Home Improvement Buzz

April 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment

We just started helping a new client with a great new website:  Showroom 411

I do not write about every client here, because I try to keep this blog relevant to buzz marketing.  However, showroom 411 has a very relevant story that could be an inspiration to you.

Rick Maselli is a builder.  Not terribly web-savvy and not a marketer.

Years ago, he improved his project outcomes by using links on the web to help clients pick out the fixtures and materials they wanted.  This grew into an access database, and now has launched a very comprehensive online community around DIY Home Improvement.  It brings together home improvement people, products with public reviews and contractors that are there to help if needed.

My question to you is this:  How many companies are out there sitting on all kinds of great information and simply do not know they can leverage that for buzz, visibility or to launch a whole new company?

Showroom 411 includes:

Take a look and think - do you have another company in the making?

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Small Business, Blog 

What are your Relationship Tools?

March 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment

I toss around the term “relationships” a lot on this blog.  I am thinking that some readers may thing I mean a two way communication between you and the people you want relationships with.  There are a lot of ways that you can have a “two-way” relationship and never actually communicate with the other person directly.  Here are some examples.

Blogging - You push out your information (one-way) and the response you get is your website traffic, comments, etc.

Speaker - You speak - people listen.  (one-way) - The response you get is people talking to you after the talk, emailing you later, hiring you, etc.

eNewsletter - You publish your valuable information (one-way) and you get feedback,list subscriptions, unsubscribes, forwards to friends, etc.

Publish a Book -  You publish and market your book (one-way) and you get sales, speaking opportunities, hired as a consultant, PR, etc.

Social Networks -  You put up your profile (one way) and then people request to connect with you.  (This one is better if it is actively two way, but can be one way)

These are just some of the ways you can create relationships without having to get to know each person personally.  I like to get to know people, but realistically, there is only so much time in the day.  Using all of the tools above, I have created lots of relationships - many I am not even aware of.

What are you doing to create mass relationships?

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Small Business, Blog 

Planning for Moderate Influencers

March 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Excellent post at Guy Kawasaki’s Blog.

This really speaks to our strategy for the last 4 years.  It is great to have big names recognize you, but it is easier and has great long term value if you focus on the mid-tier information players.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Marketing ROI, Small Business, Blog 

Are you setting achievable Buzz Marketing Goals?

March 5, 2008 | 2 Comments

I have worked with a lot of people that come to us and say, “I want buzz!”

Some succeed, and some fail.  Buzz itself is not an acceptable goal.  If you just know you want buzz, you are dooming your effort.  The success factor has little to do with buzz, and everything to do with understanding what a reasonable goal is in the first place.

So what are some examples of good buzz goals I have seen?

Goal:  Increase search engine saturation for our brand.

Goal:  Increase local word of mouth to pass a levy that is too close to call.

Goal: Increase website traffic by creating links and referrals.

Goal:  Establish our expertise over the next 24 months in the ______ industry.

Goal:  Generate 10% more referrals by facilitating word of mouth one the web.

Goal: Build an audience that wants to hear from us – add a minimum of 500 names per month.

Goal: CEO to be interviewed by 4 bloggers per month.

Now some examples of bad goals:

Bad Goal:  I want to create buzz to blow the sales off the roof.

Bad Goal:  I want to be #1 in Google for a general term.

Bad Goal:  I want to have a blog/myspace page/facebook profile because I read about it and I have to.

Bad Goal:  I want people to go into Walmart and demand that they carry my product.

The list goes on.

Here is the simple key:  It is great to have long term goals that are big, but your short term buzz efforts must be achievable steps to realizing those dreams, not the dream itself.  Focus on things that will interest your target audience and be valuable (and/or) easy to pass on.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Marketing ROI, Small Business, Blog 

The 1st Promise You Break is your Last Chance

January 4, 2008 | 5 Comments

When a client, especially a new client, does not get what they are expecting, you are breaking an implied promise.  Once you break that first promise, they will be calulating in their head how much more they will take before letting you go.

Here are 10 ways you may have broken a promise to a client.

  1. Return a phone call when you said you would.
  2. Proposal or contract arrives the day you said it would.
  3. Reported back progress when stipulated.
  4. Delivered exactly what is expected.
  5. Clear pricing that does not go up for this and that.
  6. Built an ongoing, valueable relationship
  7. Failed to thank client for referral
  8. Did not follow up after delivery
  9. Miss a scheduled meeting or lunch
  10. Back-peddle on promises after sale

You cannot create buzz when you are creating regret.  I have been guilty of most of these at one time or another, especially when we were doing custom IT work (Which is why I do not pursue that work anymore).  The best you can doing is focus on the issue and work hard to eliminate it with better processes and customer service.  Great customer service does create great buzz.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Small Business, Blog 

7 Reasons Idiot Optimists Beat Their Head against the Sales Door

December 5, 2007 | 1 Comment

You may know that studies have shown that optimists make better sales people. They do not quit and go start slinging burgers at the BK like the more intelligent pessimists do.

Sales VultureDo you believe this is a good thing?

The optimist keeps trying, and trying….

Don’t they understand that even the most positive optimist, when faced with someone trying to part them with their money, becomes a pessimist?

The deck is stacked against you, my optimistic friend.

Here are 7 reasons your optimistic attitude hurts your sales.

  1. Optimistic Sales Person says: Look at all these great features and benefits my product has…
    Pessimistic Prospect thinks: How do I end this meeting faster?
     
  2. Optimistic Sales Person says: You are going to save a lot of money!
    Pessimistic Prospect thinks: I am going to lose a lot of time and money converting.
     
  3. Optimistic Sales Person says: This will make your company run more efficiently.
    Pessimistic Prospect thinks: Anything that adds complexity to my business will make things worse.
     
  4. Optimistic Sales Person says: You owe it to yourself.
    Pessimistic Prospect thinks: I owe myself an early retirement because I am debt free.
     
  5. Optimistic Sales Person says: This price is only good today.
    Pessimistic Prospect thinks: Liar.
     
  6. Optimistic Sales Person says: We don’t have customers, we have friends.
    Pessimistic Prospect thinks: I don’t buy friendships.
     
  7. Optimistic Sales Person says: We can customize it for you.
    Pessimistic Prospect thinks: Great. Now it is more expensive and won’t work at all.

If you are cursed with optimism, there is hope.  Understanding pessimism and how people are thinking, beyond what they are saying, will help you deal with your disadvantage.

Tags: Sales, Optimist, Pessimist

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Sales, Small Business, Blog 

Handshake HQ - Give It A Try

June 20, 2007 | Leave a Comment

 Handshake HQ

We have not fully launched Handshake HQ yet.  It is fully functional but we continue to look at ways to improve the interface and marketing.  That said, give it a try if you would like.  You can sign up at http://www.handshakehq.com/ and there is a free account as well as a paid version.

What is it?

OK, long story short.  I wanted a better tool to follow up with people after I met them, so I tossed together the first version of Handshake HQ to help me by templating my emails so I could craft better messages with better goals.  Then I could power through a stack of cards in seconds and send each person a highly personal email. - No SPAM, these had to be sent one at a time.  It just helped me write better emails and not have to retype the whole thing.

I started using it with a great deal of success, and as soon as I told the first person about it, they wanted it for their organization. Handshake HQ is the commercial version of this simple solution.  Better Messages Faster with Better Results is what it boils down to.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.  It is an attempt on our part to share tools we find useful and profitable with other people that may benefit from the same strategy.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Small Business, Sales, Interesting Buzz, Buzzoodle, Employee Advocates, Blog 

49 Marketing Secrets (That Work) to Grow Sales

June 13, 2007 | 3 Comments

Business Marketing Secrets BookI am lucky to be included in a great marketing book called 49 Marketing Secrets (That Work) to Grow Sales. It has a whole host of marketing material for businesses. Authors include some big names, such as Tony Alessandra, and also has normal business owners talking about what marketing tactics work best for them.

If you have a business and want to learn more about all the issues surrounding marketing your business and helping it grow, buy this book.

Ron Finklestein has spent a huge amount of time and effort in assembling this great book. I got 100 copies to sell when I am out speaking, and he has also made the Marketing Secrets eBook available for any of the authors to sell from their website.

You can purchase the 49 Marketing Secrets eBook here.

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Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Marketing ROI, Small Business, Buzzoodle 

Buzz Killed Business

May 31, 2007 | Leave a Comment

I just read the new book, The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich, by Tim Ferriss and loved it.  Now my daughter and wife are fighting to read it.

One interesting thing that I had happen already.  Being in this best selling book created a lot of buzz for a a company called Get Friday.  It sounds too good to be true, so I contacted them last week.  Then again on Tuesday.  Then again on Wednesday….  still no reply.  Too much buzz can send your business into the crapper pretty fast.

I still hope they call me. I would love to try this service.  However, I am wondering if it is this much work to hire them, how much work will it be to have them do projects for me?

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Small Business, Interesting Buzz, Blog 

Is Your Partner Stealing Your Show?

May 8, 2007 | 1 Comment

In my most recent post, Is Buzz Marketing the Next SEO, I discuss how more people are doing more things to serve their customers.  SEO specialists are doing buzz marketing, Buzz Marketers do SEO, Advertising agencies are doing buzz marketing and SEO, Programmers are saying they do this stuff as well, sometimes.

This can make it easier or harder for you to partner with people.  And having partners is a great buzz technique, whether it is a formal partnership or just a loose agreement.

The key is to define what you want to do.  Not what you can do, because you can do a lot of things.  What are you exceptional at and passionate about.  That is what you should be doing.  Now if you have a big company and are providing a full group of services, wonderful.  If you are a small company trying to do too many things, then it is time to create a few of these partnerships.

Now the trick is to work through the details of your partnership.  Here is a list of things to consider when working out these details:

  • Who maintains relationship with client they bring in?
  • How does each person get compensated?
  • If you are working together on a project, who bills?
  • How do you represent each other on your websites?
  • Create a strategy to buzz about each other.

My experience is that we often talk to people about partnerships, but they rarely become reality because they do take work, planning and a win/win attitude.

Posted by Ron McDaniel | Filed Under Small Business, Internet Marketing, Blog 

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