The Marketing Mix | official blog of the Marketing Mentor community

Are You a Great Communicator?

From Marketing Mentor client, Jezra Kaye, who is offering a free session in NYC Thursday, Oct 14, in case you're free.

I’m giving a speech in NYC this Thursday on how to become a great public speaker. (Interested? It’s free; just RSVP igcrsvp@gmail.com with the word KAYE in the subject line.)

So, in preparation, I’ve been pouring through slides and notes and theories and stories about public speaking styles, how adults develop new skills, etc. This is big fun if, like me, you enjoy communications theory. The only problem is, real communications are rarely as neat and tidy as our theories make them sound.

For example: This morning, I received an email from a woman I met at a recent networking event. In it, she said how much she’d enjoyed meeting me, thanked me for offering to introduce her to potential clients, and asked how she could help me promote my own business. The note was lovely (in fact, pitch perfect), and the only problem was that I’d never offered to introduce her to anyone. (I don’t recommend people I haven’t worked with; do you?)

What I’d actually suggested was that, since we seemed to be going after the same clients, we get together for coffee and compare notes. What to do? Here’s how I tried to bring theory and practice together, to decide:

• I know, from the personality theory I study and teach, that, as a member of the Public Speaking Style I call “Do-Gooders,” I’m inclined to take everything personally (and way too hard!).
• Knowing this, it was easier to discount my first reaction (that she was playing me for a fool) and my second reaction (to run and hide from a situation that made me uncomfortable).
• My third reaction was to set the record straight, in the most neutral way possible. So I wrote a note (here comes the practice aspect) that thanked her for being in touch, corrected the misunderstanding, and suggested again that we have coffee.  

I don’t know what will come of this experience, but it was humbling and (eventually) funny. I’ll try to remember, when presenting theory on Thursday, so say “This is how it works — theoretically!”

Jezra Kaye is a speaker coach and speechwriter who helps people build their business or promote their passion through great public speaking skills. Learn more at www.speakupforsuccess.com.

We'll be at the HOW Design Conference in Austin

We are excited to launch a last-minute mini-track at the HOW Design Conference next month just for freelancers or would-be freelancers.

These brand-new sessions will all take place on Thursday, June 25. In addition to the presentations, we will each conduct a Town Hall session with a Q&A format, so bring any questions you have about pricing and promoting your work.

• Money Talk: How to Talk to Your Clients About Fees
• Freelancer Town Hall: Pricing and Money with Peleg Top
• Do You Have What It Takes to be a Successful Freelancer?
• Freelancer Town Hall: Marketing and Self-Promotion with Ilise Benun

Get all the details here: http://howconference.com/freelancesessions

Social Networking for Professional Services

If you're avoiding social networking because you just don't get it, help is available.

RainToday.com has published a new report, "Social Networking for Professional Services: How to Add Social Media to Your Networking Plan," that gives a very comprehensive overview of how to use the latest online tools.

Included in this guide:

• 5 mini-cases of professional service firms (accounting, architecture, consulting, law, and marketing) and how they are using social media to provide you with ideas and inspiration (Full disclosure: I'm the "marketing" one!)
• Overviews of 11 social networking tools (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, podcasts, social bookmarking, and more) and examples of how other professional services firms are using these tools
• and much more.

It's available free to RainToday.com members, but you can get it if join for a free 7-day trial membership. Check that out here.

My voice in your ear

It started as an experiment. But then I got into a groove and I kind of liked doing it.

That's when the flattery started -- they liked what I was doing. (And who can resist a compliment, much less a slew of them?)

So I kept going. And now I'm hooked.

What is it?

Audio.

My voice in your ear (on an iPod or even through the speakers on your computer), twice a week, telling you over and over not to stop marketing your services (because repetition is key when developing a new habit) and exactly how to do it.

That's the crux of my still-unnamed audio tips. And 354 people (that I know of) are receiving them and hopefully listening to them. (If you want them, too, listen here and sign yourself up.)

But that's not all. I'm learning a lot about marketing from this experiment. Audio is proving to be one of the most effective, least expensive marketing tools in our toolbox. You know why?

Because when people can hear your voice, it makes you real. That's why I keep harping on my clients to make those cold/research calls and leaving voice mail messages when you don't get through to your prospect. They need to hear your voice. It makes you oh so human (especially when you make a mistake or fumble your words -- try it as a "technique") in a world that is becoming more and more virtual and isolating and, in my opinion, inhuman.

If you want to add audio to your own toolbox, check out the service we use, Audio Acrobat. (Colleen insists I tell you that's an affiliate link.)

And I'm thinking of offering a new group to help you do that. So if you're interested, send email to ilise AT marketing-mentor DOT com with "audio group" in the subject line and I'll come up with some details and get them to you.

Growing Your Business with Marketing Podcast!

Apparently, podcast fever has swept Marketing Mentor.

Now, in addition to Ilise's daily audio tips running this week, you can hear an audio version of my weekly Growing Your Business with Marketing entries on the Marketing Mentor podcast.

The first week (contact databases) is up now, recorded by yours truly, and administered by the lovely and capable Deidre.

Whom, I'm certain, is going to be the next one roped into this podcast thing.

Please let us know what you think, either via email or the comments, so we can, um, make them better. That individual episode is available here, or you can subscribe to the podcast here.

Bulking up for the new year

I know that it's January.  I know that some people make New Year's resolutions.  But if I see one more article about dieting, I'm going to boycott the Internet until February. The New Year shouldn't be about slimming down, it should be about bulking up—gaining insight, tips, and ideas on how to be fuller and more productive. How about something more useful to read than The Top 10 Diets for the New Year? Well here you go:

Ilise is spanning the globe in the UK Guardian's article called, If you do only one thing this week… raise your profile, and she's telling you How (Exactly!) to Grow Your Business in 2009 over at Biznik.com. Happy expanding!

Marketing Mentor on the road

Here's a little preview of where we'll be this month (and next):

January 13, 2009 - New York, NY
Are Your Prices Too Low? Too High? Pricing for Creative Freelancers
www.freelancersunion.org/events/index.html

January 19, 2009 - Toronto ON
Design 2.0 The Business of Design (Panel discussion)

January 23, 2009 - Burlington, MA
Human-Centered Networking Tips for Human-Computer Interaction Specialists (links to PDF download)

January 27, 2009 - Webinar - Participate from Anywhere
Webinar with Ilise Benun and Colleen Wainwright (aka The Communicatrix)
For Designers Expecially: Do your clients fall off their chairs?

February 3, 2009 - New York NY
Fourth Annual Small Business Summit
Business & Technology: “How to Find and Keep Customers for Life”

Wake up and start your marketing plan

While some were busy on Christmas Eve doing last-minute shopping, I spent a few minutes chatting with Jim Blasingame of the Small Business Advocate about this "thing" he refuses to acknowledge as a recession (and his pathological optimism) and about the tools and strategies I am recommending to my clients for 2009 -- with a subtle reference to our new, improved, upgraded and updated, Grow Your Business Marketing Plan + Calendar.

You can listen to our conversation here (you'll hear Charlie chiming in too).

Growing Your Business with Marketing: A Real-Time Experiment

We all know we should be marketing; we even know a lot about how we should go about it. But actually doing it—day after day, week after week, month after month? That’s another story.

You can’t make me market myself...

I’m not immune to “I Don’t Wanna” Disease, especially when it comes to certain aspects of it (cold research calling, I’m looking at you.) Yet I’ve never been more aware of how important it is to be out there like clockwork, with a consistent message. The stuff I managed to do well in 2008—networking, primarily, both in real-time and via social media—really helped my business. I started landing the speaking and consulting gigs I was interested in, and it’s given me hope that I can fully transition my business from one thing (primarily design) to another (primarily helping people become better communicators).

...or can you?

As many of you know, Ilise is not only one of my co-authors on the Marketing Mix: she’s also my coach, and has been for over two years. She knows me well enough by now to understand what floats my ChrisCraft: I love solving problems, creating order where there was none, and illuminating stuff along the way. So I should not have been surprised when she came up with this genius idea:

“Why don’t you do the Grow Your Business calendars out loud, as a project, here on the blog?”

Love! It! And for a whole host of reasons.

How YOU are going to help ME (and vice versa)

First and foremost, this project will provide personal accountability to keep me on track with my goals. I’ve got a business to get up and running, and I do better when I know people are looking. Sad? Maybe. But true, so I might as well get down with it.

Next, it’s right in line with my personal credo: live out loud; help other people do the same. My writing, my volunteering, my one-on-one work are all about throwing a light on something I’ve been through, to make it a little easier for the next person. I’ve got a lot of good company in the self-as-experiment department, from my friends Gretchen Rubin, Matthew Cornell and Jason & Jodi Womack to the founders of NaNoWriMo to...well, a host of famous pundits.

Finally, it’s a new project! And I’m a nerd—nerds love new projects! I’ll be seizing this golden opportunity to put up a new WordPress site under a sort-of-new imprimatur. Articles will post here every Monday through 2009, and be cross-posted to The Virgo’s Guide to Marketing. Dig it!

Aaaaand...a pitch! (Hey, it’s MARKETING, remember?)

Of course, with any luck, we’ll also sell a few calendars along the way. (Or rather, Ilise and Peleg will.) There are two, so you know: the Start-Up Plan and the Veteran’s Plan (that link again). Each takes you step-by-step through a plan that will get your marketing in place, running 24/7/365, to help you avoid “feast or famine” syndrome.

Since I’m in the unique position of being both a veteran at some things and a newbie with this consulting start-up, I’m going to be drawing on both. You can choose whichever you like, or roll your own. But I’m telling you, the calendars are great. I get nothing for saying this (other than a warm, fuzzy, Virgo feeling of righteousness), so you know I’m not shilling, here. If you'd like some hands-on kinda help, Ilise can provide that a number of ways, as well. For details, click here.

Please let me know if you’re going to play along. It’d be great to have some company. Or just stay tuned and cheer me on. (It’d be seriously great to have some cheering.)

NEXT MONDAY is STEP ONE: Getting your contact database in order!

December networking in NYC

Thursday, December: PRESTO! Presentation with Jezra Kaye
(The Fast, Fun, Foolproof Way to Speak to Any Audience about Any Topic)
NYPL’s Science, Industy and Business Library
188 Madison Avenue (at 34th St.), NYC
5:30-7:00PM
Open to all; no fee.

Thursday, Dec. 11: Digital Exposure: Keeping Your Data Safe from Prying Eyes
The 5th in the Taste of Technology Small Business Series
Samsung Experience, Time Warner Center | 10 Columbus Circle 3rd floor
6:30-8:30pm
$39 (but I have a few free tickets so email me (ilise@marketing-mentor.com) if you want one of them)

Any others you know of, here or there?