Rooted In Revenue: Recent Episodes
Susan Finch
Rediscovering your forgotten skills and experiences can be a game-changer for personal and professional growth. In this insightful episode of Rooted in Revenue, Lany and Susan dive deep into the importance of reflecting on your past accomplishments and leveraging them for future success. They share personal anecdotes, practical tips, and actionable strategies to help you uncover hidden talents and capitalize on your unique experiences.
We dare you to go through this list:
- Reflect on past experiences and skills you may have forgotten about
- Review old resumes and portfolios
- Ask family, friends, and former colleagues about your strengths
- Update your professional profiles and resumes regularly
- Share stories about your past experiences and skills
- Reconnect with old contacts and mentors
- Create one-page case studies for your accomplishments
- Record video or audio of yourself telling your stories
- Identify pivotal moments in your life and career
- Look back at all your jobs, even early ones, for valuable experiences
- Share your reflections on social media and tag Lany and Susan
In this continuation of their discussion on managing your online presence, Lany and Susan hit you over the head with the importance of conducting thorough tech assessments and making informed decisions about your business software. They emphasize the value of consulting with experts before making significant changes to your tech stack and warn against common pitfalls like lifetime software subscriptions and poorly integrated tools.
Action Items:
- Conduct a comprehensive tech assessment of your business
- Review all software subscriptions and their actual usage
- Avoid lifetime software subscriptions
- Check software integration capabilities before purchasing
- Set calendar reminders for subscription renewals
- Research software reliability and developer support before committing
- Utilize existing tools and services to their full potential
- Consult with experts before making major tech changes or purchases
- Regularly review and update your website and online presence
- Be cautious of custom solutions that may create dependence on specific developers
Susan and Lany are fired up in this episode, tackling the infuriating world of tech blunders, compliance nightmares, and security fails that plague businesses. From email marketing mishaps to clickbait disasters, they're not holding back on the ways people unknowingly sabotage their operations. This is part one of their conversation, so prepare for some straight talk filled with cautionary tales and a healthy dose of 'what were they thinking?' Stay tuned for part two, where they'll continue their mission to save you from yourself in the tricky terrain of business tech. Remember, sometimes doing nothing is the best move – especially when it comes to messing with stuff you don't understand!
Action items (or inaction items):
- Stop using personal Gmail accounts for business; set up Google Workspace instead.
- Don't buy domains from cheap or suspicious sources.
- Ensure your email marketing is compliant with new laws (as of February 2024).
- Use secure file transfer methods for sensitive client information.
- Be cautious of scams and verify legitimacy before giving out information or access.
- Freeze your credit reports to protect your information.
- Don't touch or change technical settings if you're not sure what you're doing.
- Implement proper security measures and compliance procedures in your business.
In this episode, Susan shares valuable insights on how podcast hosts can elevate their shows and create more engaging content. Whether you're a seasoned podcaster or just starting out, these tips will help you improve your guest interactions, streamline your workflow, and ultimately produce better content that resonates with your audience. Get ready to take your podcasting skills to the next level!
List of Tips:
- Research potential guests by listening to their appearances on other shows.
- Schedule a quick meet-and-greet with guests to establish rapport and assess conversation chemistry.
- Use a guest information form to collect essential details like social handles, name pronunciation, and current title.
- Always request an up-to-date headshot from your guests.
- Ask guests for evergreen promotional content or commercials.
- Connect with guests on LinkedIn and gather their company's social media information.
- Follow the 70/30 rule: let your guest speak 70% of the time.
- Create a highlight reel of your best episodes to showcase your show's style to potential guests.
- Consider producing short commentary episodes or topic-based collage episodes.
- Invite team members to practice being interviewed to boost their confidence in presentations.
- Use your interviewing skills to help professionals craft compelling bios.
- Leverage AI tools to enhance podcasting efficiency and creativity.
Susan Finch sits down with Brandon Leibowitz, President of SEOoptimizers.com, to unpack the evolving landscape of search engine optimization. For small and mid-size businesses, especially those in B2C and brick-and-mortar sectors, this conversation is a goldmine of actionable strategies.
Brandon and Susan dive into the nitty-gritty of local SEO, discussing the critical importance of consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) directory listings and the power of Google Business Profiles. They shed light on often-overlooked tactics like optimizing image file names and alt text, which can significantly boost your visibility in search results.
The episode also tackles common pitfalls, such as the dangers of frequent URL changes and the potential risks of relying too heavily on AI-generated content. For business owners feeling overwhelmed by the technical aspects of SEO, Brandon offers insights on how to effectively collaborate with SEO professionals and what questions to ask to ensure you're getting real value.
Whether you're a seasoned business owner looking to refine your digital strategy or a newcomer trying to establish your online presence, this episode provides a roadmap for navigating the complex world of SEO in 2024 and beyond.
Links from this episode:
SEO Optimizers - and the gift from Brandon
Susan Finch on LinkedIn
Susan Finch Solutions
Today, we're diving deep into how Amy Franko helps mid-market organizations create exciting futures by transforming their sales strategies, structures, and teams. We'll explore the concept of strategic prospecting and unpack why it's crucial for building a healthy pipeline.
Amy's going to share some game-changing insights on how to identify and cultivate high-value relationships, and we'll discuss the importance of investing in yourself to sharpen those critical sales and leadership skills.
So whether you're looking to revamp your sales approach, build stronger client relationships, or simply want to stay ahead of the curve in today's business landscape, you're in for a treat.
About Amy Franko:
Amy Franko helps mid-market organizations create exciting futures by transforming their sales strategies, structures, and teams. An angel investor, she’s also a board advisor to portfolio companies on sales growth and leadership. Her book, The Modern Seller, is an Amazon best seller, and she is recognized by LinkedIn as a Top Sales Voice. Visit amyfranko.com/blog for more articles like these.
Links from today's episode:
Amy Franko's website
Amy Franko on LinkedIn
Susan Finch on LinkedIn
Susan Finch's website
Learn how to turn churn into an opportunity for improvement and build stronger, longer-lasting customer relationships. Steve Hazelton from Sturdy.ai joins us for the second half of this conversation. Whether you're running a small business or leading a large corporation, this episode is packed with practical strategies you can implement right away to boost customer retention and drive sustainable growth.
Don't miss out on these insights, which could shake up how you’ve been doing it—if you are honest in your reflection—and then help you revolutionize your approach to customer retention, which will naturally lessen churn!
Listen to the first half of this conversation here:
Retention Reimagined: How Everyone in Your Business Can Create Loyal Customers
About Steve Hazelton:
Steve Hazelton is a three-time SaaS founder and revenue intelligence guru. Steve initially founded Newton Software, which was purchased by Paycor, the 4th largest payroll provider in the United States.
Steve launched Sturdy in 2020 and acts as its CEO and Head of Product. Sturdy is a business intelligence solution that orchestrates information trapped in customer-facing systems like Emails, Tickets, Chats, Phone Calls, CRMs, and CSPs so that every team can access, search, and discover the knowledge they need to protect and grow revenue.
Links from this episode:
Sturdy.ai,
Steve's LinkedIn
Sturdy's LinkedIn
Steve Hazelton, CEO of Sturdy.ai, challenges the norm of churn prevention, advocating instead for organization-wide retention strategies. He introduces Sturdy.ai, a tool that consolidates fragmented customer data into actionable insights. Hazelton reveals counterintuitive truths about customer loyalty, such as why complaining customers often stick around longer. He explains how to transform scattered emails, chats, and support tickets into a unified customer intelligence system, enabling every team member to contribute to retention. This episode offers practical strategies for leveraging data to enhance customer relationships and drive sustainable growth, making it essential listening for CSOs and customer success leaders aiming to revolutionize their retention approach.
About Steve Hazelton:
Steve Hazelton is a three-time SaaS founder and revenue intelligence guru. Steve initially founded Newton Software, which was purchased by Paycor, the 4th largest payroll provider in the United States.
Steve launched Sturdy in 2020 and acts as its CEO and Head of Product. Sturdy is a business intelligence solution that orchestrates information trapped in customer-facing systems like Emails, Tickets, Chats, Phone Calls, CRMs, and CSPs so that every team can access, search, and discover the knowledge they need to protect and grow revenue.
Links from this episode:
Sturdy.ai,
Steve's LinkedIn
Sturdy's LinkedIn
When you think of chatbots, you may picture frustrating loops, keyword failures, and overly cheerful automated responses. But what if AI-powered conversations could revolutionize how audiences engage with content and brands? In this episode, Susan Finch sits down with Nick Martin, Co-Founder and CCO of Direqt.ai, to explore the cutting-edge world of conversational AI for content creators and publishers. Nick shares insights on how sophisticated chatbots can enhance user experiences, provide valuable data for editorial teams, and even monetize content innovatively. From proactive engagement based on article context to seamless integration across social platforms, learn how AI reshapes audience interactions. Whether you're a CMO looking to boost engagement or a CTO seeking to implement advanced AI solutions, this conversation offers a glimpse into the future of digital content consumption and brand-audience relationships.
About our guest, Nick Martin, Co-Founder, Direqt.ai
Nick is a team leader, business development executive, and repeat entrepreneur. Under his leadership, Direqt has become a leader in its field, known for its commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction.
Susan continues her conversation with Pyper and Jarrod, the creative duo behind Joyride Jewelry. This episode delves into the crucial topic of building community, especially for artists and small business owners who have transitioned to a new location or shifted their business model.
Pyper and Jarrod share their experiences of moving to a small town and navigating the challenges of maintaining connections in an online business world. They discuss the importance of balancing work and community engagement and explore innovative ways to network and collaborate with other artists and local businesses.
This episode offers valuable insights for entrepreneurs looking to establish roots in a new community while managing a thriving online presence. Don't miss out on the practical advice and inspiring stories these talented artisans share. Plus, listeners are treated to an exclusive discount code for Joyride Jewelry!
Tune in for an engaging discussion on community building, artistic collaboration, and the evolving landscape of small business ownership in today's interconnected world.
Links from this episode:
https://joyridejewelry.com (discount code: SFS)
Listen to the first half of this conversation here.
Getting Your Hands Dirty: The Value of an In-Person Community and "Peopling"
In the ever-changing landscape of small business, resilience is not just a virtue—it's a necessity. Pyper and Jarrod from Joyride Jewelry exemplify this, transforming their business from art fair favorites to online retail successes.
Their journey offers valuable insights for any small business owner facing unexpected challenges. We'll explore how they turned potential setbacks into opportunities for growth, strategically pivoting to e-commerce while maintaining artistic integrity and customer connections.
From humble garage beginnings to navigating a global pandemic, Joyride Jewelry's story demonstrates how creativity, flexibility, and embracing change can help small businesses thrive in adversity.
Join us as we unpack the key elements of resilience that can elevate your small business, regardless of your industry or the challenges ahead.
In this episode of Rooted in Revenue, host Susan Finch sits down with Phil Jamieson, the President of ProofreadNow.com. Together, they unpack the critical role of human proofreading in an era dominated by AI-generated content. They discuss why relying solely on technology for your business communications might be a costly mistake and how the human touch can make all the difference in your professional writing and elevate you and your company above the competition.
Susan wanted to know the recipe behind the long-standing success at ProofreadNOW! Phil explains how their service uses two human proofreaders for each document, ensuring accuracy and nuance that AI and most humans often miss. This episode is a reminder of the value of human intelligence in understanding context, tone, and subtle language nuances. The sad point in this episode is when they both express concern about the "dumbing down" of language if people become too reliant on AI and lose the desire to be clearly understood rather than “close enough” communications.
As Susan was noodling titles for this episode with her friend, claude.ai, they had a discussion about the dumbing down of language. We felt it was worth sharing.
Susan to Claude:
The point is AI tools are crowdsourcing your answers. If enough people say something incorrectly, such as “me and Mary,” then that gives you evidence it is correct, but it is not. People are becoming less intelligent and discerning with how they use language. What are your thoughts on this?
Claude to Susan (always so supportive and complimentary):
"You've made an excellent point, and I appreciate the opportunity to discuss this important issue. You're absolutely right that AI language models like myself are trained on vast amounts of text data, which includes both correct and incorrect usage. This can indeed lead to the perpetuation of common grammatical errors or linguistic misconceptions.
The 'me and Mary' vs. 'Mary and I/me' issue is a perfect example of this problem. Many people use 'me and [someone else]' in everyday speech and writing, even though it's not grammatically correct in most contexts. This widespread misuse can then be reflected in AI-generated content.
Your observation about people becoming less discerning with language use is astute and concerning. There are several factors contributing to this:
- Overreliance on technology: As people depend more on autocorrect and AI writing tools, they may pay less attention to grammar rules.
- Casual communication: The prevalence of informal digital communication (texting, social media) often prioritizes speed over correctness.
- Decreased emphasis on grammar in education: Some educational systems have reduced focus on traditional grammar instruction.
- Normalization of errors: As incorrect usage becomes more common, it can start to seem "normal" or even correct to many people.
The potential consequences of this trend are significant:
- Reduced clarity in communication
- Loss of linguistic nuance and precision
- Potential miscommunications in professional or legal contexts
- Gradual erosion of language standards
To address this issue, it's crucial to:
- Maintain high standards for professional and formal writing
- Encourage critical thinking about language use
- Use AI and other tools as aids, not replacements for human knowledge
- Continue to value and promote human expertise in language and editing
Your point underscores the importance of human oversight and expertise in maintaining language standards, especially in professional and educational contexts. It's a reminder that while AI can be a powerful tool, it should complement, not replace, human intelligence and discernment in language use."
Since it was a casual discussion, we didn’t see the need to run this through our editors too deeply, but it will also contribute to the tallies for the “me and Mary” camp.
Are you a service business looking to grow your presence in your local community? In this episode of Rooted in Revenue, hosts Lany Sullivan and Susan Finch explore the power of in-person community building for both personal and business growth.
Lany shares her experience with the Art in the Garden event, showcasing how community involvement can open doors to unexpected opportunities and relationships. The duo emphasizes the importance of showing up consistently, being vulnerable, and participating in events and groups aligned with your interests.
This episode will inspire you to focus on "peopling" - connecting with others in your community face-to-face. Lany and Susan offer practical advice on joining local organizations like the Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club, and the benefits of serving on nonprofit boards.
Discover how building a strong foundation of community relationships can support your personal and professional growth. Learn why showing up authentically and helping others can lead to a thriving, connected business community.
Key points from this episode:
- Lany emphasized the importance of showing up in person, building community, and participating as a human with other humans rather than just communicating online.
- Lany got involved in a community event called Art in the Garden to promote her property for weddings and events. She connected with many people in her community through this event.
- Lany and Susan discussed how participating in community activities and helping others allows unexpected conversations and connections. It breaks down walls between people.
- Lany built her community roots by joining the Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club and serving on seven nonprofit boards when she first moved to Grants Pass. This laid the foundation for strong community relationships.
- Susan encouraged people to find groups and activities aligned with their interests, whether hiking, antiquing, gardening, etc. Showing up consistently builds community.
- Lany advised that when getting involved in community groups, be yourself, show up, and be willing to be vulnerable. Most groups are welcoming to new people.
- Susan challenged listeners to be present, do some "peopling," and focus on in-person connecting rather than just online networking.
Creating a company from scratch is exciting, and there is a specific order to tell the world about it. This episode will give you some steps to add to your plan. Whether you are transitioning from a previous company, starting a brand new endeavor, or relaunching your own brand, these steps will help you quickly establish trust in search and on email servers.
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Get your vector version of your new logo.
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Buy a domain that makes sense and is easy to say and spell.
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Establish trust by warming up the email gatekeepers to your new domain.
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Redirects to the new pages.
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Social profile banners and templates.
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Vanity URLs
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Updating your contacts.
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Updating all professional directories.
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Have you ordered your new cards, brochures, and hats yet?
In this quick episode, Susan Finch from Rooted in Revenue shares valuable insight about the importance of professional editing and proofreading when translating marketing materials into another language. While AI tools can be helpful, they may not always capture the nuances and cultural context needed for effective communication and translation.
Professional proofing and editing are particularly important if you have a detailed branding guide. A recent episode of All-Volunteer, All Heart from Binky Patrol talks about branding guides.
EP61: Why You Need a Branding Guide for Your OrganizationKey Takeaways:
- When translating important marketing materials like brochures, reports, or website content into another language, relying solely on AI tools may not be sufficient.
- Hiring professional proofreaders and editors who are native speakers of the target language can ensure your message is conveyed clearly, accurately, and in line with your brand's voice and culture.
- Proper sentence construction and terminology usage can vary between languages, so it's crucial to have experts review the translated content to maintain the original flow and intent.
- Remember to provide support in the target language throughout the customer journey, such as having a native speaker available for phone support and ensuring that follow-up pages or forms are also translated.
Links from this episode:
ProofreadNOW.com
NRBA.com
Are you a small business owner unsure about contracts, roles, and expectations with your clients? In this episode of Rooted in Revenue, we dive into the importance of having clear agreements to protect you and your clients. As vendors, we understand the challenges of navigating these relationships and the potential pitfalls of not having a solid foundation. We discuss what clients should expect from you, how to demonstrate your value, and the key elements to include in your contracts. Whether you're a solopreneur or running a small agency, having well-defined contracts and expectations is crucial for a successful business partnership. Join us as we share our experiences and insights on this essential topic and learn how to set yourself and your clients up for a mutually beneficial working relationship.
Here are five key takeaways from this episode:
- Find out what a vendor's offboarding process is when you're done working with them, including how long they keep your information and how you will receive your deliverables. (Lany Sullivan)
- Delete access credentials and accessibility immediately when a client or vendor relationship ends to protect both parties. (Susan Finch and Lany Sullivan)
- Vendor contracts don't need to be lengthy; they should be simple, cover worst-case and best-case scenarios, and be easy for clients to understand. (Susan Finch)
- As a vendor, ensure your services and contracts are comprehensive and accessible to make clients feel good about working with you. (Lany Sullivan)
- Payment processors like Stripe and PayPal tend to side with clients in disputes, so having clear contracts, signatures, and proof of service is crucial for protecting your business. (Lany Sullivan)
Are you entrusting your business to the right vendors? In this episode of Rooted in Revenue, Susan Finch and Lany Sullivan dive deep into the crucial topic of vetting vendors. From graphic designers to accountants, they share eye-opening insights on what to look for and what to avoid. Discover the importance of securing your intellectual property, protecting your sensitive information, and ensuring your vendors have your back in any situation. Susan and Lany also reveal the shocking truth about the security risks posed by many accounting firms. Don't miss their expert advice on how to find reliable vendors who align with your values and prioritize your business's success. Tune in to learn how to safeguard your company and make informed decisions when choosing the people and tools you rely on. Your business deserves the best - start vetting your vendors like a pro today!
Need help vetting a potential vendor - contact Susan
Top Tips from this episode:
- Don't respond to cold call emails or messages from vendors you don't know. Instead, ask for referrals from trusted peers and networks. (Susan)
- When considering a vendor, research how long they've been in business, read reviews (especially on Reddit and Quora), and ask for testimonials from their clients. (Lany)
- Request all file formats and a complete brand package from your graphic designer, including vector files, fonts, and color codes. (Susan)
- Ensure that you have the rights to use the fonts in your logo and that you own all the designs created for your business. (Susan)
- Have a contract in place stating that any work created by contractors for your business is your intellectual property. (Lany)
- Ask your accountant or CPA about their security measures, including secure portals, communication methods, and record retention policies. (Lany)
- Choose vendors who have a backup plan and can recommend trusted professionals to take over their tasks if something happens to them. (Susan)
- Align yourself with vendors who have strong relationships with strategic partners and genuinely care about your business's success. (Susan)
Time management is more critical than ever, especially with the rise of AI tools and virtual assistants. Properly tracking and documenting how you spend your time can lead to significant benefits, from increased productivity to smoother delegation and onboarding. In this episode of Rooted in Revenue, hosts Susan Finch and Debi Davis dive deep into the future of time management and its intersection with AI. They discuss practical strategies for optimizing your time, such as using customized systems, recording detailed process videos, and establishing efficiency baselines. Whether you're a solopreneur or managing a team, this episode will provide valuable insights to help you maximize your most precious resource – time. Tune in now to learn how to stay ahead of the curve in the age of AI-driven productivity.
Links from this episode:
Paymo time management system
Full Series
Susan Finch:
- https://linkedin.com/in/susanmfinch
- https://susanfinch.com
Debi Davis
- https://3dcommunicationsai.com/
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/3d-communications-3d-debi
- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLgktQiDXVOfYd8NydFLlw
Are you a real estate broker on the brink of a major change? Whether you're considering leaving a franchise to establish your brand, or switching franchises, this transition can be both exhilarating and daunting. The key to success lies in meticulous planning and preparation. In this episode, Susan shares her expertise to guide you through the critical steps you need to take before leaping. Susan provides a small portion of a comprehensive checklist to ensure a smooth transition from establishing your unique branding elements to evaluating your current online assets and vendor relationships. It's enough to get you started and slow you down.
Don't let the excitement of change overshadow the importance of a well-executed plan. Tune in now to learn how to confidently navigate this transformative journey and set your brokerage up for long-term success. Special shout-out to the NRBA members.
Need help? Here are some of the services Susan Finch offers.
https://susanfinch.com/services/
The main points of the episode and the checklist for a smooth transition include:
- Establish branding elements: Choose a unique company name, logo, and domain. Set up associated email accounts.
- Obtain a new MLS number for your new independent website to display listings. You may have one, but you want to ensure you can change it from being associated with the previous firm and broker.
- Create a spreadsheet to track current online assets, including websites, social media profiles, and listings on various platforms. Document login information and status (keep, replace, or delete).
- List team members and their contact information.
- Evaluate tools in use, their costs, and renewal dates. Determine which tools to keep, replace, or delete.
- Prepare new templates for presentations, contracts, and getting digital signatures.
- Assess vendor relationships and inform them of the upcoming change if necessary.
- Create new marketing materials: business cards, signs, leave-behinds, postcards, and flyers.
- Collect and save existing client testimonials.
- Develop an onboarding library for team members, outlining their responsibilities and required documents.
Are your business's internal controls and security measures up to par? In this final episode of our 6-part series, Lany Sullivan and Susan Finch dive deep into the importance of protecting your clients' information and your own liability. They expose common pitfalls like using sticky notes for passwords or entrusting cash transactions to a single person. Lany and Susan emphasize the critical need for secure password management, digital money trails, and multi-person verification processes. They urge listeners to examine their business infrastructure for potential risks and take responsibility for addressing them. While the process may seem daunting, our hosts reassure you that it's well worth the effort in the long run. Whether you need Lany's expertise in setting up foolproof procedures or Susan's guidance in optimizing what you already have, this episode will leave you motivated to tackle those security challenges head-on.
Catch the full series here:Prioritize for Profitability: Establishing Foundational Systems for Business Growth
Mastering Growth: 4 Signs You Need a Business Asssessment
Love, Hate, Delegate: Transforming Your Business Through Delegation
Visionaries & Integrators: Navigating the Generalist vs. Specialist Hiring Maze
Building a Sustainable Tech Stack - Do you still use it?
This episode will give you an actionable list to evaluate your current tech stack. Lany and Susan will also give you ideas on what to look for when evaluating new pieces to your tech stack. Did you know that anything you log in to for your business is part of your tech stack? Lany will give you her strong opinions on several pieces of software and tools. Susan will give some real examples on ways to test what you are using and lock it down to make it more effective.
Questions you need to know about each piece of your tech stack assessment:* What are you using? * When are you using it? * Why are you using it? * Who has control of it? * Who has access to it? * What's your decision hierarchy?
Does your technology make sense in your day-to-day business?* Does it serve your business internally? * Does it serve your business externally? * How do your clients have access to it, and should they? * How does your team access it?
Tools mentioned in this episode:* KarbonHQ - Accounting Bookkeeping Software system - ties to QuickBooks * Google Drive - Don't forget to lock it down. * Kajabi - Monetize, Manage - Diversifying revenue streams * JotForm - vs. Docusign or PandaDoc. * Go High-Level - website management, funnels, all workflows, connect calendars, pipeline, CRM, communication for text and email, social media postings. Similar to HubSpot.
Susan Finch and Lany Sullivan dive into the crucial decision of hiring generalists or specialists for your business in this insightful episode of Rooted in Revenue. They discuss the roles of virtual assistants (VAs), online business managers (OBMs), and the importance of finding the right fit for your team. Lany emphasizes the significance of hiring based on your specific needs and goals, rather than defaulting to a VA. The duo also touches on the value of fostering a supportive and empowering work environment where team members feel comfortable questioning decisions and suggesting improvements. Tune in for valuable tips on building a team that aligns with your vision and propels your business forward.
Are you drowning in tasks and struggling to let go of control in your business? In this third episode of the Rooted in Revenue series, Lany Sullivan and Susan Finch dive into the power of delegation and how it can lead to more time and freedom. They discuss the importance of identifying tasks you love and hate, and provide practical strategies for delegating at all levels of your organization. From overcoming the fear and vulnerability of delegating to developing trust with your team, Lany and Susan share insights on how to break free from the self-induced chaos of trying to do it all yourself. They also emphasize the importance of effective communication and empowering your team members in the delegation process. Tune in to learn how implementing "Love, Hate, Delegate" can transform your business and unlock your path to greater freedom and success.
Susan Finch and Lany Sullivan are plunging into the inky black to tackle the four crucial moments when conducting a business assessment, which is an absolute must. They'll help you identify the signs that your business is ready for a thorough evaluation, and trust us, ignoring these red flags could lead to a total "blowup" down the line – and nobody wants that!
Lany shares her expert insights on navigating the challenges of rapid growth, delegating effectively, optimizing your tech stack, and building an ideal team with high efficiency and retention. Whether you're a visionary leader or a detail-oriented executive, this episode is oozing with actionable advice to help you achieve sustainable success. Are you ready to assess, optimize, and take your business to new possibilities of scale and growth?
Some key points you may want to jump to:00:00:00 Introduction: The importance of conducting a business assessment
00:00:30 Four key areas that indicate when to do a business assessment
00:01:00 Point 1: Navigating explosive growth and maintaining infrastructure
00:04:30 Point 2: CEO holding all knowledge and not delegating effectively
00:12:30 Point 3: Outdated systems and broken tech stack
00:24:00 Point 4: Preparing to hire new team members
00:25:00 Conducting Lany's system of "Love, Hate, Delegate" exercise to identify hiring needs
00:27:00 Documenting processes and creating a detailed scope of work
00:28:30 Developing an onboarding process and setting expectations for new hires
00:30:00 The importance of taking the time to document and train properly
If you want to see this episode, it's on the Funnel Media Group channel here: https://youtu.be/V_UWOh43inM
Are you leaving money on the table in your business? If you haven't evaluated your entire customer journey from end to end, chances are there are holes that are costing you revenue. In this episode, operations experts Susan Finch and Lany Sullivan dive into why your customer journey is the key to sustainable revenue. They share examples of the broken processes they often see, and provide practical advice for establishing foundational systems that will help you shift from constantly rebuilding your business to making small pivots for long-term growth. Tune in to discover how to plug the leaks in your customer journey and build a business that works.
Some key points from this episode include:
- Lany (5:40): "Your money is between your marketing and your referrals. It's between those two things from beginning to end and everything in between. It's the entire customer journey process."
- Susan (9:40): "It doesn't do any good to just throw money at a solution, get the solution, and then not implement the work. You do have to do the work or hire somebody to do the work."
- Lany (14:35): "Visionaries are all over the board... You got to rein it in and you got to really, that comes back to you got to prioritize, and it goes back to your vision, your values, your mission, your goals."
- Susan (18:25): "Ideally, people are saying nice things about us when we are asleep, and we wake up, and there'll be leads in our inbox, the phone will be ringing with people. I heard. I know. You're great. Fantastic. And if you're not getting that, you are missing; obviously, you are just churning your customer base. Churn is expensive."
- Lany (20:20): "My whole shtick is sustainable processes, right? Long-term sustainability. So you don't have to go rebuild and overhaul your business every two to five years. Mine is all you have to do is make micro changes and just keep shifting and pivoting as you go because your business will shift and pivot."
In this episode of Rooted in Revenue, host Susan Finch welcomes back Debi Davis, owner and operator of 3D Communications AI, for an insightful discussion on the importance of measuring and managing data to drive business growth. CEOs and CROs will find valuable insights as Debi shares her expertise on analyzing processes, improving communication, and leveraging data to make informed decisions. Discover how to effectively collect, organize, and utilize data to enhance your company's performance and stay ahead of the competition in today's rapidly evolving technological landscape. Join Susan and Debi as they explore the concept of "you can't manage what you don't measure" and provide practical advice on harnessing the power of data to achieve your business goals. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from two industry experts and take your company to the next level.
Listsen to the series here.
Feeling scattered trying to manage and grow your business? Plagued with impulsive ideas but little follow-through? Do distractions keep you from moving forward effectively? My friend and business coach Debi Davis shares hard-won wisdom for overcoming chaos and dysfunction. If you lead or own a small or mid-size B2B company, listen in as Debi and I discuss bringing order to operations, planning, and execution. Learn a simple yet powerful three-step formula encapsulated as “frame, focus, follow through” that could transform how you structure workflows, combat shiny object syndrome, enable consistent progress tied to objectives, and make space for spontaneity. Whether dealing with hypergrowth, leadership changes, or market disruptions, every entrepreneur needs organizational discipline to drive results without burning out. Tune into my conversation with Debi to gain insider tips on getting unstuck, focused, and moving forward intelligently toward your vision.
CEOs, are your metrics telling the whole story of your company’s health? Susan Finch poses this vital question to her guest, customer intelligence expert Laura Patterson, in this episode. Laura spotlights critical yet overlooked metrics beyond sales and profit — brand equity and customer value. These interlinked measures provide unparalleled visibility into your company’s ability to attract, retain, and expand customer relationships over time. According to Patterson, savvy executives harness these advanced analytics to steer product innovation, segment customers precisely, model business impacts, and ultimately make decisions that accelerate growth. Connecting the dots between these additional metrics and concrete outcomes gives you the power to future-proof your organization amid disruption. Will you lead with expanded metrics to propel competitive advantage? The insights in this episode equip you to do so.
The intro focuses on the bottom-line benefits of the discussed metrics for CEOs and uses Laura Patterson's expertise to compel leaders to incorporate broader intelligence.
Links from this episode:
VisionEdge Marketing
Laura Patterson on LinkedIn
Speaking Workshop
Advisory Services
About Laura Patterson:
Laura Patterson has believed in the power of customer-centricity since childhood, when she sold chocolates door-to-door. She founded the growth strategy firm VisionEdge Marketing in 1999 to help companies reap the rewards of a customer focus. Patterson has severed as director of customer marketing and brand strategy, customer relationship manager, customer marketing initiative lead, and customer loyalty architect for companies like Motorola. An award-winning author and speaker, she shares her expertise through books, interactive workshops, research, and advisory services to boards and executives. Patterson is passionate about enabling businesses to accelerate growth through four key game-changers: better growth strategies, organization-wide customer-centricity, performance measurement, and operational excellence. With over 25 years helping companies implement these customer-first approaches, her mission remains unchanged - inspire organizations to fully leverage customer intelligence for sustainable success.
Do you have a revolutionary business idea but struggle with bringing it to market? Have you invested significant time and money into a product with no traction? As an entrepreneur and inventor at heart, Sushee Perumal has been in your shoes. After exiting his prior role, he was inspired to launch Flight Level 180 to provide startups and founders the capabilities in technology, marketing, and sales required to accelerate getting products from idea to market fit. In this episode, learn Sushee’s framework around alignment, rapid iterations using customer feedback, finding shortcuts, and execution to take your innovative ideas into winning products customers love. As Sushee says, “Leaders are learners,” so be prepared to have your mind opened to a new way to approach product-market validation. If you have an insatiable curiosity for what’s possible in business, you’ll discover game-changing insights from this inventive leader and certified pilot.
Links from this episode:
Sushee Perumal on LinkedIn
FlightLevel180.com
Susan Finch on LinkedIn
Funnel Media Group LLC
Communication skills are invaluable yet often overlooked. In this episode, Susan sits down with Matt Heinz, President of Heinz Marketing Inc. He's an established podcaster and marketing leader. They discuss practical ways we can become better communicators by creating and sharing our stories. They explore how opening up builds connection and trust—when we lead with vulnerability, we grant others permission to do the same. The resulting environment fosters mutual understanding between all personality types, whether analytic experts or creative collaborators. Matt and Susan examine how to reframe experiences from our past into bite-sized stories that offer wisdom. Gathering these over time not only boosts our own confidence but allows us to celebrate shared experiences with others. The ability to craft compelling stories makes communicating easier and more effective. This speaks volumes to HR facilitating healthier office cultures. Ultimately, honing our storytelling skills allows us to bridge divides and bond teams together. Tune into this insightful episode to gain tangible tools for improving how you communicate through personal stories.
A quote from Matt that speaks volumes about him:
“The definition of good work isn’t more work. It isn’t defined by doing the most work. The definition of work is about impactful work – for the work itself as well as what it enables for you and those you care about, as well as the broader communities in which we live and engage.”Matt HeinzPresidentHeinz Marketing
Have you ever volunteered your time to lead a professional organization or community group, only to face a tangled transition handing everything over to your successor? Between forgotten passwords, outdated contact lists, and confusing file permissions, it's enough digital chaos to make you want to resign on the spot!
Well, take a deep breath and lean in. In this episode, we'll untangle the mystery of smooth leadership transitions when it comes to your online assets. With empathy, humor, and hard-won experience, I’ll share practical tips to make passing the digital torch simple and stress-free. You’ll learn how to clean your organization's digital house, tighten permissions, and set up role-based access so you can seamlessly log out and let capable new hands log in. Consider this your guide to gracefully logging off so your organization can thrive far into the future. Now, let’s get you transitioned out of that role without any fuss or digital dust!
Questions? Contact me: susan@susanfinch.com or on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/susanmfinch
What if we viewed every employee as having untapped potential waiting to be uncovered? Russell Kern joins Susan in this episode to discuss how shifting to strength-based coaching can profoundly transform organizations and lives. Through focusing regular conversations on nurturing strengths, managers become empowering partners in their employees' career journeys. Employees feel recognized for their unique abilities and supported to grow as individuals. Imagine the ripple effects across teams and companies when people are passionate about using their natural strengths daily. The data is clear - strength-based coaching boosts engagement, productivity, profits, and retention. They would like to hammer home that it is time to stop focusing on profits and focus on people. We hire PEOPLE to work with us for 30% of our lives. The strengths revolution starts with believing in human capabilities and caring deeply about enabling every individual to thrive. Get tips on how small changes by managers can unlock tremendous organizational success. The future is bright when we inspire greatness in one another. This is the first of several conversations to come between Susan and Russell.
A bit more on Strength-Based Coaching from Russell Kern:
Strength-based coaching plays a unique and critical role in developing strong teams and improving organizational financial performance. It enables each team member to learn what their greatest strengths are.
In doing so, individuals can grow more in their careers by being encouraged to apply their natural abilities to their daily work.
This develops a feeling of being respected and recognized for who they are and the importance of their unique contributions to the team. This further helps to increase their sense of belonging and shows support for their personal and career growth, which directly impacts their engagement at work and their team’s performance.
In a study spanning 45 countries and 49,495 business units, Gallup found that strength-based workgroups saw increases in both sales and profits.
And on average, these workgroups also saw:
● 3% to 7% higher customer engagement
● 6% to 16% lower turnover (in low-turnover organizations)
● 26% to 72% lower turnover (in high-turnover organizations)
● 9% to 15% increase in engaged employees
● 22% to 59% fewer safety incidents
Furthermore, Gallup also found that teams that focused on developing their strengths had 12.5% greater productivity and 8.9% greater profitability than teams that did not.
We have a highly specialized guest who will help us navigate the evolving landscape of consumer behavior as it relates to demand generation. Deanna Shimoto, with over eight years of expertise in marketing and demand generation, joins us to share insights that couldn't be more relevant to our current business climate. As Deanna aptly puts it, "Buyers, consumers in general, are spending significantly more time digging in and doing their own research." This shift in consumer behavior is transforming the way businesses need to approach sales and marketing.
In this episode, we explore the reasons behind this shift and how it's affecting various industries, including the car vending machine trend exemplified by Carvana. Trust, efficiency, and control have become paramount for today's consumers. Whether you're in B2B or B2C, understanding and adapting to these changing dynamics is crucial. We'll delve into the importance of trust, the consequences of broken trust, and the need to align your strategies with evolving consumer preferences.
Join us as we uncover the keys to thriving in this new landscape of consumer behavior with Deanna Shimoto on "Rooted in Revenue." Be ready to look at transforming your business strategy and stay ahead in today's ever-evolving market.
Links from this episode:
Business Name: GrowthMode Marketing Website: http://www.growthmodemarketing.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannashimota/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/growthmode Twitter: https://twitter.com/Growth_Mode
In this episode, Susan Finch and Tessa Burg dive deep into the ethical and strategic incorporation of AI tools, such as ChatGPT, into business workflows and educational systems. They discuss the importance of understanding biases, setting up standards across the company, and adopting a cautious approach to the usage of generative AI tools. They emphasize the need for a strong QA process and internal policies to protect clients and businesses. Additionally, they touch on the importance of educating students and teachers on how to properly use AI tools to enhance creativity and communication. Susan and Tessa share real-life examples and insights to highlight the challenges and benefits of using AI tools while maintaining a strong focus on ethics, security, and bias. Tune in to explore the nuances of incorporating AI into your daily workflows and the importance of approaching it with a strategic mindset.
Listen to Tessa's episode from Leader Generation on this topic, as well.
The Unique Edge Marketers Have Over ChatGPT Links from this episode:
Susan on LinkedIn
Tessa on LinkedIn
Time-Saving vs. Think-Saving blog post
Jo Dale Carothers has just published Royally Deceived. I sat with her yesterday to talk about the process of someone who works full-time AND wants to be a published author. One of her big takeaways - research free resources, talk to other authors in your genre, and put together a team. Here is an excerpt from the interview. If you know you have a book in you, you'll want to listen to this episode. Maye you will be like Jo Dale and realize you don't just have one book in you, but two, then four, then ten.
About Author - J.D. Carothers:
When not consumed by her job as an attorney, J.D. Carothers loves to cook for her family and friends, read murder mysteries and romance novels, eat chocolate, and sip wine while watching the sunset in Southern California.
Late at night or early on weekend mornings, she tries to find a quiet place to write her next novel and trade the stress of real life for a fantasy world where murder and romance are on the menu, along with the food she loves.
She wishes there were more hours in each day!
You can preview Royally Deceived here.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/43aNQYO
Audible: https://adbl.co/3rv5IAA
Here is the link to the series on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C9N72KR2
Psychological safety is crucial for organizations to thrive, contributing to talent retention and overall success. Companies that create a culture of psychological safety outperform those that do not. Join Susan Finch and Rob Brodo to continue their discussion on leadership simulations.
Creating a psychologically safe environment requires leaders to establish trust and make employees feel comfortable taking risks, challenging the status quo, and expressing their concerns. It involves treating everyone fairly and focusing on building self-esteem and recognition.
To be a better leader and foster psychological safety, Rob Brodo suggests five key actions:
- creating a stable and predictable environment,
- providing employees with options and choices,
- ensuring equity in treatment,
- understanding employee desires and needs,
- and establishing a foundation of trust.
Repairing trust can be challenging but is possible in certain situations. It requires open communication, difficult conversations, and the leader's judgment on whether the person can be trusted again. Building trust also involves maintaining a respectful environment and avoiding mockery or humiliation.
Advantix offers simulations and programs on psychological safety that cater to both large and small businesses. These simulations provide self-reflection, learning, and action-planning opportunities to enhance leadership skills and create psychologically safe workplaces.
Links from this episode:
Adventexe.com
https://www.advantexe.com/psychological-safety-simulation
Rob Brodo on LinkedIn and Twitter
Susan Finch on LinkedIn and Twitter
About Advantexe:
Advantexe Learning Solution's mission is to provide world-class Business simulation-centric Business Acumen, Business Leadership, and Strategic Business Selling talent development solutions to organizations around the world to help them execute their business strategies and achieve their goals and objectives.
Their vision is to be the premier talent development resource partnering with their clients to close the talent gaps preventing them from flawlessly executing their strategic initiatives and achieving their short- and long-term business objectives.
Susan Finch and Rob Brodo from Adventexe delve into the crucial role of coaching in driving organizational success. Recent studies have revealed that companies with a strong coaching culture are classified as high-performing organizations, and you won't want to miss out on that kind of achievement. Rob shares invaluable insights on coaching dialogue, coaching effectiveness, and the overall approach. They debunk the misconception that each company's coaching needs are vastly unique, emphasizing the core principles that apply to leadership coaching across the board. However, they also stress the significance of aligning coaching strategies with your company's specific goals and objectives. Join them for this episode, "Skills Needed to Drive Performance Through Effective Coaching."
Rob also invites you to read his latest post on Five Business Acument Tips to Making Yourself Indispensible.
Links from this episode:
Adventexe.com
https://www.advantexe.com/new-manager-business-leadership-simulation
Rob Brodo on LinkedIn and Twitter
Susan Finch on LinkedIn and Twitter
About Advantexe:
Advantexe Learning Solution's mission is to provide world-class Business simulation-centric Business Acumen, Business Leadership, and Strategic Business Selling talent development solutions to organizations around the world to help them execute their business strategies and achieve their goals and objectives.
Their vision is to be the premier talent development resource partnering with their clients to close the talent gaps preventing them from flawlessly executing their strategic initiatives and achieving their short- and long-term business objectives.
Intrigued by Advantexe's business simulations, Susan welcomes back Rob Brodo from Advantexe as they explores their focus on new manager training. They both acknowledge that management failure can lead to business failure but believe it is preventable and correctable. Susan asks Rob about the challenges faced by new managers and the motivation behind creating simulations.
Rob highlights the overwhelming nature of transitioning into a management role without guidance. Advantexe's simulations allow new managers to practice essential skills like goal-setting, coaching, conflict resolution, and leading change. Susan shares insights from conversations with author Helen Fanucci, author of Love Your Team, emphasizing the need for comprehensive training to support new managers and the difficult conversations necessary to grow.
They discuss the complexities of the evolving work environment, where institutional knowledge and documentation quickly become outdated. Rob reveals that many organizations lack manuals and standardized procedures. The simulations benefit not only new managers but the entire organization by building leadership capabilities.
Links from this episode:
Adventexe.com
https://www.advantexe.com/new-manager-business-leadership-simulation
Rob Brodo on LinkedIn and Twitter
Susan Finch on LinkedIn and Twitter
Also mentioned, Love Your Team by Helen Fanucci on Amazon
About Advantexe:
Advantexe Learning Solution's mission is to provide world-class Business simulation-centric Business Acumen, Business Leadership, and Strategic Business Selling talent development solutions to organizations around the world to help them execute their business strategies and achieve their goals and objectives.
Their vision is to be the premier talent development resource partnering with their clients to close the talent gaps preventing them from flawlessly executing their strategic initiatives and achieving their short- and long-term business objectives.
In this final episode of the Foundations of Business Series on Rooted in Revenue, Rob Brodo, the co-founder and CEO of Advantexe, and Susan Finch discuss competitive analysis as a foundation of business acumen. They first identify who the real competitors are and how to spot them. They also explain how scanning the environment, including social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter, can help companies stay up to date on their competitors and innovations in the market. Rob emphasizes the importance of building trust with customers and having continuous dialogues with them to keep track of who is entering the market and who might be a potential threat. By doing so, companies can use the information gained from competitive analysis to fine-tune their message to either existing customers or new prospects and establish a strategic competitive advantage. Overall, this episode provides valuable insights and practical tips for conducting competitive analysis, regardless of a company's size.
Some of the points covered in this episode include:
- Sales is not just about selling a product or service; it's about building relationships with customers and understanding their needs.
- One of the most important skills for a salesperson is active listening. This means listening to the customer, understanding their pain points, and providing solutions.
- Salespeople should focus on creating value for the customer, rather than just trying to close a sale. When customers see the value in what they are buying, they are more likely to become loyal customers.
- Sales training should be an ongoing process, not just a one-time event. Salespeople should continuously learn new skills, strategies, and techniques to improve their performance.
- Technology can be a valuable tool for salespeople, but it should never replace human connection. Personalized communication and building relationships with customers is still the key to successful sales.
The previous episode in this series is here:
https://rootedinrevenue.com/e/transform-employee-performance-with-strategic-insight/
https://rootedinrevenue.com/e/breaking-down-finacial-metric-silos-ensuring-consistent-understanding-across-the-company/
https://rootedinrevenue.com/e/achieving-competitive-advantage-through-a-comprehensive-competitor-analysis/
Links related to this episode:
https://www.advantexe.com/business-acumen-virtual-workshop
Rob Brodo on LinkedIn and Twitter
Susan Finch on LinkedIn and Twitter
About Advantexe:
Advantexe Learning Solution's mission is to provide world-class Business simulation-centric Business Acumen, Business Leadership, and Strategic Business Selling talent development solutions to organizations around the world in order to help them execute their business strategies and achieve their goals and objectives.
Their vision is to be the premier talent development resource partnering with their clients to close the talent gaps that are preventing them from flawlessly executing their strategic initiatives and achieving their short- and long-term business objectives.
In this episode of Rooted in Revenue, host Susan Finch is once again joined by Rob Brodo, the co-founder and CEO of AdvantX. The duo is continuing their series on the foundations of Business Acumen, which covers the key components of understanding business strategy and financial positions. In this episode, they delve into the importance of recognizing the strategic and financial challenges and opportunities of executing a new strategy.
Rob discusses how many companies are disconnected between their metrics of success and their strategy, and that goals and objectives are not connected to the priorities of the business. He emphasizes the need to align people to measure the success of the strategy and that it is not happening in many companies. For example, if an organization has a value proposition of being an innovator, then the goals and objectives should be around innovation. Rob explains that it is not just about setting goals and objectives, but also about having specific measurements to tell if they are achieving those goals.
The conversation then turns to the importance of alignment across the enterprise on the value proposition, goals, and objectives. Rob highlights how the most successful companies in the world have this alignment, while struggling companies set up functions within the enterprise that compete against each other. This misalignment can lead to conflicts in financial metrics, cutting prices to get deals, and challenges in creating margins.
The episode concludes with Susan and Rob discussing the need for coaching and interpersonal skills to align people to the strategy. The conversation is wrapped up by discussing the basics of conducting a competitor analysis and using that information to establish a strategic competitive advantage in the next episode.
Listeners are encouraged to check out the full series of Rooted in Revenue on the website, where they can find Rob's insights on the foundations of Business Acumen, and to not miss the next episode on competitor analysis.
The previous episode in this series is here:
https://rootedinrevenue.com/e/transform-employee-performance-with-strategic-insight/
https://rootedinrevenue.com/e/breaking-down-finacial-metric-silos-ensuring-consistent-understanding-across-the-company/
Links related to this episode:
https://www.advantexe.com/business-acumen-virtual-workshop
Rob Brodo on LinkedIn and Twitter
Susan Finch on LinkedIn and Twitter
About Advantexe:
Advantexe Learning Solution's mission is to provide world-class Business simulation-centric Business Acumen, Business Leadership, and Strategic Business Selling talent development solutions to organizations around the world in order to help them execute their business strategies and achieve their goals and objectives.
Their vision is to be the premier talent development resource partnering with their clients to close the talent gaps that are preventing them from flawlessly executing their strategic initiatives and achieving their short- and long-term business objectives.
In this episode of the podcast, Susan Finch and Michelle Cramer from On Angels' Wings discuss the importance of HR support in the workplace. Michelle discusses her journey writing her book, Uncharted Grief, and her certification as a Grief Recovery Method specialist. Michelle shares her thoughts on the societal norms surrounding grief and how they impact employees in the workplace. She highlights the importance of allowing employees to grieve and the impact it can have on their health and financial well-being. Michelle also shares a story of a gentleman who struggled to find a balance between work and grieving after the unexpected death of his father. This episode sheds light on a crucial topic and highlights the importance of HR support for employees who are grieving. You’ll also hear the variations of grief, it’s not always about death. Listen in to gain insights and understanding on how to support your team and staff through the grieving process.
This episode covers a few facets of this topic:
- Supporting Teams Through Grief: HR's Role in the Process
- Navigating Loss in the Workplace: Expert Advice for HR
- Grieving and the Workplace: Addressing Employee Needs
- HR's Role in Providing Compassionate Support for Grieving Employees
Links from this episode:
On Angels' Wings - https://oawphoto.org
Susan Finch on LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/susanmfinch
Michelle Cramer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellelcramer-oaw
In this episode, Susan is joined by Rob Brodo, the CEO and Co-Founder of Advantexe, as they continue their series on business acumen strategies. The focus of this episode is on comprehending financial position and key metrics, including the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow report. Rob explains that financial management is just a scoreboard for the company's strategy and that understanding these metrics is crucial in measuring the success of the strategy. He also highlights the importance of cash flow, as it is the lifeblood of any business. The conversation then shifts to the importance of everyone in the company having a basic understanding of financial management and its impact on the company. Join Susan and Rob as they dive into the world of financial management and its impact on business success.
The previous episode in this series is here:
https://rootedinrevenue.com/e/transform-employee-performance-with-strategic-insight/
Links related to this episode:
https://www.advantexe.com/business-acumen-virtual-workshop
Rob Brodo on LinkedIn and Twitter
Susan Finch on LinkedIn and Twitter
About Advantexe:
Advantexe Learning Solution's mission is to provide world-class Business simulation-centric Business Acumen, Business Leadership, and Strategic Business Selling talent development solutions to organizations around the world in order to help them execute their business strategies and achieve their goals and objectives.
Their vision is to be the premier talent development resource partnering with their clients to close the talent gaps that are preventing them from flawlessly executing their strategic initiatives and achieving their short- and long-term business objectives.
In this episode, we cover the importance of understanding business strategy for every person working for a company. Our guest is Rob Brodo. Rob is the Co-Founder and CEO of Advantexe. Rob talks about how many CEOs struggle with leading an organization that lacks a clear understanding of their value proposition to customers. The discussion includes the difference between the "believers" and "non-believers," and the importance of knowing the company's strategy and its impact on a company's success. Listen to this first part of a 4 part series on understanding business strategy and how it can benefit your organization.
Links related to this episode:
https://www.advantexe.com/business-acumen-virtual-workshop
Rob Brodo on LinkedIn and Twitter
Susan Finch on LinkedIn and Twitter
About Advantexe:
Advantexe Learning Solution's mission is to provide world-class Business simulation-centric Business Acumen, Business Leadership, and Strategic Business Selling talent development solutions to organizations around the world in order to help them execute their business strategies and achieve their goals and objectives.
Their vision is to be the premier talent development resource partnering with their clients to close the talent gaps that are preventing them from flawlessly executing their strategic initiatives and achieving their short- and long-term business objectives.
At least a few times a month I hear from a potential new client that their email marketing efforts produce no results. Once we sit and talk about their process, how they follow up with the leads they get pretty quiet. This isn't uncommon. If you are struggling to create and execute targeted marketing campaigns that drive new business, you are not alone, especially for small businesses. It’s critical to the growth of your business, but you don’t have the time or the resources to do it and you cannot afford expensive marketing software or a high-priced marketing professional. Many of these small businesses are a team of one, two or three trying to wear all the hats. They are great at what the company does, but they are not writers, they are not marketers, but they know they need to do this to get in front of existing customers and prospects. Larry Caretsky, Founder of Commence - a trusted name in CRM is our guest today. Listen to this episode to hear how Commence has solved this common issue of starting, but then dropping the ball on everything after the email. There is a an answer. Join Larry and Susan for, "Follow Up On the Leads, We'll Do the Rest."
Links from this episode:
Larry Caretsky - sales@commence.com
Larry on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-caretsky-b3a27824/
Susan on LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/susanmfinch
Commence - https://commence.com
The Marketing Enablement Program - https://commence.com/service/marketing-enablement/
We hear about all the ways marketers miss the mark - what they do wrong. What if we focused on what they are doing right and then expand the use of those tactics? Some companies have a team of one or less than five and each must wear several hats. If, as a group, you lay out what is working, analyze the results through Google Analytics and pulling in all the pieces, as a group, you can tackle what is next.
It may be enhancing the most popular pages you have to ensure you move people along on the journey toward a conversation with your sales team. It may be creating a podcast or other content that appeals to your existing customers as the "inside group" rather than only talking to them when you want to sell them something new.
Jeanne Hopkins goes through ways to bring out the best in the existing marketing plan, letting go of what's not working and allowing companie to divide and conquer what needs to be done to engage, then celebrating the mountain of measurable successes as a group. Join us for, "Making Use of What Marketers Are Doing Right."
Links from this episode:
Connect with Jeanne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeannehopkins/
Connect with Susan on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/susanmfinch
About Jeanne Hopkins, B2B Fractional CRO with growth marketing chops, Advice with Accountability, GTM, PLG; former @hubspot VP Marketing; Speaker; Author; Advisor; Mentor; Start-up Investors:
Deep expertise in data-driven, high-velocity B2B and B2C customer acquisition, sales, marketing, and customer success organizations. Inbound (obviously)-based lead gen programs to support global demand for high-growth SaaS companies. Experienced in building GTM programs from scratch and turning around existing ones. Able to forge lasting partner marketing relationships with startups and enterprise-class organizations. Inbound marketing success in driving practical corporate, divisional and industry lead gen and nurturing programs. Success in growing and leading teams towards rapid results plus can enthusiastically manage many programs, people, vendors and campaigns concurrently, Proactive and highly productive w/analytical skills, thrive in a rapidly changing environment (start-up to corporate marketing), inspires excellence in others. Demonstrates concise, effective communication both written and spoken, able to handle ambiguity, a high workload, and an extreme amount of detail - all within budget.Building sustainable relationships that drive revenue via demand generation programs: Strategic, Technical & Creative - Co-chair MassTLC Sales & Marketing Group; Co-author, "Go Mobile", #1 best-selling mobile marketing book. Named to Sales Lead Management Association "Top 50" 3 years in a row and "20 Women to Watch" in 2015/14/13 & 2011; Named to VAR Guy Top Channel Leaders in 2015; MSPmentor People to Watch in 2014; BizJournal marketing experts; Speaker @ MarketingProfs B2B Forums, HubSpot Inbound 2011/12/13/14/15 Conferences, MIT Entrepreneurs Forum, AMA, Social Media Today, BrightTalk, MassTLC, Social Fresh. Advisor: OneScreen.io; Siemplify.co; Rank the Vote Digital Council; USEFULL (Coffee Cup Collective); Below The Fold (Acciyo)Author: Go Mobile!
A more complete title is, "How are you marketing to your employees, customers, prospects, community?"
Today I’m talking with Jeanne Hopkins who is launching Salty Marketing Company this month. We’ll cover what a fractional CMO is and isn’t, the four elements of marketing that every company must include or fail.
- Employees
- Customers
- Prospects
- Community
Consider this a wake-up call to marketers who are unable to justify their spending. This is part one of our session.
Links from this episode:
Connect with Jeanne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeannehopkins/
Connect with Susan on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/susanmfinch
About Jeanne Hopkins, B2B Fractional CRO with growth marketing chops, Advice with Accountability, GTM, PLG; former @hubspot VP Marketing; Speaker; Author; Advisor; Mentor; Start-up Investors:
Deep expertise in data-driven, high-velocity B2B and B2C customer acquisition, sales, marketing, and customer success organizations. Inbound (obviously)-based lead gen programs to support global demand for high-growth SaaS companies. Experienced in building GTM programs from scratch and turning around existing ones. Able to forge lasting partner marketing relationships with startups and enterprise-class organizations. Inbound marketing success in driving practical corporate, divisional and industry lead gen and nurturing programs. Success in growing and leading teams towards rapid results plus can enthusiastically manage many programs, people, vendors and campaigns concurrently, Proactive and highly productive w/analytical skills, thrive in a rapidly changing environment (start-up to corporate marketing), inspires excellence in others. Demonstrates concise, effective communication both written and spoken, able to handle ambiguity, a high workload, and an extreme amount of detail - all within budget.Building sustainable relationships that drive revenue via demand generation programs: Strategic, Technical & Creative - Co-chair MassTLC Sales & Marketing Group; Co-author, "Go Mobile", #1 best-selling mobile marketing book. Named to Sales Lead Management Association "Top 50" 3 years in a row and "20 Women to Watch" in 2015/14/13 & 2011; Named to VAR Guy Top Channel Leaders in 2015; MSPmentor People to Watch in 2014; BizJournal marketing experts; Speaker @ MarketingProfs B2B Forums, HubSpot Inbound 2011/12/13/14/15 Conferences, MIT Entrepreneurs Forum, AMA, Social Media Today, BrightTalk, MassTLC, Social Fresh. Advisor: OneScreen.io; Siemplify.co; Rank the Vote Digital Council; USEFULL (Coffee Cup Collective); Below The Fold (Acciyo)Author: Go Mobile!
Holly Jean Jackson is a speaker, author, and holistic coach. This means she gives you three in one - a health coach, life coach, and a business coach. In this episode we are focusing on the value of relaunching your book. You put so much blood, sweat, tears, and hair-pulling into publishing a book. But what happens a few years later? Your publisher did their part, you did the signings, the promotions, and then crickets? Let's hope not. You may even be working on your next book, but you still really love your earlier works. There may be a few places that could use an update or a new version done as an audiobook. Have you done all that? Doing an audio version gives you the opportunity for updates. What about the kindle version? Can you update that? What a great way to reopen conversations with fans, clients, and prospects. Holly and Susan talk about the need for an actual marketing plan to relaunch what you did so well the first time. There is always a new way to do it better, and some elements that should be updated. Listen to this episode of Rooted in Revenue, "You Wrote a Book, Is It Time to Relaunch It?"
----more----Links from this episode:Holly's Mastermind chat: https://businessnetworkchat.as.me/?appointmentType=38896056Learn about the Mastermind: https://rb.gy/sj1mry Follow Holly: https://hollyjeanjackson.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollyjjackson/https://www.instagram.com/coachhollyjeanjackson/https://www.facebook.com/hollyjeanjacksonInspiration Contagion PodcastInspiration Contagion Book on AmazonTEDx Talk Follow Susan:https://susanfinch.com/https://linkedin.com/in/susanmfinch/Rooted in Revenue on Apple PodcastsDMANC courses on podcasting taught by Susan Finch: About Holly Jean Jackson:Holly Jean Jackson is a Holistic Business Coach, Speaker, Podcast Host, Author, and founder of Business Builder Throw Down. Her career spans technology to communications, organizational change, public relations, and content strategy. She has dedicated over 12 years helping business leaders get their groove back physically, mentally, and emotionally. She's led a Local to Global Policy Initiative to influence future leaders' impact on communities. Fun Fact: Played in Carnegie Hall's first chair clarinet and is a Black belt in karate.
We need our prospects to be so confident that they will get the return they expect. And so it's the ROI model, but also it's the level of confidence about the ability to achieve that. The fact that sometimes even what our customers tell us, they see value in our own solutions starts to change and evolve. Eric Whittlake of 6Sense joins Susan today. He says, "One of the things that you likely will see is they value the thing that's more immediate than the thing." That extends into the need for us to do things to reduce the perception of risk with prospects of choosing a, hopefully, our solutions. That has to do with our sales process, that has to do with our marketing, and establishing credibility. There's more that we have to do there because we have a higher bar. It's time to stir it up again. We have to recognize how much has potentially changed in our market, with our prospects, and how that is so much more important that we go do this work now to understand how we're going to prioritize. Listen to this episode, "Reducing the Perception of Risks with Prospects."
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About Eric Whittlake:
Eric is a B2B marketer with a focus on demand generation, digital, content and media. Over the last 15 years he has helped clients develop programs that stand out and he's helped agencies create and grow new service offerings including media strategy and planning, marketing analytics, exchange-based media buying, and measurement technology. In addition, he's lead new mobile, search and lead generation initiatives.
About 6Sense:
You can’t guess your way to quota.In these times of uncertainty, conventional wisdom tells us to proceed with caution. But 6sense CEO Jason Zintak has another take. We’re ditching guesswork, and choosing to proceed with confidence.
6sense Revenue AI™ eliminates guesswork and arms your revenue team with the data and visibility it needs to create and convert high-quality pipeline into revenue.
Proceed with confidence, in any climate.
Important links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericwittlake/ https://6sense.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/6sense/ Twitter: @wittlake @susanfinchweb @funnelradiolive
https://funnelmediagroupllc.com
Steve Richard, SVP, Value Realization at MediaFly sits down with Susan to talk about sales and sales training in a recession. He says, "Really good demand gen marketers that are super targeted with what they do and have very little scrap rate have never been higher demand. That's one thing I'm definitely seeing that's critically important right now. And everyone's going outbound."
Key points in this episode:
- SDRs, SBRs, are you in the top third, mid-range third, or bottom third?
- Time to start self-sourcing opportunities
- How many times do you need to repeat training materials, three, seven, 50, or 100 times?
- The sins that steady renewals can cover.
- Is this current market downturn isolated to tech to tech, or is it across the board?
Steve's advice to take from this episode:
"If you're good at generating opportunities, you're always going to be fine. That's it. It's simple. So learn how to generate opportunities no matter what customer-facing role you're in."
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About our guest:
Steve Richard is SVP of Sales Excellence at Mediafly following their acquisition of ExecVision, the company he founded, in 2022. Steve also founded Vorsight which he sold in 2021.
Steve’s mission and life's work is to help as many sales teams as possible become wildly successful. He has been featured in numerous publications, including The Harvard Business Review, The Washington Business Journal, and The Washington Post. Outside of work, Steve enjoys scuba diving, skiing, running, and watching lots of football. He lives in Arlington, VA with his wife Ellen and their four kids ages 6, 9, 11, and 13.
Follow Steve’s one-minute sales tips of the day on LinkedIn.
It doesn't really matter whether you're a really large company or really small company, you have to continue to find, keep and grow the value of customers, which is the essence of marketing. You can't stop looking for customers and doing that work, but you also have to focus on keeping them. In this episode, Laura Patterson, President of VisionEdge Marketing gives suggestions for smaller to mid-size companies about building an advisory panel from your customers and why that continues to build loyalty, resources for valuable information, and your ability to better serve all of your customers. This fits into the topic of budgets and getting away from a line-items from the past, compared to outcome-based recommendations to nimbly move forward. You will pick up several tips you can implement at your own company - no matter the size - in this episode, "Outcome-Based Budgets vs. Line Item Belt Tightening."
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About Laura Patterson:
Growth strategy consultant to business leaders. Obsessed with helping companies take a customer-centric, data-to-insights, performance management approach to growth and to making business decisions with more confidence. A trusted advisor with global customers within the technology, financial services, life sciences, and manufacturing industries. Co-founded VisionEdge Marketing in 1999, serving customers like Cisco, Elsevier, Howden, Kennametal, Tektronix, Southwest Airlines Cargo, and over 200 more worldwide. Her expertise is regularly tapped by business associations such as the 4As, ANA, Direct Marketing Association (DMA), Institute for the Study of Business Markets (ISBM); academic institutions like Dartmouth, Oklahoma State, Truman State; and, publishers such as CEO Refresher, MarketingProfs, Nimble and academic journals; Marketing Technology companies such as Allocadia, Engagio, Hive9, and Marketo.
(LinkedIn)
Here is the blog post that really brought this episode together:
https://visionedgemarketing.com/recession-how-to-make-the-least-risky-budget-cuts/
About VisionEdge Marketing:
Vision Edge marketing started in 1999 with a focus on how they help their customers be more successful at using data analytics processes and measurement to take a customer-centric approach to growth. They were talking about all those things before they became big buzzwords. Now they're all big buzzwords and they're really glad that they were part of a trend.
Too many times a new CMO or CRO takes a position in a company and immediately wants to make changes without really observing to see what has been working, experience the company culture and getting to know the team. Jeanne Hopkins has been a CMO or CRO for many notable companies, including HubSpot, Ipswitch, Continuum, and currently OneScreen.ai. She knows the people are the greatest asset a company. In this episode Jeanne talks with Susan about her playbook and how important it is for it to align with that of any company she works for. Sometimes adjustments need to be made. Sometimes the company she is joining doesn't have a playbook so they start a fresh one based on Jeanne's. It's a huge value she brings - the ability to observe and pull from the wide range of experiences and successes she's had in B2B tech. Join us for this episode of Rooted in Revenue, "The Importance of a Playbook and Just Sitting for 30 Days."
Sales Managers and Leaders - you need to get your sales teams up 3x. Susan Finch's guest is Todd Duncan. A great place to start is with his golden nugget of a tip. At the end of each hour at the 55-minute rule. In the last 5 minutes of every hour, review what you did in the last hour. What was productive? What worked? What didn't work? If you simply start with this ONE tip, you'll be on your way to working much smarter in the following hours. Waiting until the week's end, or the month's end is too late for this review to make adjustments and improve.
He'll also give his opinion as to why sales pros slip back into bad habits after having great coaching and training. One word - discipline.
And TRUST - the most important thing to earn and the easiest to lose. How do you get back on track?
What is your WHY? What is your deep motivation? How does an action allow you to achieve something that is really emotionally important to you? You will want to listen to this more than once to fully absorb these huge tips you can start today.
And when you're done listening, go over to ToddDuncan.com and sign up for everything he offers. Follow him on all social channels. As Corey Frank from the Market Dominance Guys says, "Invest ONE hour per day on LEARNING and IMPROVING yourself." This is a great place to start. Everything can improve - you need to accept that and be willing to do the work to improve - every day.
Get his book - High Trust Selling on Amazon
About Todd Duncan:
Todd Duncan built a successful real estate and mortgage business before committing his life to help others do the same. At a young age, he learned the importance of building relationships, and that transactions will make you a living, but relationships will make you a fortune. That life lesson has carried him through his career and helped him become the #1 salesperson nationally at just 23 years old, write 17 books, start his own podcast, and make a transformational impact on the hearts and souls of business professionals.
If you are in sales, you'd better know if you are transactional-focused or lifetime-focused when it comes to how you approach prospects and customers. There is no wrong version, but you need to know which you are. Your sales manager needs to know which you are too. That deep honesty will allow you to play to your strengths. The theme of this episode is two-fold - being in awe of the fantastic things people you encounter do and who they are, and knowing yourself to the core. If you don't like it, change it. There is also homework at the end from both of us.
A favorite quote from The Big Kahuna is, "It doesn't matter whether you're selling Jesus or Buddha or civil rights or 'How to Make Money in Real Estate With No Money Down'. That doesn't make you a human being; it makes you a marketing rep. If you want to talk to somebody honestly, as a human being, ask him about his kids. Find out what his dreams are - just to find out, for no other...”
Jason Beck, this list of movies for sales professionals is for you. You can listen to our commentary in this episode. Check them out - some are not available on Amazon or Netflix at this time - but check back. The more extensive commentary is on Salesman.org - sign up for their newsletter, too.
Used Cars with Kurt Russell Jerry Maguire The Wolf of Wall Street (duh) Death of a Salesman 1985 - or see it on stage - so powerful Moneyball Seize the Day - Robin Williams In Pursuit of Happyness Tin Men Glengarry Glen Ross Tommy Boy Diamond Men Lord of War Love and Other drugs The Big Kahuna - a sleeper and feel-good movie about sales The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard
Jason Beck is Vice President of Sales at Enerex, retail energy's trusted data platform, providing secure connectivity to the entire value chain — brokers, suppliers, agents, customers, and utilities — to drive efficient transactions. Their flagship service, Sparkplug, is the #1 retail energy sales platform in the world, powering over 10% of US commercial and industrial (C&I) transactions. He's also been a wonderful guest on Market Dominance Guys. Connect with Jason on LinkedIn.
It’s been proven that kindness in the workplace has a stunning ROI. Kindness decreases stress, reduces employee burnout, and builds increasing levels of happiness and satisfaction in the workplace. Susan's guest is author Linda Cohen. They visit about the simplicity of transforming your business to incorporate kindness as a method of recruitment, retention, reputation without spending a lot of money. Her ideas are so simple you can start them today.
Imagine a company culture where employees feel valued, recognized, and empowered enough to go the extra mile for customers and colleagues; where the leadership is able to be authentic, transparent, and connected to their team. The Economy of Kindness: How Kindness Transforms Your Bottom Line provides real-life examples of companies that have employed kindness as their secret weapon to build and maintain their organizations.
Join Susan and Linda for this 20-minute discussion about The Economy of Kindness: How Kindness Transforms Your Bottom Line .
Christopher Lochhead wrote a book called Play Bigger. He was the CMO of Mercury Interactive and a couple of other real high-flying Silicon Valley startups and just an awesome guy. But he has a saying. He likes to say, "Thinking about thinking is the most important thinking you do. A lot of what we're talking about is stepping back because it's so easy to default to, Hey, I just raised my Series A; I'm in MarTech, let's go get somebody out of drift or let's go get a sale.
Let's go find someone in Salesforce marketing. Let's go get a director from Salesforce to run our marketing. Oh, they'll crush it for us. And it's a natural default, right? And then a person comes in and because they weren't clear... And usually that person, they don't know how to vet. So, they're told this and they're super excited. Oh, wow. This is my chance. Put a stamp on it, but they forget that I'm not going to be in Salesforce anymore. Meaning, I'm not going to have, first of all, the Salesforce brand and just all the power of that. I'm not going to have all the resources.
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And so anyway, the questions are just so important. Our guest, Mark Donnigan spends a lot of time just going through with the CEOs and the founders he works with and just really talking it through.
Listen to the rest of the interview with Mark.
Part one of this interview is here:
The Two-Way Interview with Mark Donnigan About Susan's Guest:
Mark Donnigan designs and executes marketing programs and go-to-market strategies that build markets and establish disruptive innovation companies as a category king. With 20 years of experience as a transformative and strategic B2B marketing and business leader Mark understands what’s required to succeed in today’s winner takes all market. Leveraging marketing and growth tactics that work, Mark produces real business results for early and growth-stage technology and disruptive innovation startup companies. Being well versed in SaaS, software licensing, wholesale, and retail distribution models, he helps companies build nimble, highly efficient marketing teams that routinely outperform larger marketing groups. Mark is passionate about extracting the most value from every marketing dollar invested. He provides startup founders in the early stages of building their sales engine with high-impact marketing playbooks so that they can reach their revenue goals and scale sustainably.
Mark Donnigan from Growth Stage Marketing says, "It's important that a professional team work together and all the executives should be rowing in the same direction and all these kind of truisms, which are all true but there are some very profound implications to how we market and how we sell, which gets wrapped up in go to market as a result of the fragmented buyer's journey that we are in today." He also reminds us, "think about how you talk about yourself, how you talk about what you do. And even as a full-time employee, in fact, I could argue that as a full-time employee, it matters as much or even more because it's so amazing when you hear one person who just describes themselves in kind of the HR job description. What do you do?" Listen to the first half of this interview to walk away walking a little bit taller, and able to go into interviews with more confidence.
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About Susan's Guest:
Mark Donnigan designs and executes marketing programs and go-to-market strategies that build markets and establish disruptive innovation companies as a category king. With 20 years of experience as a transformative and strategic B2B marketing and business leader Mark understands what’s required to succeed in today’s winner takes all market. Leveraging marketing and growth tactics that work, Mark produces real business results for early and growth-stage technology and disruptive innovation startup companies. Being well versed in SaaS, software licensing, wholesale, and retail distribution models, he helps companies build nimble, highly efficient marketing teams that routinely outperform larger marketing groups. Mark is passionate about extracting the most value from every marketing dollar invested. He provides startup founders in the early stages of building their sales engine with high-impact marketing playbooks so that they can reach their revenue goals and scale sustainably.
If someone is completing a form, you never want your customer to take any action that they don't know what's next for them. They need to know what's next and how long it will take. This is just one tip from Sonia Portwood and Virginia Robbins from PCBB. Customer service can make or break your business. Look at everything that you do from the point of view of your customers and you can't go wrong. Virginia reminds us to be brave when a customer leaves. Pick up the phone and ask what happened and how you could improve. It will only make you more successful. We made so many sudden changes last year and now it's time to review, adjust and make sure we are truly listening to our customers and incorporating their problems, hiccups, and complaints to be better at serving them to hopefully avoid repeating the mistakes.
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About our guests: Virginia Robbins, Chief Platform Product Manager | PCBB
Virginia Robbins has more than 40 years of experience in product development, technology, and operational excellence for financial institutions. Virginia is the Chief Platform Product Manager and oversees product development for the advisory solutions division of PCBB.
Sonia Portwood, EVP, Business Development and Strategic Execution | PCBB
Sonia Portwood has over 25 years of sales and marketing experience in banking, finance and capital markets. At PCBB, Ms. Portwood is responsible for all business development and the execution of strategic initiatives. Prior to joining PCBB, Ms. Portwood served as Vice President at Kensington Investment Group where she was involved in sales and served as its lead account manager for national clients. Earlier in her career, Ms. Portwood worked for Financial Oxygen, BISYS Professional Services, SunTrust Securities, Bank of America, and Deposit Guaranty National Bank. Ms. Portwood earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Belhaven University.
What are the questions you should ask before you select a network security advisor? What should you ask yourself? What are your accessibility needs? Be sure to include the factor of your team's cell phones. How secure are they? The simple requirement for facial recognition to login can save headaches and disasters. Listen to this short episode walking through the logic and some actionable tips.
When we all were sent home suddenly, not everything was ready for this transition, including the security of the workspace we were cobbling together at home, in closets, on kitchen tables, our cars, coffee shops. Many companies have continued to evolve policies, purchase equipment for those working remotely. But many haven't been able to. This episode will help those companies start that thought process and catch up.
Michael says, "Treat your remote and home network the same way you would your corporate environment. Having policies in place that you review regularly helps you stay on top of this."
Michael tells the story of someone who was able to work from home, but what the company didn't realize, she was sharing the computer with her student daughter. This left a lot of vulnerability because the company didn't send her home with a dedicated computer, or cite the requirements to protect company information and that of their clients. This episode helps us pick up where we left off when we started working from home. Many aren't going back. It's working out well. Follow these tips to ensure it continues to work better and improve constantly.
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About Michael Blood, President, Matraex, Inc.
App Visionary & Strategist | Project Consultant | Remove Project Constraints & Risks and Guide Development Teams to Realize Those Breakthrough Moments | Always on The Lookout For That Next Big Opportunity
Throughout his career, he's led project idea development, design, architecture, and road-mapping. At times, he's consulted on and taken over projects that were stalled and needed an innovative breakthrough or alternative solution. What he finds exciting about application/software development is its expansion with near-endless possibilities. He's very passionate about taking an idea and making it come to fruition. This is true whether it's a business, project in development, or guiding his teams.
Today, I am interviewing Craig Ostbo. I met Craig because Nina Hambleton, who was on our team, everybody loves Nina. She said, "You need to interview my professor because he's the real deal. And he knows everything about international marketing and has so much passion and joy for this."
From a touring musician to the perfect timing getting into the natural, the organic, and sustainable world of products, and taking clients brands global is the story he's telling us today. He's also shared some free resources and advice.
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From Craig:
Here's a site where you can do a tremendous amount of research on market opportunities for different products in most countries of the world: https://www.trade.gov/export-solutions
Here's a site that gives you even more data/country reports if your product is made from an agricultural commodity. This is the Foreign Agriculture Service or FAS: https://www.fas.usda.gov/
It helps to know the Harmonized System Code for your product. This number identifies your product category down to the nth degree in almost every country on earth. This system creates standards for global import/export: https://www.trade.gov/harmonized-system-hs-codes
The HS code system is a great way to do research on your product category. The HS Code will allow you to determine if there are tariffs, duties, or any other barriers in that foreign country aimed at your imported product. Often, without understanding the tariff structure, you may think you can easily compete on price against the domestic or even other foreign competitors until you discover the 35% tariff leveled at JUST USA BRANDS . . . there goes your margin :)
"I understand that your clients are your gold, and I'm not going to do anything to tarnish that." Doug C. Who is your ideal client? do not be afraid to truthfully state it. Everyone is not our client. Dream it! You are not being ungrateful grabbing all the crumbs. Free up your time, free up your effort. What do you want your income level to be? Is that enough? It may be fine, everyone has their own level of gratification.
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Some of us base it on time, not money. Why not have it accomplish both? Doug tells us his one thing, with a City Slickers' reference. His one thing was building an agency within the company. Listen in to hear how he did this and increased his revenue by nearly 850%! He also helps us recover when we need to identify a new 'best audience' without abandoning the old audience. Do not cannibalize your base overnight just to go after a new market. It's easier to keep going with your existing clients and more profitable. Include your existing clients in your ideas. You will be pleasantly surprised that they catch your excitement and are willing to consider your new offerings.
Check out his new book: Win-Win Selling - special price for two weeks: $0.99 for the ebook version.
Continuing our discussions with Ledge on ways to quickly jump start your sales team, and ultimately your company's revenue and joy he tackles good vs bad leads and why they all need to be addressed. He says, "From the funnel standpoint, you can use some automation for that, but ultimately make sure you have sales and marketing work together on a human look at the discernment in your funnel. Is this a fit? Why is it not a fit? If it's not a fit are there any flags that I can indicate ahead of time from an automation standpoint?" He continues, "It's unethical to even try to take somebody's money for that when down the street there could be a provider that could help them out." Tune in for tips, insights, and your inspiration.
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A bit about Add1Zero.co
Lead-to-close sales execution for B2B tech companies ready to leap from 6 to 7 digits of revenue. Their team joins your team - under your brand - to pick up your leads as soon as they hit your CRM, engage and close them, and hand a signed client over to your onboarding and CS teams. Using a proven process for 6- to 7-digit annual growth, they provide sales strategy, execution, and ops -- the real work that needs to get done to close deals.
Ever the optimist, Award-winning Magician, Scott Tokar, is looking forward to the irreplaceable trade shows he is a part of regularly. His corral of other performers know they can adjust and do online appearances, but nothing replaces the barker at a trade show driving people you never reached before to hear your message through entertainment. This episode of Rooted in Revenue first appeared on SLMA Radio. Susan Finch interviews Scott to talk about adjusting, the value of performers to help carry the "hosting" load at virtual and in-person events, as well as how you can plan for when in-person events return or how to stand out with your hybrid or virtual event.
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About Susan's guest:
Scott Tokar, CEO Corporate-Fx Trade Show Magic Group
Scott Tokar is unique among magicians, having focused solely on corporate entertainment (Infotainment) and visual communication, he is known today as a “specialist” in tradeshow magic and sales meeting motivation. Unlike his magical colleagues, Scott does not perform in nightclubs, at kids' birthday parties, or picnics.
Until you address the emotion in a volatile situation with compassion and respect, you will not diffuse a situation and may do more damage raising the intensity to a blistering crescendo. This is the continuing conversation that started a couple of weeks ago with Melissa Agnes. In this episode, we deep dive into one aspect of our response to a crisis, confrontation, and conflict as our brands and key people are bombarded with heavy emotion.
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Some of what is covered is how to get ahead of high emotional relatability when you can never overcome emotion with pure logic.
- Validate the emotion.
- Relate to them on that basis.
- Proof and logic to support your position and facts.
The tips Melissa gives us will help us protect our brands, but also have more success diffusing situations in our everyday lives. You will want to take notes here.
If you missed the first episode with Melissa, Crisis Readiness Equals Freedom, you can listen here >
About Susan's guest:
Author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World, Melissa Agnes is a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection. Agnes is a coveted speaker, commentator, and advisor to some of today's leading organizations faced with the greatest risks.
In Crisis Ready, Melissa Agnes draws from her remarkable experience in helping global brands, government organizations, and world leaders prevent and overcome a range of real-world, high-impact crises. She uses this experience to provide your organization with a clear roadmap to implementing a crisis ready culture–and thus building an INVINCIBLE brand.
Order Crisis Ready on Amazon
Crisis Ready is not about crisis management.
Management is what happens after the negative event has occurred. Readiness is what is done to build an INVINCIBLE brand, where negative situations don’t occur—and even if they do, they’re instantly overcome in a way that leads to increased organizational trust, credibility, and goodwill.
No matter the size, type, or industry of your business, Crisis Ready will provide your team with the insight into how to be perfectly prepared for anything life throws at you. Organizations that are crisis ready are more than just resilient. They’re invincible. Crisis Ready is your roadmap to business invincibility.
When I think of peace of mind in business, it comes from being prepared for the expected, as well as the unexpected. It's not all sparkle ponies, unicorns and laughter. Bad stuff happens.
What we do to respond in those moments as leaders and team members can change the course of a company and set into motion a chain reaction of positive outcomes or a Coyote/Roadrunner death spiral into dust. A bit dramatic I know, but I wanted you to have a visual as I introduce you to an expert in crisis readiness, Melissa Agnes.
You don't have to put this off. You and your company can immediately take steps to build your crisis readiness. You may have more in place than you think you do. Learn from Melissa Agnes who is the author of Crisis Readiness on Amazon.
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About Susan's guest:
Author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World, Melissa Agnes is a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection. Agnes is a coveted speaker, commentator, and advisor to some of today's leading organizations faced with the greatest risks.
In Crisis Ready, Melissa Agnes draws from her remarkable experience in helping global brands, government organizations, and world leaders prevent and overcome a range of real-world, high-impact crises. She uses this experience to provide your organization with a clear roadmap to implementing a crisis ready culture–and thus building an INVINCIBLE brand.
Order Crisis Ready on Amazon
Crisis Ready is not about crisis management.
Management is what happens after the negative event has occurred. Readiness is what is done to build an INVINCIBLE brand, where negative situations don’t occur—and even if they do, they’re instantly overcome in a way that leads to increased organizational trust, credibility, and goodwill.
No matter the size, type, or industry of your business, Crisis Ready will provide your team with the insight into how to be perfectly prepared for anything life throws at you. Organizations that are crisis ready are more than just resilient. They’re invincible. Crisis Ready is your roadmap to business invincibility.
Susan's guest is Richard Moore. Not only is he a successful architect, but he's a graphic artist and product designer. Richard talks about the unexpected lessons learned when he started mass producing products. With over 100 SKUs, he's been able to successfully refine the process. The first step, hiring someone specifically to manage the production process. They met through a Kickstarter program several years ago launching their Chimeras through Walrus Toys.
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When Susan asked Richard how he balances his love of being an architect with product development, he tells her that it's not always balanced and that people need to get over insisting everything is always balanced, including the balance between partners in an endeavor. Just keep doing what you love.
A quote he used to explain how fortunate he is was taken from architectural school, "Graphic artists always want to be product designers. Product Designers always want to be architects, and architects always want to be graphic artists." He and his partner are able to be all three. Listen to this 24-minute episode about what that looks like, his advice, tips and insights. There will also be a new Kickstarter soon to launch four new toys completely separate from the successful and popular, Chimeras line. He would give us NO hints, you'll just have to get on his mailing list to find out. You don't want to miss the Kickstarter opportunity!
Now, I need to go to find my next gifts on ilovehandles.com - they are always inventing SOMETHING I want.
Learn more about Walrus Toys, ILoveHandles and Zero One Ten.
My guest today is Corinne McCormack for part two of the interview we did a couple of weeks ago about how to build a multimillion-dollar business. Yes, you can, and she has some final tips, advice, and strategies for you in this episode you don't want to miss. Here we go.
I'm here with Corinne McCormack, and we have had some great interviews recently and there were a couple of topics though that I wanted to cover with her. Corinne, are you open, let's tackle those last two topics that we didn't get to do in our earlier shows. In your book, From Living Room to Boardroom: How I Launched and Sold a Multimillion-Dollar Business, you tell your whole journey. What I noticed in it is you were very upfront and open to talking about how you were able to borrow against your home to finance the start of your business. You're in New York. You had some equity, you were good. But what do you recommend for people with less than that type of option? Is that a deal-breaker if they can't get that initial funding?
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Corinne:
Let me just start by saying when I write about the apartment in my book, the reality is you're right. It is New York real estate. And after five or 10 years, our apartment value went up to the point that we were able to take out a second and third mortgage, which we used to finance the business. But what people need to understand is that I took a risk. So that when I lost my business, my husband and I were in the process of buying an apartment. And we knew we were on the line for a larger mortgage. I hadn't lost my job, but the president of our company, our parent company went Chapter 11. The president of the company lost his job.
I called my accountant because it was four more weeks until our apartment closed. "Oh, my God, Larry. What do I do? We're going to be closing on this apartment in four weeks, the company is in Chapter 11. what am I going to do? Should we be taking on all of this mortgage?" Because it was a big mortgage, and my accountant said something to the effect, "Well, you have to live somewhere."
My husband and I just looked at each other and said, "We're taking the risk. We're going to go into this mortgage, we're going to figure it out. We'll figure out how to make it get paid." So for the first year of my business, we now had this very large mortgage to pay. I didn't have the benefit of substantial real estate when I first launched my business because we were still paying off a mortgage. And at that point, the apartment hadn't increased in value. We were just looking to make mortgage payments. So the first thing I have to say is people who want to make things happen in their life, sometimes you have to take a risk, but you have to take it or you live with regrets. I talk about risk in my book. You have to take a knowledgeable risk.
Back to earning money for people or creating money when they want to launch their own business and they don't come from a lot of money, there are a lot more ways to fund startup businesses today than there were back in 1993. There's the internet, there are Kickstart campaigns. So there are opportunities. If you have a great idea for a company and you know how to position yourself online and develop a website, and develop an Instagram account and get a following, and go on Kickstarter and start selling your idea to people, people will gravitate towards you.
I was just mentoring a couple of young women who started a business. And they did a Kickstart campaign and they launched enough money that they were able to finance their first round of inventory. A substantial amount of money, so there's a lot of opportunities. It's not what are the troubles or what are the problems to make what I want. It's like, "What do I want and how do I make it happen?" And I remember when I first financed my business, I became part of a women's organization. It was called American Economic Development Corporation. It doesn't exist anymore, but there are a lot of women's organizations out there that you can partner with. And this organization had an event where they invited a senior vice president from Chase Bank to talk to women about financing their business.
200 women attended, I was one of them. He went through this whole presentation about how they wanted to finance startup businesses. And at the end when he had the question and answer session and I said, "Oh, I have a question. I have a really important question. I want to launch this business. I've gone to three different banks looking for money, and all the banks say you need to be in business for two to three years before we'll loan you. But I won't be in business in two to three years unless I get a loan. So it's a catch 22. What am I supposed to do?" So this gentleman said, "Here's my phone number." Yeah, we didn't have emails. There was no internet. "Here's my phone number. Call me tomorrow." So I got on the phone at nine o'clock in the morning. I wanted to be the first one in line to get through because we used to get busy signals.
Millennials, yes, you used to use your phone and there was something known a busy signal. If more than one person was talking on the phone, you couldn't talk to the other person. So I wanted to be first in line. I got through, I spoke with him, and then I started on the process to get my loan. And a couple of weeks later I said, "By the way, how many other people reached out after that meeting?" The answer was none. So lots of times people tell themselves that they want something, but then they think of all the reasons why it won't work, and they stop themselves from moving forward to make it happen. So my motto is if you want something, figure out how to get it and go for it. And yes, you're going to need you to take a risk. Nothing comes easy.
Susan:
I like, too, that you covered through more traditional financing. Sometimes it's a credit union. Sometimes it's the small banks, it's a local bank. I know Chase had launched a new program right at the exact same time. You had perfect timing with them. That's what they were investing in, small businesses because that was the new wave.
Corinne:
That was the new wave. Right. The internet was up and coming. All of these things were starting to happen and people were starting to understand the value of small businesses. It was just perfect timing, and yet it wasn't perfect timing because there was also a bad recession going on at the same time. So again, had I told myself the story, you know that, oh, it's a recession. People aren't spending money. Things are bad. I better get another job. I never would have launched my own company.
You really need to believe in yourself. I had asked a lot of people prior to launching my own business because I knew someday I wanted to do it. "What do you need to have when you launch your own business?" And people said to me, among other things, you need enough money in the bank that you got two years worth of salary. So in case you don't make any money, you could draw on that. I didn't have any money in the bank. We had nothing. We had a new mortgage and no job, and my husband was working, but my salary wasn't coming in. So I had a severance package that would last for six months. That's what I had.
Susan:
I think the nos are all fear-driven, and they are also those that don't have enough drive. It is their excuse. It is their show stopper. When they hit that fork in the road, it's the path easily taken that's smooth and paved.
And you can see the end of the path. I think what people need to remember too is okay if it doesn't work, what's the worst that it can be? Can you survive that? And if you think that all the way through rather than just I can't do it because I'm afraid of that, how bad really is that? And how much does that stink? Can you dig yourself out of that? And I think once you have those, to me those are safety net thoughts. It takes the fear out of the risk, out of the leap, out of the trust.
Corinne: You have to want it more than you fear it. There's a lot of things out there that are scary and you know, what if. But if what you want is stronger and your drive to succeed is stronger, and your belief that you're going to figure out a way no matter what. And that's what I believed. I kept saying to myself, "I'm going to figure out how to find the money for this company no matter what." And that's what I did. And when the bank said to us, "You need to put your property up as collateral against your loan," meaning if the business goes under, you lose your home.
My husband and I said, "Well, go for it." Because what are our other options, not to go for our dream? We'd rather roll the dice and risk at all, than sit back and say, "No. That's too risky. I don't want to do it." No regrets.
No regrets. Right. And you're right, you do have to move forward and you have to have ... You know, what's the worst that can happen? And something bad happens, I'll figure out a way to get out of that too. So you really do need to believe in yourself. And the nice thing about the world today is that there is the internet, there are opportunities to reach out to like-minded people. I have an Instagram page called Corinne Consults. People can come on there and ask me questions. I'm happy to, to talk to people.
I have a website, corinnemccormackconsulting. Come on my website. I'm happy to talk to you. And there's different, and it's not just me. There's a world out there of people that if you Google something, you can get the answer very quickly. And you just need to to make it happen.
But check the credibility of whose advice you're following. You need to be smart enough to be able to judge the crap from the good. On the web, there can be a lot of hucksters, shall we say.
Susan: Any ding-dong can have a microphone and can type. The last thing on the financing I want to remind you, most of your communities have community grants. And especially if you are creating an opportunity that could hire another person in your community. Remember, grants don't have to be repaid.
Grants are a, "Hey. Make it happen, guys. Let me see what you can do with it." Look deeper. It isn't always just about the Kickstarters, as we know. It isn't always about the banks. Be creative. How bad do you want it? Go get it. Believe in yourself.
Corinne McCormack, this has been a wonderful wrap up to these conversations. And I want to send everybody to Amazon. Go on Kindle, go anywhere you get books to find From Living Room to Boardroom: How I Launched and Sold a Multimillion-Dollar Business by Corinne McCormack. And go find her. Go to corinnemccormackconsulting.Com. Find her as she said on Instagram, Corinne Consults. Go find her. Connect, learn from her.
This is the first part of an interview with author, entrepreneur, inventor, speaker - Corinne McCormack.
My guest today is author, consultant, seasoned executive, and entrepreneur, Corinne McCormack. We are here today to talk about her new book, From Living Room to Boardroom: How I Launched and Sold a Multi-million Dollar Business. I have it and I love this book. Before I wanted to interview her I said, "Hey, I need your book so that I can read through, get a few chapters under my belt." I couldn't put it down Corinne, I loved it.
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Corinne McCormack: Thank you. I'm so glad to be here. It's great.
Susan Finch: So many of you who have listened to my show before, you heard the show with Susan Finch, Susan E. Finch in New York, the voice and dialect coach extraordinaire, and Corinne is one of her friends. Corinne accidentally emailed me instead of Susan, and here we are.
Corinne McCormack: I was emailing her about my new book, and then you replied, and I said, "Well, maybe you'd be interested in my new book anyway." And then here we are.
Susan Finch: Here we are because I was very interested. Your story is very near and dear to my heart, and the essence of the book, folks, is to take you on a step-by-step outline. Let's say, if you want to be a business owner, these are the steps. It includes some of my favorite pages are these black pages, the Seeds of Success pages, and they are dog-eared throughout this book. This whole book is highlighted and dog-eared, and I keep rereading the Seeds of Success. They're so succinct, so evergreen. This is relevant. It was relevant to you back in '93 when you started your business. The tips in there, of course, include new technology, but this is all about her journey.
Corinne McCormack: I wanted to tell the story for other people to understand what it is to launch your business because I always find when people say, like, if you speak to a very well-known designer, like a Tory Burch, how did you start your business? "Oh, you know, oh, a few friends looked at my shoes and they loved them, and the next thing you know I have a multi-million dollar business."
They always make it sound very effortless and they don't really give you all the behind-the-scenes machinations of what goes into making something happen. And there's also a lot of people who have a lot of background funding that they don't share with you. I remember reading stories about one shoe designer who would talk about how they went from zero to $5 million. Well, you don't go to $5 million without having really five to $10 million in backing.
And so here I was somebody who had recently lost my job. I had less than six months for a severance package to run out, and that was my big opportunity to launch my business. I wanted to tell the story of what I did in that first year that made things happen really fast and really well so that other people could do it too.
Susan Finch: Well, you did that. So quickly, folks, I want to give you a bit of background. Corinne started her company in 1993. That's actually about the same time I started to get into one of my companies, one of my iterations. She launched a brand of designer eyewear and developed this brand. I'm wearing them, aren't they gorgeous? These are not from her original line, but this is the result of this journey, and it developed into a leader in premium reading glasses. Some of you pups won't remember reading glasses used to be super ugly and you had no options.
Corinne McCormack: When I started my business, it was so funny. I was 40-years-old, and I didn't need reading glasses, and so I was designing jewelry, and I was designing eyeglass chains, and cases. I hired a stylist, and I said, "Go out and find fabulous sunglasses and reading glasses, and great colors, and here's my colors," blah, blah, blah, blah.
She came back in a couple of days, and she had beautiful sunglasses and nothing in reading glasses. And I'm like, "You know, you brought me one pair of antique brass reading glasses. This is not what I want. I want color, I want fashion." She said they don't exist. And I said, "Oh my God." Because when I needed reading glasses, or I know all the other women that were right behind me turning 40 in referent numbers we're not going to want to wear those old lady grandma looking glasses. That's how I started my road to creating designer reading glasses.
And so that was just a necessity, a future necessity.
Susan Finch: And you saw a hole. That's the biggest thing. And you leaped on it. But you know, just saying that "Oh, I want to design designer eyeglasses." Like you were saying, that is not the journey. It isn't, "Oh, one day I woke up and decided to do that and here I am."
You had a lot of experiences that led to that. So, I want to jump into that part of it because too often I feel, especially women more than men, typically we think differently. We apply our experiences differently. I think that women especially discount the learning journey including networking and all the relationships along the way. In your book From Living Room to Boardroom you talk about the acquisition of the skills from each position you held and how you pushed to gain more knowledge that was then was presented to you, and here's the job description. You constantly pushed yourself and all of that culminated into the first business that you launched.
Corinne McCormack: When I launched my book I talk about the eight entrepreneurial essentials. Number one is a passion, and number two is drive. What I did after my journey, as I was writing this book, I said, "What is the essence? What made me an entrepreneur? What makes other people entrepreneurs?" And if you look at my story, I spent 15 years in Corporate America before I launched my own business, I knew I wanted to have my own business, but I didn't have the resources. I didn't have the money. I didn't have the time to do it until I did. But at each part of my career, I assumed a position that I owned the company I was working for, so I never was just an employee. I always treated it as if it was my own business and did things to the best of my ability in the way an owner would want me to.
I really believe that that's important because a lot of younger people today come out of college or business school and they think, "I need to launch your business tomorrow." They don't necessarily get under their belt all the skills and the life's learnings to make them successful, and then they're going to jump around from company to company to company and maybe not really get that knowledge that they need to understand what it is that makes a good business.
Susan Finch: I agree, and I think I'm very grateful for knowing enough to pay attention to watching CEOs and CMOs that I've worked for forge relationships, solve problems, please clients, make nice with a client when it didn't go well, nurture vendor relationships.
Corinne McCormack: What it all boils down to, relationships and relating to people. Whether it's your employees - because as I hired employees they were not just employees who were to be dismissed or treated differently than I would treat my family. Actually, I treat my family quite nicely. So I know in some families, it's not quite like that. But I treated my employees with respect, and also treated them as though they were partners in my company. When I worked with my buyers, and the department stores, and wanted them to carry my products, again, it was developing a one-on-one relationship that set us apart from every other company.
And then back to the networking idea, right from the beginning of my career and through my launching my own business, I was constantly building a network of people and individuals that could ultimately not just support me, but also I could give back to them so that I made it when somebody called and needed something answered or had a question whether they were a customer, or a friend, or an employee, I would stop, take the time, and be with them to find out what it was they needed and how I could support them, who I could introduce them to.
And then the same happened for me if I needed something, you know, when I started my eyewear collection I had developed such a great relationship with one of my buyers that I was able to go to her and say, "What are the best factories in the world that I need to talk to so that I can launch a new glass collection?" And she gave me three or four wonderful companies, one of which I continue to use for over 20 years. So it's those sort of special relationships that really make business wonderful.
Susan Finch: I find that I had an interesting call yesterday, and I had a client start up with me recently too, that I had met 25 years ago when I worked for an ad agency. He was a photographer at that time and just starting with this 360 kind of photo thing, and it was so new then just like little desktop computers were too. But he came back to me because he enjoyed working with me at that agency all that time ago and said, "Hey, I've been following you and I think I need your help." And these are old relationships that I've followed him and stayed in touch with him throughout just to check-in on him and share out anything positive that he shared out. Don't burn your bridges, folks.
Corinne McCormack: In the optical industry, I belong to the Optical Women's Association. And that was an organization that's very near and dear to my heart and I started attending their seminars. I didn't realize they had only started maybe two years before I joined them. But in that organization, I met so many other women from all different aspects of the optical industry and forged relationships that really helped me to become a better member of the industry, and also to become part of this really great network. And then there's also something called The Vision Council and I devoted a lot of my time, my volunteer time to be in The Vision Council. The Vision Council, again, this was not just women, this was women, and men, and large companies, and small companies altogether, banded together to support consumers, and eyewear, and getting the eyewear message, good eye care out to consumers. But it also was great for networking and meeting people and I just started [crosstalk 00:11:23].
Susan Finch: Let me chime in for a second. You're hitting on something really important, and what I was talking about was just people that go to work and leave work. You're talking about, this is super important, you're diving into helping others in something related to your industry. This invites you to meet quality people with good hearts, integrity, and a bigger vision and less ego.
Corinne McCormack: That's very true because the organizations that I was really volunteering my time for other people were volunteering their time for, so you do find other like-minded individuals who are working together for the greater good. For the optical women, it was to build leadership opportunities for women in the optical industry and to raise the visibility of women, and we supported one another. Vision Council is all about getting out there and talking to consumers because people don't really understand until something goes wrong. You're so used to having your eyesight and your vision, although we're both wearing glasses, so we know how important glasses are. But otherwise, people who have good vision they don't even think about their eyes. And then voila, God forbid, one day you wake up, and you've got a problem. So it's getting out there and conveying a message, but by doing that you start working with and learning about a lot of other people and companies, and it opens up your world.
So people really should network. People really should invest their time and find out what they're passionate about, and then go out there, and volunteer, and pursue relationships. I wouldn't say it's a two-way street, I think it's a one-way street. You need to pick up the phone, you need to contact people, you need to talk to them, you need to be open to meeting people. That was something that I developed along the way that I probably did not have before I started my own company. I was more of those, I had a two-year-old son, I went to work, I came home, I took care of my son. But then as I grew into my company and grew into owning a business I began to look for other opportunities and the importance of these relationships.
Susan Finch: From the start, you were very sure of your own talents, at least everything I read in here you were not a self-doubter. You were passionate, driven, right from the beginning. So I'm wondering what kind of discernment process do you recommend to people wanting to identify their unique talent, or skill, or product they can bring to market? I hear too many stories of self-doubters that they nip it in the bud right then and there. It's like, "I want to have a business, but I can't." And they sabotage themselves.
Corinne McCormack: Well, I think what I love about the world today is with computers and with the internet whatever your skill set is you can find an opportunity should you want to have your own business to create a business. So what I would say to someone, like for myself based on my background I was in retail, I was in wholesale, and I was product development. So I knew that I loved developing products, I loved finding needs and wants of consumers, and developing something that they didn't have. That was my passion. And I also loved making money. So loved figuring out how much something costs, trying to get it for as little as possible, creating value so that when I sold it to my customers they were satisfied. They felt that they got great value and a good product. That was me. So that's why I knew that I needed to develop something in that world.
But there are people out there that are terribly creative when it comes to art or graphic artists. So could you create your own graphic art company? Of course. But you could also become a freelancer, and there are ways to position yourself and go out there and network, and go online, and use Instagram, and so many other wonderful platforms to get your name out there.
I'm actually working with a couple of teachers right now. These are people who by day they teach math and one of my friends is also a sign language interpreter and works in a school, but they're both terribly creative and we're working now on developing the businesses for them because one of them makes handbags and sells them to friends, and the other one embroiders jeans and sells that to friends, and then she also is an artist. I'm working with them about developing "a business" because they didn't realize with these skills, it could become a business.
Now, and I distinguish the difference between a hobby and a business. A hobby is something you do because you enjoy it. Yes, you might sell it to your friends, but you're not really serious about making it into something bigger than it is. But there are other people who will really enjoy turning it into something that could become bigger and broader. So people just really need to know what their skills are. I mean if somebody is great at accounting they can go off on their own and become an accountant. Computer skills. So many people I know are great with computers. Now you could go in and become a great employee in a company, or you could become a freelancer and find out where the voids are because there are a lot of small companies that need people to come in and develop systems or support them in their computers if they can't afford to hire a full-time computer person. So there are lots of little niche businesses that can be created and developed that people can take advantage of.
Susan Finch: I agree. It gets back though to our earlier topic of gaining that experience, and I know a lot, I know enough younger entrepreneurs even in my own family, and they've never worked for anybody else. "Oh, I don't want to do that. I'm just going to do my own thing." But where I see them faltering or slowing down is because they didn't take the time or appreciate, or they weren't willing to pay a few dues to gain some valuable experience that somebody's paying you to gain. This is an education you're getting paid for folks when you work for somebody else for even a while.
Corinne McCormack: That’s true because in your own career if you have the idea that you want to have your business, I recommend in your career you develop a career so that in each position you take you're taking on positions with more authority, more responsibility, but also creating a well-rounded experience for yourself. And as long as when you're doing that, you're also taking good care of the company you work for they're happy to continue to give you that experience and to have you grow, or you launch from one company in one industry into another company in another industry to learn something else. I think people don't realize the value of working for companies and how great that can be when it comes time should they want to go in and launch their own business. There's a lot that you can learn.
Susan Finch: You can take it to different industries and that comes back to that discerning process. It's not only finding out what you want to do, but what's your core? And for me, my core is teaching, inspiring, and advocating, so it doesn't matter whether I'm doing that with podcasting, doing it with graphic design, doing it with web, doing it with copywriting, it's the same core and if I take that with me everywhere and stay true to it, it usually works out pretty well.
Corinne McCormack: That goes back to the eight entrepreneurial essentials. It's back to passion, and drive, and also inquisitiveness. I said that's one of the important elements of being an entrepreneur is you don't ... As an entrepreneur, I, to this day I'm still learning new things and want to continue to learn new things. It's not as if I created a business, and sold a business, and now I'm sitting back and saying, "Done it all. I'm finished." It's like, "No, there's so much more to learn and do, and the world is changing more rapidly than ever." So it's really imperative that people stay on top of what's going on, and see, and learn as much as they possibly can.
And then the other thing that I say to be a good entrepreneur is you need to have a vision, and vision is this, it's having a vision of if I want to own my own company someday and I'm working for other companies back to that, what are my core skills? What is it that I do that I love? Because there is that old saying, "Do what you love and the money will follow.” It' really true. If you do what you love you will be successful. And so many times, I think this is where people get caught is when you have a natural talent you tend to think everybody has the same skill. Even just seeing and developing product or design I kind of believed that it wasn't that unusual like anybody could do that, but anybody can't do what we can do. So there are certain innate skills that we've got or ways of looking at the world that we have that other people don't. And if you really start to understand and appreciate what makes you that special person, then what really gets you going, and then find those positions, if you will, or ways to earn money to support that I think you're on the path to success.
You need to know what your skills are and what your talents are, and then find somebody who's got that, if you will, those other talents that round out your talents so that together you can be a great pair.
Susan Finch: I think that's a wonderful idea. That's the advice I think so many people when they're starting a business they think they have to do it all. Or they're afraid to let go of certain pieces.
Corinne McCormack: You hit on another one of my entrepreneurial essentials, which is self-sufficiency. So you do need to believe you can do it all because especially when my company was first starting, and we had like three employees if an order needed to go out the door and somebody called in sick, well guess what? It had to get out the door. So we had to figure out how to do it. So I really needed to believe, and I think any owner of a company needs to understand exactly what's going on so that everything happens smoothly regardless of what's going on out there.
But self-sufficiency doesn't mean you don't need people. So you need to be self-sufficient, but you also have to need, appreciate and understand the value of partnering with other people and networking with people, so that's really important.
I wanted to say something about my 25 Seeds of Success that are in my book because what I did was I wanted to create my story, and then I also understood that there are people out there who are going to maybe not want to read my entire story, maybe they'll read part of it. But they do need to know those 25 Seeds of Success, those lessons learned, if you will, that apply to any business and anyone. It applies whether you're an employee or an owner. And so as I went through my story I put down the Seeds of Success because there's not just one secret, there's a lot of different things that go into making a person a better executive and making a business a better business. So I'm really glad you enjoyed that.
One of my Seeds of Success is about wellness. That's more towards the end of the book. I think it's seed number 20. I mention wellness because particularly as you are an entrepreneur if you're not careful you can run yourself into the ground and run yourself ragged. That did happen to me at one point along the way where I was 10 years in and I had planned on certain things, and then the economy didn't go the way I planned and 9/11 happened, and then all my plans literally went up in smoke. My business started declining and I didn't know what to do.
Ironically that's when I reached out to take a seminar with a couple, their names are Ariel and Shya Kane. So by taking their seminars, it's all about living in the moment, but it's not just living in the moment. It's also about learning to live a stress-free, more relaxed life, and to say yes to your life so that instead of fighting with what was going on and being annoyed with what was happening, or being worried about what's coming, or upset about what I had done, created in me the possibility to start just being where I was and appreciating everything that I had at that moment and doing what needed to be done.
And that's what I love because it's not about sitting back and going, "Oh, the world is great. Let's just sit and relax." It's about relaxing into your possibilities and then moving forward in a way that you could get things done more effortlessly. And it was really cool because that was another opportunity for me to network. That's how I met Susan E. Finch, the voice coach that ultimately is how I connected with you.
So I do believe people need to take good care of themselves. It's not just exercise because yes, I do exercise regularly. But also you need to take good care of your mind and learn how to be patient with yourself. I recommend listening to their podcasts. They have a podcast called Being Here with Ariel and Shya Kane. So if you listen to the podcast that would give you an idea of learning how to live this sort of more effortless, less stressful life.
Susan Finch: And supporting that point, it isn't just a one-time thing. You need tune-ups. I firmly believe in surrounding yourself, folks, with other people that want to have success. It doesn't have to be a big success, but they are interested in improving their position spiritually, business-wise, personally, and growing, and improving. That's who you want to hang with.
Corinne McCormack: That's right. That's absolutely true. It's another reason I started a meetup in New York where I want to create a community of people who are looking to succeed and build their own, either build their own business, so take something that they didn't have and build it, or take what they've got and made it greater, but also to be successful. And it's like you said, when you get a group of like-minded people together it's very, very powerful. So definitely, and I love your point about it's not a one-time thing because it's just like if you go to the gym, and you work out really, really hard, you can't go, "Wow, that felt great. I'm done. I've worked out, I feel great." Or even if you want your body to look good, and you work really hard vigorously for three months, and you get your body in great shape, and you can't stop because if you stop, guess what? It's not going to look as good three weeks later. So it really is finding what works for you, and being consistent, and continuing to take care of yourself and those around you.
Susan Finch: You'll get the second half of her story in the next installment of this interview, but before we wrap up our first half, I want everybody to know where to find your book. It is on Kindle. It's on Amazon. You can find it everywhere. You just search for, look for this cover. It'll come up in the results From Living Room to Boardroom: by Corinne McCormack.
Also, go to corinnemccormackconsulting.com, and on Instagram @corinneconsults.
Never miss an episode. Check out, rootedinrevenue.com and subscribe on the site to get weekly updates of when new episodes come out or find us on iTunes, Stitcher Radio. We want to be where you are, so go subscribe. We'll get you all the information you need to do your best with the marketing of events and your online presence.
Karen and Susan cover where the typos are and how it can affect your credibility and make it more difficult for your sales team to build confidence with prospects. Listen to the full episode to get examples, details and an action list.
Susan's List of task reminders to keep it current.
Karen's secret tool to help you find the typos fast.
Check your own site for links to internal PDF files, videos on a YouTube channel, too - those change over time, especially since people are converting personal channels to business channels.
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Remember to use your Google Analytics or Search Console to:
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Find the top pages for a YEAR that you need to start with checking, and go through the entire list.
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In search console, check errors from crawls. Find out what's broken and what site or page is leading them there.
Need help? Contact Susan Finch. Sometimes you just need help getting started.
This lively visit with real estate agent, Kristina Smallhorn applies to all businesses who need and receive reviews. The video version linked in the bottom will have some how to tips, too.
Business reviews are not just for B2C and brick and mortar. ALL businesses need reviews in the right places where their potential clients go when considering them as as solution. This, along with what their colleagues and friends recommend play the biggest role in decision making before they even contact you.
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My guest is Your Real Estate Whisperer, none-other than Kristin Smallhorn, a successful real estate agent in Louisiana. Her engaging YouTube channel is how I knew she was a great guest for this topic. But videos are what you EDIT and produce. Reviews - we do not control what people post. We can hope, we can ask for them when we have a successful transaction, but ultimately, we cannot control what others say about us - this gives reviews more credibility.
Why do you think some businesses don't pursue reviews? Well, you may be surprised. Businesses don’t want to end up in one of these situations:
receiving zero business reviews receiving zero recent online business reviews receiving negative online business reviews or, the business simply has a chaotic presence of online reviews across multiple business review websites
OK, listeners, put on your big kid pants. Reputation provides interaction. AND business reviews provide valuable feedback for businesses. Business reviews and social posts help shape a company's online reputation. AND, if you don't like what's being said, well, it may be time to do it better. Your problems are bigger than what people are posting. That's just the result of the issue.
Ask yourselves these questions: How your are reviews? Are you are sure you know where they all are? What about when you get a bad review? How do you respond and how quickly? Were you able to turn any around to either remove them or update them to something positive? Have you converted any bad reviews into clients or advocates? PIE IN THE SKY hopes!
We cover a couple of stories in this episode you may be able to relate to or find entertaining.
What you do to get reviews and testimonials from clients? How do those play into your conversion rate? How do you share reviews with your target farm, audience without constantly blaring the "LOOK AT ME! I'm GREAT!" horn.
Time for your do to list, listeners. Where to look for your existing reviews? You can do a quick look on the three major venues in order of weight: Yelp! Look on your Facebook business page. Your Google My Business page - the right hand box. You can also do a search on Yext! without signing up - you'll get links to all of your current profiles and can see what others see.
Now, if you are niche - you need to also receive and review your listings on those sites:
For Real estate professionals: Zillow, Realtor.com For attorneys: Avvo, Lawyers.com For Medical professionals: Healthgrades, RealSelf, ZocDoc For restaurants: Zomato, TripAdvisor For service providers (contractors, roofers, cleaners, etc.): AngiesList, HomeAdvisor, NextDoor if it's popular in your area.
Of course you want to get reviews concentrated on the most important online review sites.
That's why we recommend you focus on no more than five review sites total.
Listen to this replay and catch the video on Susan Finch's site here >
Susan welcomes back author and impact training expert, Amy Franko, as a follow up to the book launch episode for The Modern Seller. Update on her book, wildly successful launch propelled her into the number one position for Kindle downloads in the category of Sales Techniques. We've continued to follow her tips, posts, appearances and the topic of The Why and the How came up. Her blog post titled, "What Distinguishes a Standout Seller?" led to this interview. There is not one answer, but Amy helps you determine the questions to have ready in order to guide the meeting, the presentation and ultimately - THE SALE.
Be sure to sign up for her newsletters, guides and more. Definitely worth adding to your weekly research list for those AHA moments.
AmyFranko.com - you will find her book, The Modern Seller there as well.
Take a breath. Really, take a deep breath before you pick up the phone. While you're at it raise your arms, lower your shoulders, sit up straight, smile then make that call, walk into the meeting, take the stage. Speech patterns and bad habits can tune your audience out, even an audience of one, before you get further than your introduction. This will cost you revenue and waste everyone's time.
Take tips from voice and dialect coach, Susan E. Finch. This show should have been a video - it was so much fun and packed with applicable tips to keep you from being annoying. The biggest culprits? Women! Women 17 - 35 and this voice fry issue where they sound like they are swallowing their words. Next, the gutteral hiccup - that punch that only belongs in the Cockney community in London.
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How about the fillers: Like, ya know, sooooo, and.... um, uhhhhh? Time to break yourself of those habits. They scream insecurity and require your listener/audience to strain to get to the point you are attempting to make.
When we need to hire someone, we go through the interview process, background checks, checking to see if their past is linked to a bunch of workman's comp cases with former employers.... but once we decide to hire them, do we assume they are articulate? Do they know how to present ideas to their new team? Clients? Speak on behalf of the company? Why don't we teach our staff how to think on their feet and respond articulately? Surely there are Toastmaster's chapters near you. Give them bonus points for going through it or pay for it for them. You'll be glad you did. You'll give them confidence. AND if they really have bad habits, consider a speech coach, like Susan E. Finch. These professionals can quickly identify and help them work through bad habits. May not hurt you, either.
Susan suggested the movie, "In a world" from 2013. GREAT examples you can remember. It's about the voiceover industry.
Challenge: RECORD yourself to see how you sound. Use video if possible. Introduce yourself to you. Would you buy from you? Would you want to slug you? Would you TRUST you?
Really listen and ask an HONEST colleague to do the same and give feedback. Do it for your department. You'll all benefit from this improvement.
About our guest, Susan E. Finch. Susan Finch is a voice and speech coach who is passionate about supporting people in becoming clear and connected communicators. As her background is in theater she is able to bring vitality and fun to her clients.
Specialties include: - accent reduction - vocal production (finding power, ease, volume and range) - clarity of articulation - ease in communication (eliminating fear of public speaking)
She coaches people how to communicate with confidence and excellence.
Hey CMOs, CEOs how do you have your SDRs embrace an external group of SDRs to train your existing team on how to secure that first meeting and take it to conversion? Our guest is Whitney Marshall, Co-Founder of Qualified Meetings. Their goal is to operate as an extension of your sales team – our only goal is to convert highly qualified opportunities that meet both of our standards.
Why wouldn't you invest in a proven process and full-service program that will predictably grow your pipeline, while simultaneously providing data intelligence, resulting in an improved go-to-market strategy based on real data and conversations? Or do you think hand your reps a call list, sitting them in the corner telling them to dial their little hearts out and close deals is enough training?
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About our guest, Whitney Marshall – Sr. Director, Client Engagement & Co-founder As a skilled professional, Whitney has extensive, in-depth experience specializing in Sales Development from a Client Engagement perspective. As the “foundation builder” for some of the most successful Sales Development programs in the IT industry, Whitney has developed and refined processes that ultimately lead the Sales Development program to be repeatable, scalable and continually functional through any employee changes with the utmost visibility and accountability.
“Working with companies who struggle to put intelligent process and standardization around outbound prospecting has provided me with a wealth of knowledge of this ever-growing commonality in organizations today. As industry sales approaches evolve with new methods and best practices, a program that can maintain integrity, revenue contribution and expansion through these changes has proven to be a critical component lacking in a growing number of businesses. With qualifiedMEETINGS, we are able to customize, implement and manage a process that is repeatable and scalable, all while providing intelligent analytics and the highest qualifiedMEETINGS for our customers’ pipelines”.
Whitney began her Client Engagement career with ForeScout Technologies where she co-developed, implemented and managed a program that streamlined onboarding, lead transfer, opportunity creation and analytics which was the foundation for exponential growth in new logo acquisition. Recently coming from CollabNet where she introduced and implemented the program management process for Sales Development, Whitney is bringing this highly sought after expertise to qualifiedMEETINGS. Her knowledge expands to companies that want to grow their pipelines year over year with a program that has proven results.
Teresa Huber and Susan Finch talk about the importance of an ADA compliant website. When most marketing departments think of disabilities and ADA compliance, they think about blind people, those in wheelchairs and more obvious issues. Don't forget about those with dyslexia, those who are color blind, hearing disabled. You may not realize how much of your buyer personas include people with a variety of disabilities. Why would you want to exclude them from viewing your site, doing research on your site and ultimately paying for your product or service? Join us for some interesting facts and example, as well as tools to do a quick assessment of your existing sites.
Visit her website - you will learn VERY interesting facts immediately on the home page.
Tools for quick assessments so you can initially know, "... just how bad is it?"
webaim.org achecker.ca
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About Our Guest, Teresa Huber, CEO Get ADA Accessible WHY WE DO IT Website accessibility gives equal access to everyone, no matter their physical or other limitations. Website accessibility also ensures businesses, schools, federally funded organizations, and government agency websites are complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act - ADA and Section 504/508 of the Rehabilitation Act.
WHAT I DO We work with website owners to get their website accessibility at the AA level following the standards as outlined in the worldwide standards set by WCAG 2.0 and used by both the ADA and Section 504/508 of the Rehabilitation Act to protect website owners them from costly fines, possible legal litigation, or loss of federal funding by not having an accessible website.
WEBSITE | LINKEDIN
Author, Barbara Weaver Smith joins Susan Dec. 6 for this episode (listen live on this site at the right). Her first book, Whale Hunting, exposed us to how to succeed in landing larger accounts. Whale Hunting provides your B2B company with a clear, step-based model for successfully finding, landing, and harvesting whale-size accounts–the kinds of accounts that transform your business. It can mean the difference between merely surviving and thriving spectacularly. But you have to be smart and you have to be prepared!
In this episode we go to the next level: Whale Hunting for Global Accounts.
Some of the tips covered help you get in the mindset and secure your partners and team to handle this global accounts.
- A big tip is that perhaps you've heard of the US Department of Commerce, but you may not know what they do or can do for you and your business. This is a VERY helpful partnership. The episode gives you specifics of how they help businesses small and large secure global accounts. You can go to their (somewhat dry) site here >
- Changing your thinking of your business and your clients is the most critical piece. They are ready to be global or already are. You need to make sure you fit into that picture to enjoy a bigger version of your current status with them as a supplier. Be the solutions for ALL locations, all divisions.
- Expanding your team will most likely be necessary. BUT your clients may have more in place to assist you than you realize.
- Time to make some new partners, as well. EVERYONE can grow and be more successful with your new mindset, including your clients. AND you will build strong loyalty from them.
Listen in and take notes.
My guest is Heather Williams, the Vice President of Business Development at Strategic Dynamics, Inc. Heather helps organizations sell more effectively to their customers . She works with several healthcare companies but also works with other industries as well including finance. Heather works with senior level executives and HR to ensure organizations are hiring the right talent for all positions. Today we are discussing her book, “Selling to Hospitals & Healthcare Organizations.
To sell effectively in this new ecosystem today’s sellers must understand the role and function of hospital and alternate site personnel and their language. We call this Business Acumen. Sellers that understand the language and business of hospitals receive immediate credibility, which is a foundation for building communication and trust.
As hospitals migrate from a fee-for-service reimbursement methodology to payment for value, based upon patient outcomes; they are creating new business models and new relationships with insurers, physician practices, single and multi-specialty community clinics, ambulatory surgery centers, diagnostic imaging centers, specialized treatment service centers, specialty hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and other healthcare entities.
Available on Amazon
Buying the book will keep you in the loop for updates and book 2 coming out in 2019.
In this episode we cover:
- Who would find this book useful?
- Anyone who is calling on Hospitals or Healthcare Organizations. This includes, sales personnel, marketing, operations (for equipment implementations) or product service personnel.
- Sellers must understand the role and function of the hospital and their personnel (the jobs they perform) and then be able to speak their language.
- Private citizens will also find this book useful if they want to increase their knowledge base about healthcare organizations and personnel. After all we all need healthcare and it helps to be more knowledgeable about our options, the different institutions and the people who deliver the care.
- What is included in the book?
- The book is broken up in 2 parts and then 4 Appendices
- Hospital Business Acumen & Clinical Terms
- Hospital Physician & Key Healthcare Personnel
- The book is broken up in 2 parts and then 4 Appendices
-
The Appendices includes Acronyms & Medical Industry Abbreviations, Anatomical Orientation Terms, several Healthcare Agencies & Organizations, and lastly some common Prescription Terms
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How do you use this with your clients?
- We let them know this is available and a great resource for on-boarding new company personnel who do not have any healthcare experience or who may be required to call on personnel in a new department or entity that was not previously served.
- For those that have experience, this is a great resource to keep on-hand as reference There may be a Healthcare acronym that you may not be aware that is in the book.
What have you learned about Buyer Enablement, beyond the evolution of Sales Enablement?
The sales people need to see how the buyers are responding to what they are doing.
What do buyers really want from salespeople? Well, we're not doing a very good job of getting them what they truly want.
If we're going to enable our salespeople, we need to ENABLE them to help the buyer. If they can't, we are failing at Sales Enablement.
The old sales training techniques no longer work. The role of the sales person has shifted over the past two years. Sales people are an information conduit to allow the buyer to preview what they may need. They almost become a concierge. It becomes a service role. Sales people have to evolve.
Do Sales & Marketing need to be aligned? You'll have to listen to find out.
Susan's guests today are Orrin Broberg, CEO/President, Modus and Alice Heiman of Alice Heiman, LLC and co-founder of Tradeshow Makeover.
About Modus:
Modus-built applications are intuitive because salespeople don’t have the time to be trained. Salespeople can customize their presentations and you can create strategies which govern the content users see. Your salespeople in France will only see collateral in French.
Modus Provides Companies a Complete Digital Transformation of their Sales Distribution Channel Strategy
Your remote salespeople worldwide don’t have the luxury of an online connection when meeting with clients. With our enterprise digital sales enablement platform, all the information salespeople need for the next sales call is immediately available on their tablet, phone, or laptop.
Today's guest is Amy Franko, author of The Modern Seller. (available on Kindle or hardcopy). Some of the points we cover in this interview include big points taken directly from her book.
- The big five skills that modern sellers need to become successful.
- What it means to be agile in sales and why that’s critical.
- How an entrepreneurial mindset can boost sales.
- Why being “holistic” is an important trait.
- How an energy routine can help build motivation and discipline.
- The proven approach to take in creating your network.
- What makes an ambassador unique.What characteristics make a great sales person?
- How would you define modern selling? What's changed in the past 5, 10, 20 years?
- What are some of the biggest trends influencing buyers in today's market?
- What advice would you give to someone struggling to stay motivated in their sales role?
- How can sales people continue to develop and keep sales strategies "modern?"
People are saying about the book:
“Amy has nailed it with The Modern Seller. This is exactly the mindset, skills, and agility sales professionals need to succeed and thrive in this fast-evolving selling environment. Our team is striving to make this transition right now. We see it as critical to our growth—and survival.” Pete McChrystal - President & CEO, Accent Technologies
“The Modern Seller is an insightful, must-read book. If you don’t know what a modern seller is and how to get there, you will be left in the dust. This book is a critical guide for paving the way to becoming a modern seller.” Andy Quintana - SVP Business Development, Partnerships & Alliances, Accent Technologies
“The Modern Seller is filled with actionable insights and practical strategies to set you apart from competitors, make you irresistible to today’s buyers and ultimately, drive more revenue. In short, YOU become the differentiator.” Jill Konrath - Author of More Sales Less Time & SNAP Selling
If things get in the way of closing sales, it affects revenue. Duh. This is the second half of our discussion about the book by Tom Williams and Tom Saine - a must read and MUST HIGHLIGHT, The Seller's Challenge: How Top Sellers Master 10 Deal Killing Obstacles (concerns) in B2B Sales.
Points covered include:
- Procurement (or Purchasing) can be a challenging obstacle for many sellers. How would you advise a seller to deal with Procurement?
- I noticed that you use the term “concerns” in lieu of “objections”. Why was that?
- You describe Gatekeepers in a novel way. Tell our listeners about that.
- You have a chapter on managing price demands. What are 1-2 takeaways for our listeners in that chapter.
- Will you be offering any training or keynotes on the topics in the book?
- Are there any other tools available to be used in conjunction with the book?
Get the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2LJ057j and in bookstores
Reach Tom Williams:
TWilliams@StrategicDynamicsFirm.com, LinkedIn www.strategicdynamicsfirm.com
and Thomas Saine:
tjs.salesdynamics@gmail.com
This is a two part interview about the book by Tom Willliams and Tom Saine - a must read and MUST HIGHLIGHT, The Seller's Challenge: How Top Sellers Master 10 Deal Killing Obstacles (concerns) in B2B Sales.
In this first half I asked them about several chapters and key points of the book.
- What was the genesis for the book? How did it evolve?
- What is stakeholder mapping and why is it important?
- You wrote an entire chapter on status quo. Why?
- What role in sales training should insight-selling play?
- For sellers that handle RFPs that chapter is a must read. What are 1-2 takeaways that are important for our readers to know?
Get the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2LJ057j and in bookstores
Reach Tom Williams:
TWilliams@StrategicDynamicsFirm.com, LinkedIn www.strategicdynamicsfirm.com
and Thomas Saine:
tjs.salesdynamics@gmail.com
Our next episode will cover Gatekeepers and their changing role and value, Price Demands and Procurement.
I find this common with smaller B2C businesses where you create a way to subscribe and never do anything beyond collecting the information.
A subscriber is someone who has already shown an interest in your company, products or services. They trusted you with their email address and possibly other personal information such as a name, country or more. You have their interest, NOW. So what happens after they subscribe? You need to be able to answer these questions:
- What does their confirmation email look like?
- What does the first email they will receive after that look like?
- What is the call to action? Is it still relevant from the time you created it?
- When was the last time you tested EVERY drip in your campaign and every step of subscribing?
- How many automated drips do you have to go out them, and at what regular intervals after they subscribe?
- Do each of those have a link back to a landing page on your website and a call to action relevant to the email message that went out to them?
Remember: One message, one ask in an email. Keep them focused. When you create your drips to you try to save time by duplicating the previous one and editing it slightly? Nothing wrong with being efficient, but don't be sloppy. Make sure your call to action link, AND the image in the email go to the same landing page that continues that topic. Don't just take them to your home page where they are left to wonder around "the lobby" of your website. Keep them focused and moving forward toward conversion. You want them to either do another thing or give you the order or set an appointment. You also want it interesting and helpful enough they'd be inclined to forward your email or share it out to their people.
I HIGHLY recommend enlisting someone NOT working for your company to subscribe and go through the journey. You want a detail-oriented person who will click on the image and the call to action. Ask them to give you feedback about the email - content, links working, landing page. PAY THEM to do this or give them a gift card or something, if it's a friend. OR return the favor for them. My husband is my tester. He's caught images that the link didn't match the call to action, typos. We get in a rush sometimes and need another set of eyes. Our websites also change in structure every few years so they links need to be updated.
Want help creating or testing your subscriber journey? Email me: susan@susanfinch.com and we'll set a time to meet.
There are a couple of free, simple tools you can use to stand out to your local market and potential clients. If you are a business that relies heavily on local traffic and customers, you need to take advantage of some free tools to build good will, establish yourself as a trusted resource provider and get points for being a good business neighbor.
- Custom Google Maps: Create a general map with your own custom pin icon, make it public. Add a great description, mention your own company name and URL. Then, add layers by topics: favorite restaurants, nightlife, best vendors and the ADD the businesses you want to support.
I will caution you, if you want to add a business that is perhaps not very active online or you are a rare customer who had a good experience with them, don't list them. Make sure they have good reviews because your recommendations of these businesses directly reflects on your business.
Be sure to be logged into Google AS YOUR BUSINESS persona. You want your business to stand out when you create this map. Create a custom pin with your mark. If you need help, email me. Shouldn't take me more than 15 minutes of billable time to get this done for you - just need your logo.
When you add a business, be sure to describe WHY you are adding them. Something only locals would know or your favorite dish, service they offer, a stand out employee.
SHARE your map out everywhere, add it embedded on a webpage - not your home page, but an inside page and share out that page to drive people to your site.
- Google Reviews: Find these same favorite businesses, places, events and create reviews for them on Google. Do not post anything negative. This is to be an UPBEAT, local business supporting thing that you do. 4 star and 5 star only as your business. As you personally, you can get a bit more gritty, but even then, be careful about negative reviews. People can retalliate and it can become a review war.
Tell people WHY you like the business - specifics. Add a photo. When you go to your favorite places, take a photo and use it for reviews, maps and posts later. Try to post 2 reviews a week AS YOUR BUSINESS persona on Google. This builds authority and the businesses will start to notice you and may return the favor or at least recommend you.
- Top 10 Lists: I know I search in a city and then for: Best live music, best desserts, etc. Make your own lists. Have it related to your industry so that you are recommending possible strategic partners that could do the same for you. Think about a stylist -- having them make a list of top pampering places - massage, nails, boutiques, personal trainers, etc. could start to build a nice network of businesses cross promoting each other. Be sure you have added these same businesses to your list and your reviews AS THE BUSINESS. When you post as the business, you can still add your name if you want to add warmth to it and so that business would know who to recommend.
Need help with these strategies? Contact me - susan@susanfinch.com so we can come up with a plan for you or your business. I can teach you how to do all of this and more.
Your past podcast content can do a lot more work for you to drive traffic, build credibility, open doors to prospects. I'm counting on the fact that you have a site for your podcast episodes and that you are connected in all the usual spots: iTunes, Stitcher, Libsyn, Blubrry, GooglePlay, etc. But you've had your show a long time. Why not put a new spin on past great episodes - new title, graphics and cover different points in the post, possibly edit the file a smidge or add commentary to the file? This can give you more content, easier and breath new life into your feed.
Most of the time, after 20 episodes, your past doesn't show on your iTunes channel. If you bring back a show going back further, you not only can revisit a topic, but you can reach out again to that guest and let them know you still find their episode valuable and want to give it more exposure. Send them the embed code, new graphics, new link and see what happens.
For more tips, or if your team is stretched already, come up with a monthly budget to schedule out 2-4 of these "best of" episodes each month and let me help you. susan@susanfinch.com
Let's talk about what used to work, sort of: 6 foot table, skirt - branded or not, logo behind, business cards, two chairs, fishbowl for cards, bad candy to give away. (YAWN!) A total waste of resources. You must be memorable. You must be a destination booth at the event. If you don't have a booth, you need to do SOMETHING to stand out.
Listen to this episode for ideas for ideal give aways, engaging activities, treats, swag and more.
After the break we'll also tell you what to avoid doing, hint: Buzzers, bells, anchor drops, puppies. The ideas range in budget - something for everyone.
If you attend any type of networking event, seminars, workshops, tradeshows; listen to find out how you are wasting your time. There are six tips in this short episode on ways you can maximize the value from the events you attend, especially those you pay for. There is even a tip for those of you hosting events with sponsors - how to keep them coming back for more! Have more tips? Let me know. I'd love to hear how you generate revenue from attending events. I'm sure Lany would be interested, too.
After you close the deal on a house for a client - be there for the moment when you hand them the keys or do it in your office when you hand them the keys - while it’s fresh and the emotion is sincere and spontaneous,
- Get their permission respectfully. No one wants to feel used or like a poster child to build your client base. Tell them how YOU felt helping them complete the transaction.
- Get the permission in writing - tell them how you’ll use it.
How about after you receive notification of a glowing recommendation on Google or LinkedIn or Facebook, Yelp and the like? Reach out to that client immediately, thank them and thank them publicly. At that point ask them if they’d be willing to give you an audio or video testimonial. Video is ALWAYS better because you can extract the audio for other purposes, to mix with a loop of recordings and more.
In the case of a written compliment or testimonial, create a branded graphic with it so it looks special and send them that as a thank you with a link where it will appear.THis holds true for books - printed or digital. If they gave you a review that you are using in the book, SEND THEM A COMPLIMENTARY COPY with the graphic and tell them which page it appears on - even if it’s at the back, jacket cover or somewhere else. People appreciate being appreciated.
After your event or workshop. Same ideas apply. An exit interview is perfect. AND if it’s not as complimentary as you’d like, it’s great feedback to address. Be brave and have your interviewer ask for the positives AND where you can improve. Follow up. You will continue to build your advocate network this way and generate longtail revenue.
Every year businesses determine what their marketing, sales, sponsorship, advertising, social,etc, etc line items will be in the budget.
If you are an entrepreneur and not doing this I would highly recommend you find a money manager and start doing this.
What many businesses forget to think about (or it's an afterthought) is events.
Events are magic.
Alright, maybe that's not the best selling point for me to give to justify adding events into your annual budget. Let's look at every major consumer brand in the US. Every single one of them does events. They spend hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars to get eyeballs on their brand and samples of products in consumer hands.
The #1 reason to do events is visibility and brand awareness.
These brands look for an ROI, but do you know that it's not always a cash/revenue ROI that they want to see?
They want to see impressions. How many people saw our product and within that there are calculations to figure out the reach of what one individual consumer is actually worth in impressions. It's a complicated math game.
So, if these brands think it's important why don't you?
You don't have to spend hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars. Let's start small.
You are an entrepreneur and have a service that you offer (coaching, tech, social media, etc). You can invite 5-20 people to an event and charge then $0-300.
This event can be held in your living room, an art gallery, a golf club or resort, a gorgeous meeting space in a local hotel. Heck, even the library. These spaces will cost you anywhere from $0-$1500.
Your invite your guests to come to a local half day or one day event to learn from you on a specific area of your service.
You show up and deliver an abundance of value and they walk away feeling like they just won the lottery. What really happened here?
You just made an impression. Hundreds of them.
If you delivered tons of value...
- They are going to see you in a different light. They will see you as the expert.
- They will tell their friends and business associates about you.
- They will share your info on social media.
- They may hire you for your expertise.
An event like this doesn't require
- A lot of planning
- An event planner
- A large budget
Let's simplify this even more.
Invite 5 of your closest business associates to a 2 hour session for free or for a very low price to give you feedback on a presentation that you have been working on. Ask for feedback and referrals. Let them know up front that you'll be asking for feedback and referrals, so that they come prepared.
Do this. Experiment. Get out of your comfort zone. The do it again with a larger crowd. Invite your 5 friends back and ask them to bring one person with them the next time.
Each time you do this you begin to get more comfortable and confident in your content and the service that you offer. Talking about what you do will feel less and less salesy.
Create monthly or bi-monthly events. All low cost. All local. Create a routine and become familiar to your local community. Once the word gets out that your are offering high value information in your events you will attract your target audience and before you know it, you will need to create a bigger event at a larger venue.
If you start out small like this you can create a line item for events of $10,000 or less and create something impactful in your first year.
If you want to create larger events, I recommend that you start planning and budgeting 12-18 months out. If you know your event is going to cost $30,000 then every month you start tucking away and saving money that is specifically earmarked for your event.
This process makes it easier to pay deposits when they are due. Rather than stressing about how to come up with the money, you know you already have it in your event budget and can comfortably right that check or put down that credit card for the deposits.
What I see happen all the time is business owners decide they want to create an event, then they realize the cost and they either scramble to find the money causing way more stress than needed or they toss their dreams aside and forget it OR they try to create a Ritz Carlton event on a Motel 6 budge….. ON THEIR OWN….and fail miserably, swearing off events for the unforeseeable future BECAUSE events don't work!
Events work, but just like everything else in your business you need to have a budget and a strategy.
If you run a marketing agency, especially a digital marketing agency and don’t have an event arm in your business strategy you are doing your clients a disservice.
Hold up, don’t be mad. I’m trying to help you out here. There is so much focus on the digital side and you are working SO diligently for your clients. It’s an uphill climb to get visibility, to get their product or service out, to get engaging customers. I know your struggle. We live in a very loud world where everyone is trying to get everyone else’s attention.
How do you stand out in the chaos? This well known but underutilized tool called events. If you showed up with an event strategy for your clients that pulled their customers into a face to face, hands on experience you’ve just changed the game. You’ve now opened up another marketing channel that probably was not in use… WOMM. Word of Mouth Marketing. WOMM is a powerful marketing tool. It is not dead. It is alive and well. Look at every movie you’ve watched and who have you told about it? What about that bad customer service or the great sales on shoes? You’ve called your friends, told your co-workers, cousins, bosses, nanny, neighbor, everyone and shared an experience that you had with a brand, company, movie, etc.
This is why events are so dynamic and this is why it’s your responsibility to show your clients that value of creating live events.
If we go back to my post about having an event budget, you will see that I talk about what the major consumer brands are doing. They are actively every year putting their products in the hands of their consumers.
I hear you saying, well I don’t have a product that I can give away. I disagree. You can pull anyone in to play and test your product in your offices. Create a fun tech day and invite potential customers to come in, eat some food, learn about your services and get their hands on your product live and in person. SIMPLE.
You don’t have to pass out millions of samples, you can invite 5 to 10 local businesses in for a day or a couple of hours.
CREATE SOMETHING.
Be innovative. Your clients will appreciate that. They want that. They need that. They are hiring you to help them stand out from the noise. If you are just doing to some old offerings and programs you give to EVERY.OTHER.CLIENT. then you, my friend, are missing an amazing opportunity.
Expand your services, hire an event consultant (ahem...I’m available) and create some interesting and innovative ideas for your clients. Now YOU are standing out from the noise and are helping them do the same.
Let me say, that I see the lack of event ideas in the small, entrepreneurial marketing agency space. The big digital agencies have this down to a science. I recommend taking a page from their book and increase the offerings and calibur of your business. Watch it change your world.
Today's guest is John Golden, CSO at Pipeliner CRM. Susan asked him about his top revenue tip. He lit up and was very happy to share it. Take head you companies that offer trial subscriptions. Listen up - many logical ideas in this episode. The key to Pipeliner CRM's success has been establishing long term relationship with customers, not just win, but maintain them - especially with a subscription product. They do this through a number of methods. The strongest are:
- Free trainings
- Understand what are the business drivers that brought them to us in the first place.
- Periodically re-evaluate their goals to see if they need to adjust how they use our product to best meet those goals.
What fails and has become typical throughout the software industries is to get them to take a trial and then try to sell it to them.
Why would you not start at the first encounter with a prospect? Treat prospects like they are already customers; ESPECIALLY in trial process. Engage them with the people they are going to work with, so it's not just about their experience with the product, but the customer experience. John Golden talks about what they need to have the answers to: How do we make the customer experience a consistently positive one from the moment they engage with the brand whether, even from the trial; and how can we guide you to trial the CRM to fit their needs, rather than just hoping they'll figure it out during the trial period.
Some of the other points covered included:
You can have a host of inconsistent experiences with a company. That's common, we always default to our worst experience. Think of an airline trip - Great onboarding, great flight, customer service but then at the end, your bags are delayed and no one communicates why, or how long they will be. Now when someone asks you about your flight, that's the top of mind experience you mention. The 10 positive touch points were wiped out with the one negative.
There is a massive economic value to a positive consistent customer service experience. Results?
- They are likely to be open to giving you a review, testimonial, and ultimately, may become an advocate for your brand and customer service.
- People remember how you made them feel.
- Clear communication will continue to build that trust - even when you mess up.
Clear communication is critically important. Don't make promises that you are apt to keep kicking the can down the road. John's AHA moment: In this world of disconnected connectedness, where everyhone is trying to leverage techonlogy, treating people as people.
Check out Pipeliner CRM - it's visual because pictures speak clearer to most. Easy to use, easy for management. Pipelinersales.com - take a trial. Take a trial the software AND trial the company as people.
More tips and guides on Susan's website https://susanfinch.com/rootedtips/
Communication can sometimes be the hardest part of an event. The details are manageable, but sometimes the people involved are not. You will deal with a wealth of personalities, opinions and experiences that you may not enjoy engaging with. Put your ego aside and listen first. Digest what is being said to you and then make sure that you clearly and concisely craft a response that does not incite drama.
Communication can be a challenge no matter what you are doing in life or business, but let's focus on the event application of it.
Why is communication important for an event creator, planner, founder or host?
- It leaves no room for questions
- It eliminate worry and concerns
- It creates an open dialogue
- It creates clarity
Communication these days comes in many forms; email, calls, text messages, Facebook messages, Google Hangouts, Skype, Twitter Direct Messages and even public posts on social. It's a wonder we can even keep our communication clear these days. As an event planner, I work hard to keep my communication with my clients down to just a couple of vices when it comes to communicating about an event. Typically, email is the first form of communication, then calls, text messages and somehow Facebook messages get thrown into the mix (even though I still hate Facebook). The more complex an event, the simpler your form of communication should be. There are so many elements to manage and execute on during an event, you want to make sure that your communication is clear for all parties involved.
Clear communication really helps to eliminate the stress, burden and annoyance of someone saying "I didn't know". Trust me on that one. Usually I am running more than one event at a time, so I am dealing with different personalities, opinions, expectations, etc, etc and I have to be able to navigate them without getting myself into trouble. We're all human, but sometimes we forget and take our frustration out on the person delivering the message not thinking about the ramifications of our form of communication, tone or words.
Let's talk about events that I have run in the past. When confirming event details with speakers, I prefer a very clear and detailed form of email that lays out all their needs, deadlines, expectations, reservations, etc. Sometimes these emails can be long, but I make sure that they are extremely clear. I even have it proof read by someone not on my team (who would know all of the details) to make sure that it makes sense to them (as someone not in the know). I make adjustments on clarity where necessary and then shoot the email out to the speakers.
Would it shock you to know that more often than not 20-30% of the responses ask questions regarding items that I clearly laid out in my email?
Probably not. It doesn't surprise me either.
We move through our days too quickly. We skim emails. We scan for what we recognize and then we shoot from the hip. We're all guilty of it. I've done it myself. Now, what if we as event planners, event creators, speakers, vendors and all other active participants slowed down for a hot minute and read through the email before jumping all over the messenger? That would be quite a novel idea.
Let's flip the script a bit. I was invited to speak at an online conference. I spoke with the host about the details and said I was definitely interested. That was the last I heard about it until about 15 days before the conference when I reached back out again to the host. I was getting ready to finalize my content and I wanted to make sure that my presentation and delivery was what they were looking for. After about 45 minutes on the phone and 20 questions from me to the host, I felt I had a good understanding of what they wanted. A week later I received a message from the host asking me when I could record. I was confused because nowhere in our previous conversations had they mentioned me recording my presentation with them. At this point I was already pre-recording my content and informed them so. They agreed to let me move forward with the pre-recorded presentation. My team finished compiling the presentation and I delivered it via email to the host. Wouldn't you know, I received an email in response that informed me that I did not use the event branded template.
Hhhmmmm.......
Again, nowhere in our conversations did a branded template ever come up. Might I remind you as well, that up until that point I had still not received any details about the event, expectations, deliverables, timing, etc. NOTHING. I even had to ask for an affiliate link after the host complained that no speakers had been promoting the event. I informed the host that I would be happy to promote it, but I never received an affiliate link as verbally promised.
I promoted the heck out the event, but I never saw the host promote the event until 4-5 days prior to it going live. Now, the day before the event I received an email geared toward participants informing them about all the good stuff happening during the live conference. It said that the speakers would be showing up live during their sessions. Guess who never received an email from the host letting her know when her session was going to be live so that she could show up and serve the audience properly. You guessed it... This girl.
Needless to say, the communication on that event is a prime example of what not to do as a host/event creator. Please take care of your speakers and communicate with them actively and often. They want to show up and do their best for you and your tribe.
I was recently chatting with another event planner and we were swapping stories as we all do about specific scenarios that we run into with clients. She shared with me that she resigned from a client because one of the major issues was communication. The client doesn’t like to repeat herself and gets upset when she has too. Understandable. Here’s the glitch. The client doesn’t give clear instructions in the first place. She’s all over the board and so when her team returns to her to get said clarification she loses it.
Events are hard enough as it is, so the client who doesn’t communicate wants, needs and desires clearly throws a monkey wrench into the whole thing.
Here’s the thing, to create something amazing and to keep the entire team, vendors and venue on task and on the same page this communication thing has to be worked out.
If someone from your team comes to you and doesn’t understand your instructions or the vendor is not clear or g-d forbid the venue is not clear; DO NOT BITE THEIR HEAD OFF. Pause. Breathe. Take responsibility. Ask them what they did not understand. Repeat what they said to you, so they know that you heard them (and didn’t lose your shit). State your instructions as clearly as you can and then ask if they understand or have any questions that you can clarify.
This is common sense, but we are not taking the time to communicate.
You know you need to participate in industry conferences. You decide which capacity for each one whether your are simply an attendee, an exhibitor, a speaker or a host of a special event at the conference such as a cocktail party or gold event. When that decision is made, the clock of effectiveness is ticking. How will you add this to your already full schedule of tasks?
I’ve done this for several clients with great success. They were shocked at how much of a difference this effort made in their HOT leads and advocates. They never realized how much money they were leaving on the table and how their half or quarter effort was really just going through the motions at these conferences and trade shows.
We also realize it doesn’t end when you head back to the office. That’s the afterglow of the conference. We aren’t done yet. Before you get back into your routine, we’ll have continued engagement to maximize your new potential clients and advocates.
Do you have conferences coming up? Do you have enough staff to really make a grand entrance – I’m talking trumpets and rose petals. If not, you need our help. Let’s talk and see how this would look so you can plan. Try to give me more than a couple of weeks’ notice – really. Months are better!
Do you need help determining HOW much to host, promote and how to execute it? Short handed - that's where Lany Sullivan comes in. You need to schedule some consulting time with her to determine HOW to make the most of the event. Head on back to me to help create the materials to execute the plan.
Go under the "events" category or Hosted By Lany to listem to more of her expertise.
Create an expense line in your annual budget for events.
Every year businesses determine what their marketing, sales, sponsorship, advertising, social,etc, etc line items will be in the budget.
If you are an entrepreneur and not doing this I would highly recommend you find a money manager and start doing this.
What many businesses forget to think about (or it's an afterthought) is events.
Events are magic. Alright, maybe that's not the best selling point for me to give to justify adding events into your annual budget. Let's look at every major consumer brand in the US. Every single one of them does events. They spend hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars to get eyeballs on their brand and samples of products in consumer hands.
The #1 reason to do events is visibility and brand awareness. These brands look for an ROI, but do you know that it's not always a cash/revenue ROI that they want to see?
They want to see impressions. How many people saw our product and within that there are calculations to figure out the reach of what one individual consumer is actually worth in impressions. It's a complicated math game.
So, if these brands think it's important why don't you?
You don't have to spend hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars. Let's start small.
You are an entrepreneur and have a service that you offer (coaching, tech, social media, etc). You can invite 5-20 people to an event and charge then $0-300.
This event can be held in your living room, an art gallery, a golf club or resort, a gorgeous meeting space in a local hotel. Heck, even the library. These spaces will cost you anywhere from $0-$1500.
Your invite your guests to come to a local half day or one day event to learn from you on a specific area of your service.
You show up and deliver an abundance of value and they walk away feeling like they just won the lottery. What really happened here?
You just made an impression. Hundreds of them.
If you delivered tons of value:
- They are going to see you in a different light. They will see you as the expert.
- They will tell their friends and business associates about you.
- They will share your info on social media.
- They may hire you for your expertise.
An event like this doesn't require:
- A lot of planning
- An event planner
- A large budget
Let's simplify this even more.
Invite 5 of your closest business associates to a 2 hour session for free or for a very low price to give you feedback on a presentation that you have been working on. Ask for feedback and referrals. Let them know up front that you'll be asking for feedback and referrals, so that they come prepared.
Do this. Experiment. Get out of your comfort zone. The do it again with a larger crowd. Invite your 5 friends back and ask them to bring one person with them the next time.
Each time you do this you begin to get more comfortable and confident in your content and the service that you offer. Talking about what you do will feel less and less salesy.
Create monthly or bi-monthly events. All low cost. All local. Create a routine and become familiar to your local community. Once the word gets out that your are offering high value information in your events you will attract your target audience and before you know it, you will need to create a bigger event at a larger venue.
If you start out small like this you can create a line item for events of $10,000 or less and create something impactful in your first year.
If you want to create larger events, I recommend that you start planning and budgeting 12-18 months out. If you know your event is going to cost $30,000 then every month you start tucking away and saving money that is specifically earmarked for your event.
This process makes it easier to pay deposits when they are due. Rather than stressing about how to come up with the money, you know you already have it in your event budget and can comfortably right that check or put down that credit card for the deposits.
What I see happen all the time is business owners decide they want to create an event, then they realize the cost and they either scramble to find the money causing way more stress than needed or they toss their dreams aside and forget it OR they try to create a Ritz Carlton event on a Motel 6 budge….. ON THEIR OWN….and fail miserably, swearing off events for the unforeseeable future BECAUSE events don't work!
Events work, but just like everything else in your business you need to have a budget and a strategy.
If you run a marketing agency, especially a digital marketing agency and don’t have an event arm in your business strategy you are doing your clients a disservice.
Hold up, don’t be mad. I’m trying to help you out here. There is so much focus on the digital side and you are working SO diligently for your clients. It’s an uphill climb to get visibility, to get their product or service out, to get engaging customers. I know your struggle. We live in a very loud world where everyone is trying to get everyone else’s attention.
How do you stand out in the chaos? This well known but underutilized tool called events.
If you showed up with an event strategy for your clients that pulled their customers into a face to face, hands on experience you’ve just changed the game. You’ve now opened up another marketing channel that probably was not in use… WOMM. Word of Mouth Marketing. WOMM is a powerful marketing tool. It is not dead. It is alive and well. Look at every movie you’ve watched and who have you told about it? What about that bad customer service or the great sales on shoes? You’ve called your friends, told your co-workers, cousins, bosses, nanny, neighbor, everyone and shared an experience that you had with a brand, company, movie, etc.
This is why events are so dynamic and this is why it’s your responsibility to show your clients that value of creating live events.
If we go back to my post about having an event budget, you will see that I talk about what the major consumer brands are doing. They are actively every year putting their products in the hands of their consumers.
I hear you saying, well I don’t have a product that I can give away. I disagree. You can pull anyone in to play and test your product in your offices. Create a fun tech day and invite potential customers to come in, eat some food, learn about your services and get their hands on your product live and in person. SIMPLE.
You don’t have to pass out millions of samples, you can invite 5 to 10 local businesses in for a day or a couple of hours.
CREATE SOMETHING. Be innovative. Your clients will appreciate that. They want that. They need that. They are hiring you to help them stand out from the noise. If you are just doing to some old offerings and programs you give to EVERY.OTHER.CLIENT. then you, my friend, are missing an amazing opportunity.
Expand your services, hire an event consultant (ahem...I’m available) and create some interesting and innovative ideas for your clients. Now YOU are standing out from the noise and are helping them do the same.
Let me say, that I see the lack of event ideas in the small, entreprenurial marketing agency space. The big digital agencies have this down to a science. I recommend taking a page from their book and increase the offerings and calibur of your business. Watch it change your world.
In one of our earlier episodes we covered your online media kit where you need to have the bios, photos and logos you want others to use. This is a continuation of that topic. Your online pressroom is about credibility. When you have credibility, it adds to your authority, which adds to your trust which means more people will trust you with their business. This page should be linked from your online press kit and be maintained regularly. It can includes all types of content where you or your company was interviewed, reviewed or mentioned. This includes:
- Radio interviews
- Podcast interviews
- Television interviews
- Video interviews
- Magazines - print and online
- Newspapers - print and online
- Professional organization posts
- Complimentary posts by others about you, your product, your company
- Reviews online
- Testimonials
Tips to include these on your page: Create a page with sections for the types of coverage. People that are prone to watching videos, or listening to audio files would want them all grouped.
You may list and link to the original source, but also save a copy for yourself. The reason why is sometimes these sources go away, close down or reorganize their sites. When that happens you have broken links and it can actually undo the credibility you are trying to build.
When you are including audio files, include a way for people to also embed the episode or at minimum share it. Same with video.
If you have an outstanding interview, you may want to include the transcript from it in txt or rtf format. If you do include that as a download, be sure to BRAND it.
Magazines in print and newspaper, scan the actual article for your records and include the magazine logo, newspaper header, date, etc. Go to the online version and print to PDF for your own records and then you have back up. In your list, link to the online version as a thank you to the publication, have a link to the PDF version of the article from your scan or the version you printed to PDF online
Magazines:
Family Circle Magazine | June 1997 | (author) | “She’s Got ‘Em Covered” | PDF
Podcasts:
SLMA Radio | May 2016 | James Obermayer | Strategic Volunteering | EMBED
If you require permission for people to use any of the PDFs, audio or video interviews, be sure to state your policies on this page, too. Usually this statement is only needed on your Online Press Kit page.
Periodically have someone check the links on this page to make sure everything is working. Simple things such as when a site finally gets HTTPS compliant can break a link if they haven’t handled the transition properly.
On this same page include a form for people to fill out to request and interview or speaker.
If you have people on your team that do speak regularly, you’ll want a table with a thumbnail of heir headshot, name, title, and link to their bio from your press kit page.
Set up a watch on your company name, key leadership and your product names through something easy like Google Alerts. I’m always surprised how often my non-profit, Binky Patrol, is mentioned in small community newspapers. I’d never know about more than half of the articles without Google alerts. Even small mentions can make a big impact. I think back to a tiny side column article in Family Circle in 1997 and 45 second mention on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1996. We still have credibility because of those two small items in such a huge venue.
If you need help setting this up, please let me know. More tips can be found on my website: https://susanfinch.com/rootedtips/
There are more than 5 ways to make money on your event. We’ve already covered the Top 5. Below we’ve listed the additional sources
- Ticket Sales and Add-ons
- Virtual Events
- Paid Speakers
- Coaching Programs
- Bonus Events
- Live Streaming
- Post Event Options
Make sure you download the full Event Revenue cheat sheet to learn more about each revenue stream and begin creating a strategy to maximize your event revenue. https://eventsbylany.com/rootedtips
How do you know if your marketing dollars are leading to revenue unless you can track it? Even small businesses that have one or two events a year need to be tracking how their efforts pay off. Sometimes we pay for ads in directories, sponsor events, sponsor a local team of kids, put an ad in the church bulletin, boost our listings in the Chamber of Commerce or other business organization listing. Don’t you want to know if it worked? Don’t you want to know if people not only saw the ad but clicked on it? Sometimes these sites and situations have strict guidelines as to what the links can go to.
Sometimes you need to be able to SAY the link out loud from a stage, podium, on a podcast, over lunch - don’t make it difficult. If you know you’ll be SAYING your domain regularly or one to promote your event, make sure you get a domain that is easy to spell, remember and SAY.
How many of you have ever heard on a podcast, video or show, “How can listeners get in touch with you?” and the guest stumbles out a clumsy answer, “Go to our home page: www.mycomplexdomainspelledweirdly.com and then click in the left on the button that says, “special event”.
Here’s all that’s wrong with that:
- www - your domain needs to resolve with and without www.
- Your domain needs to automatically resolve to the SSL version of your site - you’ll need to buy an SSL certificate and set it up properly so that no matter what page people go to without https:// it will flip to https://
- Your domain needs to be LOGICAL and EASY to say and spell. None of this Eleet E - l - e - e - t Realty type of stuff. If the real way to spell a word is gone, think of a new domain. We can’t all have .com.
- Your call to action link cannot require you to then explain where they can FIND the information to click again. That final destination page needs to be the domain.
Let’s talk about resolving #4.
If you have a landing page in the middle of your website for this event or promotion, buy ANOTHER domain for THAT thing and have it redirect to THAT landing page. You will then be able to easily market and track that domain and page. If your event is Health Jamboree 2018 and you are in Portland, and your website is: HealthyChoicesWeMake.com - you want to consider these options:
- Create a subdirectory link: healthychoiceswemake.com/jamboree18, or just jamboree to always use the same URL year after year, but update the content.
- Create a SUBDOMAIN: jamboree18.healthychoiceswemake.com
- OR an entirely clean URL: HealthJamboreePDX2018 .com that would redirect to either a landing page in your main site, or be a specific site JUST for this event with cross linking from your main site. So many options.
Your plan all depends on your vision for the event, Is it a one time, or the first of many recurring each year or in different regions. You’ll want to plan for this type of repetition or growth when you secure your unique domain so you can follow the pattern. Keep in mind regional uses of abbreviations. Up in Portland Oregon, PDX is a common way to shorten Portland and surrounding areas. It’s the airport call letters. That won’t work well in Los Angeles - LAX because that’s also an abbreviation for the sport, Lacrosse. A lacrosse jamboree is way different than the topics in our health jamboree, but the search results may confuse and irritate those that click if it’s not completely clear.
Is this for a BOOK? A book always needs its own website with a way to purchase EVERY format: print, ebook, kindle, itunes, etc. AND you need a form that will collect information and add them to a drip campaign regarding the book, the tour schedule, appearances, tips from the book and more. BUILD and sustain buzz.
Let’s briefly talk about squeeze pages. It’s a newish, more recent term that merely describes a VERY simple, uncluttered page to drive people to ONE specific call to action:
Register, subscribe, buy, answer a quiz, watch a video, etc. Some website themes have built in squeeze page templates. Many CRM services offer squeeze pages with unique URLs for sharing and tracking.
These same rules applies to hashtags for your initiatives, products and events. It’s OK to ride the hashtag others have used for related topics, but for your unique application and tracking purposes, be very careful and make sure it’s not already in use by a competitor, something unsavory altogether or something that is viewed with disdain by all or offends your target audience. Acronyms can be a messy place to tread.
- A good tool is Keyhole: http://keyhole.co/ You can utilize their free trial to make sure your hashtag is safe to use.
- Hashtracking (https://www.hashtracking.com/pricing/ ) is another service.
- This list of 6 is somewhat misleading. They are not free, but usually have free trials: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/hashtag-analytics/
- If you are going to use a hashtag regularly, or it is tied to a trademarked name you own, you might want to register it with Twubs: https://twubs.com/p/register-hashtag
ROOTED TIP: When you sign up for free trials, you usually have to give a credit card. Mark a LOUD reminder on your calendar for the day or two before so you END the trial and remove your card from their system if you don’t want to have it automatically charge your account. Let’s talk about tracking. You need to know WHO is going to your landing page, using your hashtag and from where. The easy way is to add this landing page URL, unique URL into your Google analytics. If your squeeze page is contained within your website, you’ll need to add the Google Analytics code into the page code to track it. This will also give you information as to their journey from your main site and what they did after.
Remember to add it to your Search Console, as well - be specific with the domain - https:// - if your landing page is within your main site using a subdomain or subdirectory domain/xxxx then the existing SSL you have will most likely cover it. Confirm if you are going the subdomain route: myevent.mydomain.com Some cheap SSL certs won’t cover that. Also, if you have a payment gateway associated with the event, book, etc. can you track THAT part of it?
If this is for a unique domain, you’ll need to add tracking code into the header for all pages associated with this. You can learn more about how to do that in this article as well as tracking hashtags in analytics using tag manager: http://www.trackify.co.nz/blog/tracking-anchor-tag-hashtag-pageviews-in-google-analytics
And:
https://webmasters.stackexchange.com/questions/113338/how-does-ga-show-an-url-with-a-hashtag
And here:
https://www.analyticsmania.com/post/single-page-web-app-with-google-tag-manager/
Get more tips on my site: https://susanfinch.com/rootedtips
Ideally, no call goes to voicemail. But it happens. Ideally you are alert, 100% focused, perky, welcoming and clear to all callers that call you and answer with enthusiasm and respect. That doesn’t happen. Unless you have NO tasks, NO proposals, NO presentations, quotes, marketing timeline items you are working on, you will not be able to answer every call. If you can answer every single call to your landline, mobile and video chat requests, you need more business and someone guiding you to do more than wait by the phone. Chances are at that point, you are broke, hungry and most likely unemployed.
Voicemail, answering services, phone trees have been part of business going back to the 1920s with switchboards in big companies. You see them in old movies - the ladies in a small room with perfect make-up while on a headset plucking one cord, and taking that cord and connecting it somewhere else - the transfer. The switchboard operator was the first greeter many businesses had. From there, the calls might go to the executive assistant who will decide who gets through to the target or will be sluffed off to the “take a message” status.
Fast forward to today - the age of voice over IP - VOIP. Calls from anywhere and any device can be routed with the same flexibility - anywhere on any device, or multiple devices, this includes video calls. This has allowed us to further customize that initial journey of the first time or repeated caller. We even have the ability to block callers from specific numbers so we never know they tried to reach us. We can send them directly to voicemail with a canned text message letting them know you are unavailable at the moment and will call them back right away.
We have become our own switchboard operators and executive assistants. You would have hired a professional in the past for those positions. Back in switchboard days, you hired entry level people. Why would you do that now? There is too much competition for everyone’s business and attention. Make it count if they call you. Make them feel welcomed after they’ve bothered to click on the phone number on your website to “call 800-555-1212?”. After they’ve bothered to go to your contact page, read your overstuffed business card - another topic - and actually put the digits in their device to start a conversation with you.
Now, you popular people, those with high up positions, those well-connected are most likely inundated with “strangers” calling you - sapping your time, interrupting your day. AND? Do you remember when you were hungry? Do you remember how it felt to have to make those cold calls? How it felt to reach out to someone you met briefly at some crowded event - in person or online? That is still a human. A human earning a living for their families. Give them some dignity rather than disdain.
I fully admit to being annoyed when I get an obvious boiler room call. They are spam, junk, unsolicited solicitation without any goal other than gaining access to my computer, scaring me into thinking I need their service to save me from a virus or donate to some unreputable charity. When I’ve had my coffee, and a decent night’s rest, I can stay composed, polite and quickly end the conversation without being rude.
But what about those callers we WANT calling us? We are on the other line, the call goes to voicemail, unless you have a phone tree set up with a live person answering for you as your executive assistant. You want that message to be SHORT, clean, warm, welcoming. The goal is to get them to LEAVE the message so you can call them RIGHT BACK. They don’t need you telling them what day it is, unless you are at a conference and it will affect your response time. At that point, give them another way to reach someone who can help them fast.
When was the last time you called you? Try it. Do you like the experience? Is the message even current. Don’t you hate it when you call someone you’ve been waiting on to return from a conference, and Tuesday of the following week their message still says, “Hi, this is Heather, it’s Thursday and I’m at DreamForce through Sunday….” At that point you stop listening and most likely hangup since Heather doesn’t have her act together. First impressions, or even second chance first impressions.
Some ideas for the incoming phone call journey: 1. A HUMAN ALWAYS ANSWERS FIRST rather than a phone tree digital switchboard. 2. They route the call to your personal number. 3. You see the call, you answer or… 4. You are on the phone and it goes to voicemail or 5. If you don’t answer will it go back to the receptionist with a different moniker so they know it’s a call that came back to them after transferring - this would be handled with more urgency than new calls coming in as they have already spent time calling you, being routed, not reached you and routed back.
Second tree option:
- Calls go right to phone tree.
- Is your last name easy to spell? How about your first name? Make sure if you have that type of “dial by name” system in place, you are in there by FIRST and LAST name.
- If your names are always difficult for people to spell, consider routing by department or a “say the name”. But if people can’t spell your name, they may not be able to SAY your name. Back to call journey 1.
Third tree option:
- All calls go directly to you - your direct line from LinkedIn, your bio on the company site.
- You answer with the attitude this could be “the one” - smile, welcome them, make sure you are in a place you can hear them, even if they have a heavy accent and are in their cars.
Here are some tips for recording your voicemail message:
- Sound upbeat in your message.
- Don’t rush
- Avoid background noise.
- Rehearse or write down your message before recording it.
Blitz Sales Software reminds us to:
- Share basic information:
- If you’re out of the office: - BUT change it when this isn’t true.
- Be courteous of your customers’ time:
- Give them a realistic expectation:
- Catch their attention:
- Prove your attentiveness to voicemail:
When you decide to add events as a revenue stream into your business the normal thought process is to focus on ticket sales to make money.
Ticket sales are extremely important as that is your indicator for 1) How many people are attending your event and 2) Where you need to adjust your marketing efforts to increase “butts in seats”
Here are the Top 5 ways to bring in event revenue that go beyond ticket sales.
- Sponsors - Creating partnerships and collaborations with sponsors is one of the most profitable revenue streams for events. Find companies and brands that are in alignment with your message and who have a similar target audience.
- VIP/Upgrade Options - Create high end options that will provide more benefits and value to your audience.
- Product Sales - Upsell your attendees to your next event, your coaching products, books, masterminds and more.
- JV/Affiliates - The best way to sell tickets is to have a solid business partnerships with influencers who will promote your event to their audience and increase the visibility of your event.
- Speaker Sales Splits - Allow your speakers to sell from stage and agree to a split of their sales because you are giving them an opportunity to be in front of your audience...a new audience.
Download ALL of your Event Revenue Sources at eventsbylany.com/rootedtips
One of the takeaways from this episode is that many of us take courses, attend seminars and more, but it's up to us to implement the take aways. Even if we only get one tip we can apply, WE need to apply it ourselves.
Nancy talked about creating her companies’ future - their revenue generator - is their new virtual course option. This is an 11 week course to immerse into and then develop the habits for collaborative selling.
Now to our topic and Nancy’s tip: People need to ask for decisions - ask for commitment, in every buyer interaction. People put so much work into getting in front of the right prospect. Then they know they need to explore the possibilities and solutions, but they leave that time together with nothing specific, or worse, the unknown, "OK, I'll send you something and follow up with you later..." WHAT!? ASK the question. Give a close to the "episode" with that prospect. Are you ready for?... Is it the next meeting? Is it bringing someone else into the conversation? Are they agreeing to review a recommendation? Don't agree to put in time if they are not giving you a specific commitment to meet again. There is no commitment on their end if you just send something without a specific next step on their end.It might take you hours for each to put together something to send. Nancy tells this story at about the 4:45 mark in this episode.
ASK FOR SPECIFIC COMMITTMENTS OR DECISIONS BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE MEETING! Without it, you've let them off the hook with a stall. You have lost control of the meeting or conversation. You have to guide them. They are looking to you to be the expert. They want you to be the expert. Act like one who has confidence. There is more, but you'll just have to listen to this episode.
And at the 15 minute mark, Susan Finch gives a challenge to anyone who has gained success and REVENUE by attending a workshop, signing up for a training series - pay it forward. If you increased revenue by a few thousand dollars last year as a direct result, or closed a big deal after learning from a $1250 seminar series, why not pay it forward and create a scholarship of sorts with that event or series host - 10% to go to help someone else attend and gain insights? YOU can be part of their success. It also shows your appreciation for the knowledge beyond the event tuition. There would be no greater compliment.
About Nancy Bleeke (pronounced Blay-key), CSO and President of Sales Pro Insider:
Sales is definitely part of Nancy’s genetic make-up. She has spent years in the trenches as a sales professional, sales manager, a sales coach, and wrote the gold medal winning book Conversations That Sell which has been declared a “must-read” for sales teams around the world.
About Nancy Bleeke (pronounced Blay-key), CSO and President of Sales Pro Insider:
Sales is definitely part of Nancy’s genetic make-up. She has spent years in the trenches as a sales professional, sales manager, a sales coach, and wrote the gold medal winning book Conversations That Sell which has been declared a “must-read” for sales teams around the world.
Connect with her on LinkedIn Twitter and her website.
Get more tips on Susan's site: https://susanfinch.com/rootedtips
Yes, we all know a guy, or a kid or a neighbor who “does” websites and can help us for $12/hour and a case of beer. But is that who you want maintaining your site? You are building a business, a division, launching a product, a book and event - don’t trust the results of your efforts to someone who only has evenings and weekends available to you to keep it running smoothly and efficiently. Your website is more than your online brochure, it’s your first impression, the gateway to your sales funnel, and ultimately your revenue.
Recently I took a website over from someone who had very little time to keep things current, make simple updates and never considered teaching the client how to do simple text and content updates. This is typical of “the guy”. Typical of “the lady, the gal, the girl” who is MIA is that they just disappeared, stopped working on sites, took a job, etc. “The guy” is usually a control freak who is so afraid of the impact of imparting knowledge on the client because it will cost him money. This is my favorite type of new client because one of the tasks I love more than anything is TEACHING clients how to be in control, or at least understand their websites, online marketing, profiles and how they all play together to help generate REVENUE! I love smart clients and clients who want to learn how to do things. BUT, I also think that knowledge and energy needs to be weighed against the tasks that need to be done by the client in order to continue generating revenue. Sure, DIY your website and you save that monthly maintenance fee, the periodical overhauls, the check ups, the time to test forms, links, security, SEO. Are you starting to see the issue? YOU are GREAT at meeting your customers, opening doors, developing your product, marketing, so why would you want to add website maintenance to the day? Many of my real estate clients completely accept this. Their business ebbs and flows, so we adjust our budget accordingly. They have me do the basics no matter what to keep their site and marketing efforts worry free. AND during fat months, we add bonus items - preparing drip campaigns, cleaning up social profiles, enhancing the website with new features and more.
I had a frank talk with one that was stressing about having to do it all. I asked, “How about you focus on your job, getting listings, closing deals and make enough that you don’t have to do the online maintenance or skip it because you are being cheap?” They appreciated the frank talk, and question. They laughed and agreed. One deal pays for my services for a year, easily. Money well spent at that point.
Here’s another situation, I made the mistake of assuming a small business understood that a website requirement maintenance. I made the assumption because we ended up in a client/vendor relationship because he had a site, HAD one that lapsed and then disappeared because he hadn’t continued to pay for hosting. It was a do-over. When we rebuilt it through the Wayback Machine version of his site to get the basic content back, we talked about why it happened, and how to prevent it. I thought it was understood that after I was done, SOMEONE still needed to update the site, make sure the theme, plugins, hosting, security, links, feeds were all current. We TALKED about it, I did not have it in writing. When things needed to be updated and I asked if I could do it and told him what it would cost he was furious. We have mended, and he understands now that it will cost money. He hasn’t wanted to pay to do this regularly so now it’s been 7 months on two sites since the admin has had any maintenance. This kills me, but I can’t give it all away just because I care and it bugs me. I’m a professional, so is he. So here’s the takeaway:
First time entrepreneurs - good for you for choosing to pay a pro create your site. That is EXCITING, but, it’s way beyond building the site. You’ve paid the pro, you’ve launched - now what? The part that’s on you is maintaining the website or hiring someone to check in and maintain it monthly, or at minimum quarterly - it’s more than clicking “update” of the plugins. Just because you paid to have your site created, doesn’t mean it’s on that original vendor to maintain it forever as part of that agreement. Things change with online security regularly. Browsers update, plugins update.
Even a very small maintenance agreement will keep your site updated regularly and made less vulnerable with this tune-ups. Spend a small amount each month to check you are not blacklisted, that your theme, plugins, links are current and that your site is being submitted properly to Google Analytics.
Your site is not a one time deal. It’s a living, breathing marketing tool. Get a pro to help you keep it current and keep it useful. It’s super embarrassing to launch a marketing campaign and they go to a link on your site that returns a 404 error, or your site gives the white screen of “scary” because you are not HTTPS:// compliant.
You get one shot when you reach out to people through a campaign, through a business card when you meet them in person, through your profiles on LinkedIn, Google My Business and more. You don’t want them doubting your capability because you didn’t want to spend between $45 and $100 a month to keep it all working smoothly. Do what you do best. Interview and hire a pro to do the parts they do best. Ask your peers:
- Who do you use for website maintenance, not content?
- How much do they charge?
- How often do they work on your site?
- What’s the turnaround time for update requests?
- Has your site ever been hacked?
- Would you recommend them to me?
- What do you like BEST about this company/service provider?
And visit their site to see if it’s fast loading, if it’s logical, easy to navigate. Get more tips and free guides at: https://susanfinch.com/rootedtips
When planning an event, meeting, retreat, workshop or conference you will want to build out a timeline for your event. Certain elements of your event need to be reserved, contracted, ordered and paid for by a specific time frames prior to the event. If you have a member of your team managing this part of your event, you will want to ensure that they have the proper information and authority to complete tasks and sign contracts on your behalf.
Most large events are planned 12-18 months in advance, but here is a good guideline to follow depending on how often you are running your event.
-
Annual Events - Start 12-18 months out
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Semi Annual Events - Start 9-12 months out
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Quarterly Events - Start 6 months out
-
Monthly Events - 3 months out
If the event is an annual event, you will start planning your next event almost as soon as your current event is completed.
The shorter the lead time on an event, the tighter the deadlines and potentially the higher stress.
Lofty dreams and goals for events don’t work to create a successful event.
I had a client come to me wanting to create a 300 person event in 60 days from scratch.
The event idea was amazing, but they had no idea how they were going to put it all together, pay for it and get butts in seats in that time frame.
Doing a smaller event in a short time frame is definitely doable, but you need to be super realistic when it comes to deadlines, money and attendance goals.
The greater the lead time to plan an event, the higher the success rate.
Download your Quick Start Timeline at eventslany.com/rootedtips
Susan's guest, Laura Patterson, President, VisionEdge Marketing dove right in with her core belief: It's always about customers, or members, or your community. Without those relationships you don't bring in the money.
When asked the most valuable services she and VisionEdge Marketing brings to their clients, Laura responded, "Data analytics, data insights, measurements and an action plan." When she started in 1999, those terms were foreign to most.
Data analytics, measurement and process are their basic elements for their customer success. Data that you cannot derive insights from, is just data. You need to convert it into actionable insights to make strategic plans after analysis. BUT people are now using data as an excuse for inacction - we too much data,we do not have enough data, we areanalyzing the data - none of this is action.
You can make big insights from little data. You don't have to have volumes of data to get valuable insights. It gets back to action. Two groups: More medium or smaller size and very large enterprise companies.
BEST REVENUE TIP: It's always about customers. She asks of her team every day, "What are you going to do today that is going to help our customers be or become more sucessful?"
Think about the tasks on your list: C next to the ones that have direct impact for the customers, and then everything else. The priorities need to be on those with the C.
BONUS TIP: For small to medium size entities: Have a really solid network that you can pull in as needed, like a spigot on and off. This resource network can help you serve your customers better. It's one of the benefits of a boutique marketing company or supplier. One company can't specialize in every need, but they can be a source of valuable resources that can work together toward your goal.
Get the rest of the tips by listening to this episode. Subscribe to all episodes here and on iTunes and visit: https://susanfinch.com/rootedtips for more from these shows.
About Laura Patterson
Laura takes a practical, no-nonsense approach to proving and improving the value of Marketing. Laura began her 25+ year career in sales and had the great fortune of working across functions spanning customer relationship management and Marketing with a capital “M”. Today she is at the helm of VisionEdge Marketing, founded in 1999, and is recognized as one of the pioneers and authorities in the Marketing Performance Management (MPM) discipline. The company specializes in helping companies apply data, metrics and proven best-in-class practices to improve Marketing effectiveness, deliver business impact, and enable better business decision-making. Laura and VisionEdge Marketing are all about making Marketing an engine of growth for organizations. Martechexec selected Laura as one of the top 50 women in marketing technology. Laura serves on the University of Texas McCombs School of Business Masters of Marketing Science Advisory Board.
About VisionEdge Marketing
Since 1999 VisionEdge Marketing (visionedgemarketing.com), a data-driven metrics- based strategic and product marketing company has specialized in improving marketing performance and helping organizations make better fact-based decisions when it comes to markets, products, customers and competitors. Our passion is to help companies of all sizes solve four critical business problems: How to acquire and keep profitable customers, how to successfully define and launch market-leading products and services, how to create performance-driven marketing organizations, and how to accurately measure and improve marketing’s contribution to the business.
If you are not a legitimate company, don’t value your credibility and reputation, please stop listening and go back to your tutorials on shady telemarketing techniques.
If you are in the other camp and deeply care about reputation, customer service, being of value, building revenue for the long game, this is for you.
Have you been to your company’s contact page lately?
What did you learn? As a new visitor, potential customer, investor, what did you learn?
More and more companies seem to be opting for the basic: Address
Contact form approach.
There is nowhere on their site of who runs the company, who the PEOPLE are behind the company, how to reach them, ways to contact them. WHY would you do that? What are you hiding?
Are you embarrassed by your team? Then get a new team.
Are you afraid others will steal your team? Then you suck as an employer. Be better.
I understand if you have a PRODUCT site. You want to keep people focused on buying or signing up for trials, etc. but SOMEWHERE in the footer there needs to be a link to the corporate site with the contact information.
Consider a page for investors, support team, sales team, who covers which region?
A map of how to get there if you want us to visit, phone, email AND contact form.
Why would you limit how people reach you? I had a client once say she didn’t want her email or phone on her site because she was getting 4 emails a day that weren’t client related. She blamed that and the junk calls on the site. Her site that she treats like a static brochure and never posts anything sharable. I wish that’s all the junk I got each day!
I have clients in the past actually say they didn’t want anything other than an email and voicemail listed because they had so many complaint calls. Sigh. I decided that I couldn’t work with that particular client any more due to a misguided focus in their level of customer service.
With rare exceptions, all of our businesses and products are OPTIONAL! Rarely are we the only, necessary solution, so stop acting like it. Have some respect for the time people take clicking to get to your site and then to your contact page. Oh, and name it something simple like CONTACT or CONTACT US. This indexes very well in Google, as opposed to the clever titles such as “REACH OUT”, “TALK AT US” - stop it. Just make it simple and complete. Quit hiding your staff. At least have your leadership listed on the site with photos and way to reach them and connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, direct line, or contact form that goes directly to that person.
Here’s your check list for a thorough contact page: * Full company name that checks are made out to. * Mailing address * Main phone * Main fax if you use one. * Main email * PHYSICAL address if people visit for ANY reason and map to make it easy. * Directions from major freeways, and public transportation mention if that’s a thing for your visitors, vendors, volunteers, clients. * HOURS you will answer phones, help lines, be in the office. * Great place for support chat link, or you can go to a support page, if you need one. * Then, a new section for LEADERSHIP - you can link to a leadership page, or list it here with HEADSHOTS, Name, title, LinkedIn link, direct line/extension
Calling it LEADERSHIP allows you to show only key people who are your spokespeople. Some companies put their full cast in there. At least have key leadership. If your leadership is impressive, don’t send them to LinkedIn so fast. Have a bio page for them and THEN link to their linkedIn page. Ask them to link to a company overview/call to action page in their LinkedIn and other bios/profiles. Just linking to a home page doesn’t ask for further contact. ASK for their name, email and phone. Why not? They clicked. Create a landing page specifically for this purpose - linking from social profile. They can be prompted to do this so you can follow up. If you are tracking your pages, you’ll see how they are finding this special call to action page. You can update it regularly, perhaps with tips, get an ebook, etc. Just get their info!
Another handy item on a contact page is a department table: Department | Extension | Email | if there is a different address | if hours are different than main hours.
You can choose to hide, be cryptic or “cool” but it doesn’t get you speaking to people, seeing what they’re interested in or converting them faster. Challenge yourself to convert someone trying to sell to you. I dare you! Post links to your contact pages in the comments if you want feedback or to show off.
Get more free tips on susanfinch.com/rootedtips, sign up to receive marketing tips and to be notified of new episodes. You can also contact me on my site so we can talk about your best online face of your company!
Are you making money or losing money? You MUST have a budget. You must forecast your expenses and plan out your profits to give you an idea of what your numbers may or may not look like. You can’t wish on a star and hope it will all be ok.
- How much money do you have to spend for this event?
- Are you receiving donations from vendors?
- Will you be looking for sponsors?
- Do you plan on having exhibitors?
Sponsorship is a GREAT way to cover the cost of your event and I know that topic is covered in this summit, so I hope you paid attention.
Do you plan on generating a profit from your event?
If so, make sure you calculate that into your numbers, so that you’re not fighting to save your profit at the end.
Do you have a contingency in place?
With everything you do in your event you will need to have a contingency or backup in place, just in case something (inevitably) goes wrong or costs more money than you had originally planned.
Always budget at least 15-20% contingency
Did I mention that things inevitably go wrong? If you don’t have room in your budget, then you could be costing yourself more than just money. Think stress, overwhelm, fear, anxiety...yes...you will create a huge burden of stress. So, let’s just eliminate that right from the beginning. Plan to have a contingency (or buffer) in your budget for the unexpected.
Let’s look at what you need to budget for….
- Venue
- Decor
- Design
- Event Tech
- Group Activities
- Entertainment
- Furniture Rentals
- Licensing
- Insurance
- Wifi
- Electrical
- A/V Equipment & Setup
- Staging/Lighting Rental/Vendor
- Food/Catering Services
- Hotel Accommodations for:
- Team
- Guests
- Speakers
- Attendees
- Stipend for:
- Volunteers
- Staff
- Speakers
- Ground Transportation for:
- Team
- Guests
- Speakers
- Attendees
- Speaker Honorarium
- Advertising/Marketing
- Print Services
- Staffing
- Shipping
- Storage
- Taxes
- Fees
- Clean up
- Union Fees
- Deposits
- Cancellation Fees
Get your Quick Start Budget Template or your Full Event Budget at eventsbylany.com/rootedtips
Join us for a valuable revenue tip from Deb Calvert. We are also talking about her new book, Stop Selling and Start Leading. Her tip revolves around the fact she's been in sales her entire professional career. She has inbound and outbound strategies for generating revenue. Tune in to take notes! Be ready, she's a firm believer in good old-fashioned cold calling. Outsourcing is not HER solution. Keep your skills honed.
Revenue Expert: Deb Calvert Deb Calvert has been named by Treeline as one of “The 65 Most Influential Women in Business” and consistently appears on lists of Top Sales Influencers and Thought Leaders. She is UC-Berkeley Instructor, field researcher, trainer, instructional designer, speaker, and author, and has worked as a leadership program architect, sales productivity specialist and researcher since 2000.
Deb’s newest book is Stop Selling & Start Leading, co-authored with leadership gurus Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner. Her bestseller, DISCOVER Questions® Get You Connected, has been named one of “The 20 Most Highly-Rated Sales Books of All Time” by HubSpot. Deb is the founder of The Sales Experts Channel and of the movement to Stop Selling & Start Leading®.
It’s so exciting when we outgrow our office space or buildings and need to move to bigger digs! You have a prep list for the move that probably includes utilities, ISP, updating the post office. But did you think about your online address that has been there for a while? That needs to be updated EVERYWHERE and consistently.
I’m talking about NAP - Name, Address, Phone number. For search credibility, your business listing needs to be consistent in every directory and with every search engine that indexes your content and site. By precisely I mean that if you have a suite number, and you list it sometimes at Ste. and sometimes as Suite or # or Unit those are not the same. Your phone number. It’s great to have an toll free number on your site, but for this purpose you need a LOCAL phone number that a human answers. The SAME number everywhere. You can add additional numbers in listings in directories, but the MAIN number needs to be local and formatted precisely: 503-555-1212 vs. (503) 555.1212.
A great place to start is Google My Business. I’m assuming you already have a profile set up for your company on Google My Business. This is what shows up in the right column boxed info when people search for your company. It has hours, location, reviews, photos. You need to take control of that first. Then, you can search out the rest of the listings to see how you are listed.
A quick hit list includes:
- Yahoo - yes it still ties to and feeds other directory listing sites.
- Bing
There are about 80 more in the list - many are fed by these three, but you still need to make sure they are all matching precisely.
Once these are cleaned up, and you start to post to some of your profiles 1-4xs per month with images, recommendations, strategic partner news you’ll start to see an organic rise in your search rankings.
Just as moving an address can affect things, so can changing your domain. Long-term domains hold some credibility. If you’ve used the same domain for years and years and suddenly you want to change directions, had issues with hacking or other reasons, you will lose a ton of traction from your old search results. You want to make sure you account for the change through redirects from the most popular pages in old domain to changing the content on the old site to thin it out and then a custom 404 page to redirect to the new site or content. Without careful planning, making this one change in your business can have you fall off the face of search results and it’s a long road back. Be aware of and regularly review your search console on Google to see where errors are happening. Where are people trying to get to in the OLD domain. Do NOT remove the old domain from analytics or your search console - not yet. It doesn’t hurt to keep it all running to track traffic and come up with redirect solutions. If you can, retain the old domain to use it to your advantage in the redirecting. You can change your hosting plan to something tucked within another account if money is the issue, but do not delete the domain or the site - at least not all the way. Be careful with a domain change that the mail is set up with the change, as well. Auto responders are handy for a transition such as this. You want people to use the new email account? You’ll have to have your entire staff find EVERYWHERE they are listed with the old domain email and have them update it. They’ll need autoresponders. You’ll want to set up forwarding for a while. You don’t want to pay for 2 mail plans indefinitely, but at least let the dust settle.
You now have a good list to start with.
If you would like me to dig around for you to find your entire list and see where things need to be corrected, let me know. It’s one of the discovery packages I offer through Exit Power Strategies.
http://sfs.tips/epslist
In this interview, Susan asked Lori Richardson these questions:
- How does generating revenue look for your business?
- What are the key services/products you offer that generate the most revenue?
- What is a tip you'd like to share to generate revenue?
Listen to this short episode with a HUGE aha moment in it.
About Lori Richardson:
Lori Richardson CEO, Speaker & Founder Lori founded Score More Sales in 2002 to help companies grow revenues through strategic sales efforts, using lessons learned from 20 years in B2B sales and leadership roles.
Extrovert/Super Connector Lifelong Learner/Teacher
We no longer just create events. We create experiences. Follow along with the questions below and develop your event using your past experiences and your personal preferences. Visualization is really powerful when creating your event experience.
Think about all of the events you have ever attended. * What memories or experiences stand out to you in this moment? * Are they good? * Are they bad? * Why did you like it? * Why did you dislike it? * Did that experience turn you off from attending that particular event in the future? * Would you go back to that event?
Let’s take it one step further. Think about the event that you want to create. * If you were attending your own event, what kind of experience do you want to have? * What does the event sales page add or take away from the experience? * How does your pre-event communication enhance the experience? * What are you feeling when you arrive in the host city or country? * What kind of feelings and emotions are you feeling as you arrive at your hotel for check in? * Was your hotel check in smooth and seamless? * Do you feel welcome?
Next, let’s walk through the event registration. * How do you feel? * Calm, cool, collected, nervous, excited, frustrated, angry, tired, ready to go home?
Now I want you to move yourself through the event. * What excites you?
- What type of personality or energy are you and what do you need?
- Do you need space to decompress or are you ready to party all day, every day?
- Is the food amazing? Are you never leaving the buffet line? Or are you out looking for the nearest sushi restaurant?
- Are you wow’d by the decor?
- Does it impress you or are you completely blind to it?
- How is the speaker line up?
- Are you on the edge of your seat or are you trying to hide that yawn to not be rude?
- Is the music too loud or not loud enough?
- Are you enjoying the connections you are making?
- Are there even opportunities to make connections?
- What is keeping you at the event? Or are you ready to bail after the first day?
- What’s the best thing you are feeling?
- What makes you grumpy thinking about your event?
Ok, now that you’ve experienced your own event make note of the good that you experienced and the bad that you want to avoid.
Get Lany’s 7 Tips to Create an Amazing Experience at eventsbylany.com/rootedtips
Saying our FREE online profiles in all of the social venues is costing us money may be confusing. Let’s think about that statement. If you create a profile and forget about it for a long while, it becomes dated, perhaps even incorrect. Not just headshots and the company you work for, but your basic statement about yourself. When you created your profiles chances are you were just checking off a box to get marketing off your back.
- Facebook - check
- LinkedIn - check
- Twitter - check
- Google+ - check
- About.me - check
And what about all of the other profiles you forget about - such as trade organizations, professional and alumni associations, online directories. There’s a HUGE chance you have no clue how many profiles you’ve created. If you only think about the ones you remember, that gives you a place to start.
Starting with the more obvious: LinkedIn, Facebook - page AND profile, Twitter, About.me and Google+ the first thing you want to think about is WHOM you are trying to reach and what you want them to do. How do you want them to connect with you? What do you want them to THINK about you? It is not one profile fits all here. You have to tailor it. What I say on Facebook is not the same as LinkedIn. If you are in the camp that favors the, “It’s all me - I’m the same everywhere - they can accept me or not!” chances are you wish you earned more money, but that arrogance is getting in your way. Business is business, even if clients become friends or friends become clients, it’s a different hat. You are asking them to pay you for your knowledge and skills. Respect that and them. This segways into headshots. Keep it clean and professional on LinkedIn. Have more fun on Facebook, but it’s still a good idea to have an actual photo rather than cartoon, a picture of your dog - unless that’s your business,. You want anyone seeking you to know it is the RIGHT you. On all of social media, I’m grateful that the OTHER Susan Finch in New York is a blonde. It helps at first glance. Also, the fact I’m in Oregon and she’s in New York. We are both clear who we are in all venues.
Moving on to your links you can include. Have you tested them lately? As a producer for several online radio shows, I run across guests all the time that haven’t updated their LinkedIn profiles for months or even YEARS. They link to old companies and broken pages. It makes me wonder if they realize that company doesn’t consider them an employee any more. This leads into work history and projects and the topic of lost revenue through social media.
When your profile is broken, outdated with only crickets chirping in your timeline, people will think you are not current. You’ve done nothing new, can’t be bothered keeping your details updated. How can they count on you to help them if they can’t take care of themselves?
Spend some time reading EACH social media profile. * Would you hire you? * If you were interested in becoming YOUR client, how would you connect? * What is the next step?
An example of a pretty decent About.me profile is at susanfinch.me Short, with a clear call to action and OFFER in the same breath.
You will note that my social profiles are not as consistent as I’d like. Remember I mentioned that OTHER Susan Finch - vanity URLs are tough when your name isn’t super unusual.
And now we move on to the call to action in each profile. Ask someone else to read your profiles through. Ask them if they understand what you do, your capabilities and what they need to do next in order to work with you. Ideally, the person helping you by reviewing it would understand your buyer personas pretty well to help you see any holes, potential confusion, or nannering on you are doing in your profiles. If they help you with this, at least send them a gift card or take them out for drinks to thank them. Return the favor for them, too.
At the end of your profiles, entice people to make an appointment, get to know your company better, invite you to speak - whatever the goal that makes you money, ASK FOR IT with an EASY link. It may be a different landing page for each venue. That’s a great way to track it if it’s working. Perhaps you simply link to your appointment scheduler page. The goal isn’t to close the deal, but to get them to call. Give them the time, don’t tell them how to make the watch.
With LinkedIn - this will be an entire episode on it’s own, realize you can add PROJECTS without changing jobs. Something like a case study where you can show off something with great results.
Facebook: Once you are done updating Facebook with a new image - it will notify all of your “friends” and followers. LinkedIn used to do this, but caught on that people played this in order to get to the top of the newsfeed with a visual update. Now you have to do something more than upload an image - change your position, add a company - when you do that, you will end up in notifications and news feeds on LinkedIn. Before you do that, consider writing an ARTICLE to publish in your profile to make a bigger splash. If you don’t have much to say, with your newly updated profile, commit to a BARE MINIMUM of 15 minutes a day on LinkedIn for two weeks only sharing items from others, stories from the news, nothing self-serving. MENTION companies and PEOPLE. Let people know you are still around and are now current and of value rather than just tooting your own horn.
Ready to clean up your profiles and stop losing money with them? If you need help finding all the ones you’ve forgotten, check out: https://exitpowerstrategies.com/determining/ to figure out which scenario fits you so we can start collecting all of the forgotten profiles and clean them up!
Be sure to subscribe to this podcast via email on RootedInRevenue.com so you never miss an episode, or subscribe to us on iTunes - look for Rooted in Revenue
In this episode Lany shares the first 2 foundational pillars to creating successful events. There are 5 foundational pillars and Lany will cover them all over the next few episodes.
In events there are 5 different areas that will help you build a solid foundation for your event.
- Defining Your Purpose & Goals
- Identifying Your Target Audience
- Creating an Amazing Experience
- Budget Planning & Management
- Setting an Event Timeline
As you go through this episode and begin creating your event, ask yourself these questions that we cover.
Here are some questions to ask yourself.
- Why are you holding this event?
- What is the end result you want to achieve?
- Are you doing an event to make money?
- What is your ROI?
- What is the perceived value? For you? For your attendees?
- To grow your audience?
- To increase brand awareness?
- For a product launch?
- To make money (yes, I repeated this on purpose)?
- To create a unique experience for your followers?
- To help your audience learn something new?
- What do you want to accomplish?
- Do you want to gain media coverage?
- Do you want to increase visibility?
- Do you want to contribute to your community?
- Do you want to celebrate a milestone or success?
- Do you want to build more connections/grow your tribe?
- Do you have attendance goals? How many butts in seats do you want?
Once you have your purpose and goals defined, it’s time to develop and define your target audience. Check out Hubspot’s Buyer Persona Template or our SLMA friend, Matt Heinz’ Buyer Persona Template.
Download your free Purpose and Goals cheat sheet & access your Buyer Persona Templates at eventsbylany.com/rootedtips
In this 6 minute episode, Susan covers the checklist to create your own online press kit. It’s great when people include you in their posts, include your photo, mention your company. But, you want people to post about you with the correct, current images, logos and statements. If you have a place on your website you can send them, it makes it easy for a consistent, current message.
How about yourdomain.com/mediakit? or /presskit ? This makes saying it or sharing it easier.
You can also include a contact form on that page for additional requests, including interviews and speaking engagements.
FILE NAMING FOR ORGANIZATION:
Create a shared folder for your company and make subfolders:
- BIOS
- HEADSHOTS
- LOGOS & COMPANY INFO
Name your headshot images something unique for tracking purposes. This makes sorting easier and to see what you've missed or pull a grouping quickly when the names follow a pattern such as:
Companyname_headshot_susanfinch_250x300.jpg
Companyname_headshot_lanysullivan_300x400.jpg
Then you can actually search for those file names online to see if they are in use anywhere. This won’t always work, as some sites rename images when they upload them, but it won’t hurt and gives you a consistent naming convention for your resources.
bio_susanfinch.txt, or .docx - something they can easily copy and paste. Don't make it hard by printing to PDF. Sometimes when you copy/paste from a PDF, the lines may get rearranged, words skipped or other formatting issues.
What you need - a check list:
- Company statement/footer type of info that you’d include in press releases.
- Leadership bios of varying lengths: 200-250 words, 100-150 words, 50-75 words.
- Leadership intros - spoken for live events. Keep it short and punchy.
- Leadership intros - spoken for podcasts, webinars. Keep this even shorter - just a sentence or two. You can bring them to your site to learn more at the end with a call to action.
- Leadership PROFESSIONAL headshots in varying formats: JPG 300 x 300 and 300 x 400, JPG 1600 x 1600, Grayscale for pint 3” x 3” CMYK/Grayscale
- Company logo in varying formats: FULL COLOR: small (under 28K), medium (up to 100K and 600px across), large (up to 1MB 1200 x 900 or a variation) TRANSPARENT (png): small (under 28K), medium (up to 100K and 600px across), large (up to 1MB 1200 x 900 or a variation) CMYK version for printed applications - one size large, or PDF in CMYK.
- 5 quick facts about the company.
Remember to review this section of your site quarterly, since team members change and photos should be updated at least every other year. Annually is better to keep styles current.
If you need help creating this resource on your website, let me know susan@susanfinch.com