I have a long history in Internet Marketing before Buzzoodle.  We started out with simple eNewsletters and grew a big content management system for ePublishing.  The right client found our tools very effective.

The wrong clients found us overpriced or too complex.

I fully understand the value of focus in a business.  However, I think it is worth thinking about the various levels of conversion that can take place, and how all of these help you in the long run.

Conversion is getting people to take action.  On the most basic of levels, you subscribing to my RSS feed would be a conversion.  You have let me create a long term relationship with you (that you can delete any time).  And it is free.

Then, something I was lacking until just recently, is the easy conversion.  Purchasing my book, Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing, is an easy, low risk conversion that gives me the chance to help you and make a couple of dollars.  This is wonderful because when someone calls me and wants to hire me, but has no budget, I can now suggest the book.

Next is the moderate conversion.  For us, this was the addition of the coaching program where we help people get some of their staff up to speed on creating buzz and we help them stay motivated and results oriented.

Then I do speaking, which is getting paid to go out and create some buzz.  I would say this is also a moderate conversion for companies and organizations that do not want to commit to an ongoing engagement but want a shot in the arm to create some buzz and get staff to think about ways to increase the organizational visibility.

Next is the custom Buzz Marketing.  This is the most complex sale that involves a significant investment of time and money by a client.  We only want 10 of these a year because having too many dilutes our effectiveness.

Why am I telling you this?

There is an important Buzz Marketing point here.  None of these things are separate products.  They are part of our unique message and brand, and are just different ways to create relationships and value for organizations with different needs.  And they all feed off of one another.

Can you create a worksheet that you could give prospects and they will appreciate, because it is valuable and does not just sell you?  (Easy Conversion)

Can you go out and speak about your industry? How do people know if you can?

Even if you have a complex sale, can you develop something that is a simple sale for people that are not ready for the complex sale yet?  An online course?  A book or DVD?

If you are frequently turning away people that are interested in your products or services because they are not the right fit, make something ancillary that is of value to them and will get them to remember you and buzz about you.

OK, Dan Tudor may not be the world’s leading sales guru.  However, he might be depending on the criteria we use to judge.  How can any of use ever really know who is #1?  He does have an excellent sales blog called www.landingthedeal.com and I read it regularly.

As he is so good at, he adds great value to the conversation about customer service that I mentioned. He also endorses the book, Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing.

It is fun when you know all the coolest people in the world.

I sat down to watch a presentation yesterday by Connie Dieken (An excellent speaker) and the woman next to me, Joan Looman of GEMS and I started talking. She asked me some questions about what I do and I eventually mentioned the book.  I happened to have one demo copy with me and she bought it on the spot.  I did not try to sell it to her, she really wanted to buy it.  Random sale

The same evening someone was telling me about stopping in to cold call a business to sell them advertising about 10 years ago.  He said the receptionist tried to blow him off, but the woman behind the desk smiled at him and asked him to come in.

She took him to her big, executive office and when she turned to him, she asked, “Don’t you recognize me?”  It turned out to be his teacher from middle school.  She bought some advertising just because of the chance meeting.  Random.

You can count on a certain percentage of sales from any given activity (assuming it results in at least one sale.)

You can also count on a certain percent of good luck, which is not truly luck.  If you create more buzz, you are communicating with more people and spreading more good stories.  This will increase the frequency of things that happen to you just out of luck.

Maybe I should have named the book 57 Ways to Get Lucky.

I was reading an article on CNN about Organic Chocolate.  One portion of the article talks about a guy selling chocolate from the trunk of his car.  Yuck!  I would not buy chocolate from someone that opened up his trunk and was selling home made stuff.  Of course, it may be a metaphore for selling in farmers markets and such.  I am not sure.

That got me thinking though.  The Internet is the new trunk of your car.  I do not know if you are storing your products in a warehouse or under your bed.  If your Internet Trunk looks good, your price is good and your product is good, I am going to be happy and tell other people.  The Internet helps you take the shady out of very small businesses.  That means global buzz is possible for everyone.?

I did several presentations today and in one I was asking people what they wanted to do when they graduate from school.  One guy wants to be a marketer in the alchohol beverages industry.

Cool, I though.

Later he had the chance to explain it better.  He met someone that worked for Guinness and did nothing but go out to bars and get people to try Guinness if they are drinking something else.  To this guy, it was a dream job.  Unlimited charge card and buying people drinks all night long.

It is probably very effective in converting people, assuming your product is good. What I found more interesting was the fact that they created a job position that made people think about it and talk about it. 

Can you create a position in your company that would stand out?  Corporate Evangelist was not always a reality…. what others can you come up with?

We would like to all think that everyone needs our stuff all the time. The Little Mermaid has taught me differently.

You see, about eight years ago my older daughter liked watching the little mermaid. We have the video. However, she moved from cartoons to spy kids to pre-teen shows and I forgot about the mermaid. Now, our younger daughter is hitting the cartoon phase and I am once again reminded about Disney cartoons. Maybe we will buy the Little Mermaid DVD this time….

What does this have to do with you? Just like families have stages in movies they watch, so do businesses have phases in growth and maturity that may make them need or not need what you have to offer. Understanding what phase a business should be in to need your product will help you target your audience better and generate more interest in what you are doing.

For example, does a mature company need to hire a basic web designer? No, they probably need to hire an eMarketing expert.

Does a start up need to hire an ad agency? Probably not.

When our company was in its infancy, I remember hearing lots of pitches for services that I could have used but could not begin to afford. Those people did not profile or pre-qualify us very well.

To create a buzz people have to pay attention. They are more likely to pay attention if you have something that fits with their needs. Knowing not only the size of your target market, but also the ideal stage of a business, will help your message resonate better.

It is always nice to see someone take something you write and make it better.  Dave has a new blog called Sales Intensity and he adds to what I wrote about assumtions.

 Here is my origional post.