Why a purpose trumps a plan
January 27, 2012
Seth Godin says so much with few words:
There is nothing wrong with having a plan
Plans are great.
But missions are better. Missions survive when plans fail, and plans almost always fail.
What does it mean to have a mission? A vision? A purpose?
It’s the internal engine that keeps you moving forward, navigating the rapids of real life that upset ‘the best laid plans.’ Read the rest of this entry
Sales is not a dirty word
December 5, 2011
‘Sales’ is not usually the first word chosen by professionals to describe how they acquire new clients. They prefer ‘marketing’ or ‘business development.’
For example, a professional colleague said to me recently, “Everyone else is out there marketing so hard, it is essential to be out there too.” Her firm recently hired a new associate who has energized their team because he “feels responsible to actually market,” as my friend put it.
This anecdote speaks to one of the dilemmas of operating a professional services business: to do what you are good at and love to do, you need work; work comes from clients; clients come from a regular, ongoing system of practices called marketing, sales, and business development, often interchangeably.
Dear reader, are you thinking, “Duh!” to yourself? I know it is obvious, but many professionals resist doing the sales and marketing needed to have thriving businesses. Read the rest of this entry
Every business tells a story – what’s yours?
November 9, 2011
They say, “Every picture tells a story.” So does every business. But is it a story you tell on purpose to attract your ideal clients?
Great experience, qualifications, prestigious awards—these open conversations, gain attention, and establish credibility, but alone they rarely win a new client.
The changing economy requires all of us to get smarter about our marketing and sales, and to use all the tools in our marketing toolbox. Read the rest of this entry
10 ways to position yourself as an expert
November 1, 2011
Lots of people claim to be experts. In a crowded marketplace they point to the letters after their names, the places they have worked, or their education. But most of us looking for experts want demonstrated credibility (at least I do). How do you create that?
First of all, BE the expert.
Do a great job and get references and referrals. There are no shortcuts or ways around this one. It is the first and most necessary thing to succeeding in business, especially a professional service. How you deliver is part of what you deliver.
If you stumble or fall on your face, you have an opportunity to get closer to your client if you own your mistake(s) and work hard to fix them. When you do that, you show your integrity. If you get defensive and don’t solve the problem, you burn bridges with your client and risk their grumbling about it to others. That kind of word of mouth is difficult to contain and reverse.
Be professional. Stay up to date with your discipline, technical developments, legislation, or whatever is relevant to your profession. Be conversant in the trends and issues going on within your industry and your niche in particular.
Second, the BIG idea: create content and share it. This gives others something to pass along to other people who may be looking for your kind of expertise. Read the rest of this entry
My love-hate relationship with branding
October 20, 2011
As a marketer, I’m supposed to love branding, right? From my perspective, misunderstanding the term and its role in a business has caused lots of confusion.
When I began marketing professional services fifteen years ago, I heard lots of professionals using the word ‘branding’ to refer to their firms’ logos, business cards, letterhead and all their graphic identity stuff.
This annoyed me because it is only one part of branding, and by limiting their definition, they also limited their understanding of marketing and its power to help their businesses flourish. It didn’t help that we were part of a traditional industry where many had chosen their careers in order to avoid doing sales and marketing. They were—and in some cases still are—biased.
So I avoided using the word. I talk about ‘marketing messages’, ‘positioning’, and ‘strategic marketing planning’. I do ‘client research’ and ‘competitive research’ all oriented towards discovering and defining what is unique and valuable about a company’s services.
But you know what? It’s all part of branding. Even marketing planning. (It’s how the brand gets into the world.)
More recently I’ve realized that terms I was using—thinking everybody knew them—were professional jargon too. In my vigilance to clear business communications of technical jargon, I had over looked my own. Oops!
Lots has been written about corporate brands (Apple, for example) and product brands (iPod, iPhone). Here, in plain English, I offer my understanding of branding and why it is such a powerful tool for businesses of every size. Read the rest of this entry
Sign up for the eZine
As a 25-year veteran of marketing professional services, Barbara Breckenfeld is a strategist and a storyteller. She helps helps businesses grow as a consultant, marketing coach, and seminar leader.
