefully, these little tips help you in some way. I’d love to know what you are doing to keep your Machine running efficiently.
Colleen's note: I would reeeeeally love some more of these tips in the comments, too. And if you've got something more substantial to share along the lines of marketing and promoting a small business, feel free to hit us up with an email: we're always looking for guest posters, and if you do it regularly, you even get your own cutie-pie icon!
If you still don't have a web site, don't be ashamed.
Just realize that there are really simple ways to create a phase 1 site so that you can have the online presence that legitimizes your business.
A few clients in our "Feet to the Fire" Group are looking for templates to use.
Here are a few we know of:
Do you know of others?
Do you have experience and opinions on these? If so, please share it in a comment.
5/16 UPDATE FROM COLLEEN:
Sandra Koenig emailed us to say some photogs she knows use LiveBooks. I checked it out and there are some pretty spiffy portfolio options. And Vanessa Stump gives the thumbs up to RapidWeaver, a Mac-only program with good templates.
We at the Marketing Mix Blog were thrilled to see that our pals at Emma got a mention in this month's Inc. Magazine along with a nod as best design email provider.
No news to us, of course—Ilise sends out Quick Tips via Emma, and I use Emma for my own 99.99% non-sucky newsletter, communicatrix | focuses. Everything about the Emma experience is stylish and a prime example of good branding practices, from the copy on the website to the very consistent look across their communications. If you're not a designer like me or Peleg, they'll still whip up a tasty-looking template for you, either from materials you give them, or thin air.
But they especially shine when it comes to customer service—I've been told they fight over who gets to talk to me when I call! And hey, even if it's not true, what a great story, huh?
If you're interested in using Emma, consider signing up through Ilise & Peleg's affiliate link. They get a little bump, and you'll get 20% off your Emma service forever!
As for me, I just get that warm, fuzzy feeling of steering people in the right direction.
Following along? It's time for the third of 12 podcasts covering the chapters of the Peleg's and Ilises new book, The Designers Guide to Marketing and Pricing.
This week, part two of my interview with the mixmasters themselves about best practices when it comes to finding great clients and prospects.
Listen online to all the episodes here.
Subscribe via iTunes here.
Subscrive via RSS here.
While I'm not exactly a shy, retiring wallflower, I've also never been one to toot my own horn. Not, at least, without encouragement and/or provocation, which is one of the reasons I starting working with and still like hanging around Ilise and Peleg.
But at a great conference recently, I discovered an amazing thing: you don't need to toot your own horn if other people will do it for you. Not only that—it's far, far more effective that way.
Here's the thing: I"m forever praising other people to the rooftops. Not to get something from it (although the warm, fuzzy feeling is nice) but because it feels great to introduce other people to something or someone I'm seriously digging on. And while my friends are wonderful and say nice things about me, this was the first experience I've had where someone not only said nice things, but nice things that were dead on target with my personal brand and the message I'm trying to put out there.
In this case, it was a good friend whom I've known online for a while but who I met in person for the first time that weekend. And while I couldn't say for sure, I'm guessing it was just that same kind of excitement over meeting in person that triggered the exuberant blathering: we couldn't shut up about how great the other was.
I saw it again recently on the blog of another new online friend whom I truly hope will become an offline one. Pam Slim wrote a fantastic article about asking for help: how to do it specifically and well. And in it, she also describes the kind of person you want to help: someone who's doing kickass work, trying to change the world, and busy working, not running around with a hand out, asking for favors.
So who have you talked up recently? What have you done that's worthy of being talked up? And how are you making it easy for people to do it?
Here is a rare chance to clear out those spare printers or pick up some great design books and extra sets of Pantone books on the cheap!
As some of you may know, Top Design has become a virtual agency which means we’re moving out of our building and have a ton of stuff to unload. We have a boatload of goodies like cool furniture, book cases, design books, cd's, printers, kitchen supplies and desks to part with, so together with kernspiracy we're hosting a group Designer Garage Sale!
We'll also be having networking potluck BBQ, so feel free to come by just to say hi and bring along your favorite grillables, side dishes and BBQ accoutrements! Street parking is bountiful. We’ll provide the hot dogs.
Got Stuff to sell? Bring by some of the things you want to unload. Books, CDs and anything you think that falls under the category of “nice design stuff” (we leave it up to you to be the judge...). Bring a folding table or a blanket to place your stuff on and join the party! If you’re planning on selling, please send me an email at peleg AT marketing-mentor DOT com so we can reserve a space for you.
Hope to see you this weekend! Here are the details:
Designer Garage Sale
Saturday, May 10th 2008
11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Top Design
11108 Riverside Drive
North Hollywood, CA 91602
AND PS – tell your friends!!!
Last week, Crain's New York Business hosted one of their regular networking breakfasts, this one on the Business of Arts and Culture, a target market that several of my clients are pursuing. So I suggested to each that they attend. Three of them did and told me about it afterward. What I found amazing was the Rashomon effect -- how different was the experience of each of them, from, "There was no one to network with" to "I can't believe how many good prospects were in the room." I asked one of them, Jezra Kaye of Communicate with Power and Ease, to write about her experience and here's what she wrote. I hope it inspires you as much as it inspires me.
Last week, I attended an expensive breakfast event sponsored by Crain’s New York Business. It began with a half-hour for networking, but (like a true subconscious resister), I managed to show up 20 minutes late. With only 10 minutes ‘till the program started, most people were already seated and most tables were already full.
I’m too late to meet anyone, I thought. Can I go home now?
Only the memory of the money I’d spent (and not wanting to look like an idiot to Ilise!) kept me from walking back out the door. I found an empty seat, sat down, and soon discovered that the man sitting next to me was (a) delightful and (b) a potential client.
Crain’s high-level panelists started talking. And, lo and behold, twenty minutes later, a friend of mine we’ll call Nellie slipped into the room, looking flustered, frustrated... and really late.
I sought her out when the program were over and, as I’d expected, she said, I’m so upset that it’s too late to network. Let’s find a Starbucks and hang out.
If I hadn’t just been through that same riff, I might have bought it. Instead, I looked around the room and noticed that many participants were lingering.
How can it be too late when there are still people here? I asked. And then, finding the courage to do on Nellie’s behalf what I probably wouldn’t have done for myself, I said, Let’s meet some people and then go for coffee.
We dutifully separated and hit the room. She met two new contacts, including one of the event speakers. I met two great people and reconnected with an acquaintance. Finally, the room started emptying. On our way out, Nellie and I stopped by the ladies room, where we met another fascinating attendee, chatting with her all the way down to the street, where business cards were exchanged all around.
So if you’re like me and always asking, Can I go home now??? maybe the answer is: As soon as you’ve met just one more person.
Because it’s actually not too late!
There are clients and there are C-L-I-E-N-T-S.
Ilise and Peleg are masters of unearthing the latter. Part of it is probably just an uncanny knack, but an even bigger part of finding great clients and prospects is, in fact, quantifiable.
In this second of 12 podcasts covering each chapter of the new book, The Designers Guide to Marketing and Pricing, I interview the mixmasters themselves on best practices when it comes to finding great clients and prospects.
Listen online to all the episodes here.
Subscribe via iTunes here.
Subscrive via RSS here.
Last Friday, I gave the first workshop of our book tour for the Jersey Shore PR & Advertising Association. (For more details on the book tour, click here or here.)
The topic on Friday was pricing, which is apparently something a lot of people want to talk about. The room was fuller than they expected and I didn't have enough handouts! Nevertheless, it was a very lively discussion --- in fact, half way through, I almost abandoned my material and just let them ask questions -- but then I thought better of that and continued with my presentation.
Here's something I realized as I led the discussion: many pricing questions actually point to marketing problems. In other words, the solution to many pricing challenges is marketing. If you are marketing well and properly, many of the pricing challenges you face go away.
For example, Joanne Thweatt asked "How do I prevent my clients from falling off their chair when I tell them my prices?"
My short answer was, "Qualify your clients better by discussing money way up front (in the very first conversation). And, get better clients who understand the value of your services and are willing to pay for it."
How? Do more proactive marketing. Choose your clients and woo them. Don't worry about being a pest. Just qualify them well and show you why you think you're a perfect fit. They won't all turn into clients but at least you'll be in the driver's seat and you won't be liable for broken bones due to high prices.
Any other ideas to prevent broken bones?
A series of posts documenting Marketing Mentor's search for a new tagline and what happened when we opened up the discussion to the Marketing Mentor community.
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