Q. In what ways do business owners purchase technical products differently from you or me?

A. They don’t

You probably can’t believe that someone actually funded a study to tell you this — but they did and I am SO GLAD.  Ivy Worldwide is a social media, marketing and word of mouth company conducted a study of how business owners from small and medium companies actually purchase technical equipment.

PEOPLE Make Buying Decisions – Not Titles

I know I’m being sarcastic about this, but I’m just so TIRED of arguing with sales and marketing executives and business owners about how “their customer” isn’t like you and me — as if they had 4 arms and 6 eyes or something.  These “special” buyers were “professionals” or they were “industrial” and so their buying process was different.

My point has consistently been that ALL buying decisions are made by human beings.  People like you and me; who had a cup of coffee in the morning, who kissed their kids goodbye on their way to work, who purchased product for their personal use AND for professional use,  Why would they need to be treated differently.  I’d argue that justifying $10,000 worth of appliances requires more justification to your spouse than you’d have to supply to your management team .

The 6 Insights You Need to GET to Sell Your Stuff

I’m not going to sugar coat this for you because every minute that you’re not realizing these facts, you are losing sales and boring your prospects to tears.

INSIGHT #1 – THEY SEARCH TOO!

When your customer is interested in purchasing a technical product the first thing they do is get online and search to figure out WHAT they want.   I’ll bet you do that too.  If you hadn’t purchased a TV in 10 years, and you decided that it was time for one of those flat screens, then you’d want to understand exactly what features you wanted or were important to you.  For example, do you want 60Hz or 120Hz?  Do you want your set to have WiFi capability?  There are lots of criteria that you need to figure out because technology changes quickly and you don’t want to make the wrong decision.

What to Do: Get your SEO strategy together.  Find an SEO expert and make sure that you are one of the first thre
Your customer hasn’t decided on a brand while they are searching.  No surprise there.  Technical products change quickly, different brands choose different features to enhance — so it doesn’t make sense for your customer to choose a brand FIRST.

INSIGHT #2 – THEY GET REFERRALS

Once they’ve got their list of criteria and they’ve narrowed down some brands they think will fit the bill — they go out looking for referrals.  Obviously, they’ll hit the web and read any reviews on your product or service.  They will also search their network to see who else has recently purchased something similar and what their experience with the product or service has been.

What to do: Obviously, you should start collecting testimonials and asking your customers to fill out reviews on your local listings.  Remember, customers are people too — and they use mobile devices — just like you do.  They will be sitting in the doctor’s office waiting and searching on your product.  Why not get really bold and have some video testimonials.   Check out these videos from a new tech product targeted to university students called “Kno”

Reaction Video F1 from Kno, Inc. on Vimeo.

INSIGHT #3 – 33% PRICE, 25% RECOMMENDATION, 18% DUAL USE

Price is slightly more important than a third-party referral in their decision to purchase your product.  But not far behind is your product or service’s ability to be useful for BOTH business and personal use.

What to do: Make it abundantly clear what your competitive advantage is and price accordingly. Be bold say something like “We are the only refrigerator that has shelves on the left side IN ADDITION to the ice dispenser!”  If that feature is important to your customer – they will be willing to pay for it.

INSIGHT #4 – SOCIAL MEDIA DOESN’T EFFECT DECISION

A friend of mine said it extremely well.  When people are on Twitter or Facebook — they are reading, interacting and casually learning stuff.  When people want to BUY something, they go to eBay.

What to do: Use social media to educate your audience and demonstrate your product or service and NOT to sell people stuff.

INSIGHT #5 – BUY ONLINE

70% of the respondents purchased technical product online.  The good news is that if you give your customers a great experience on the web and provide them the testimonials and recommendations that they need, they will be ready to purchase online.

What to do: Make sure that you are easy to find, that customers can experience your product or service and then purchase quickly and easily online.

INSIGHT#6 – BIG COMPANIES ARE ALIENATING BUYERS

Most big companies (especially the technical ones) try to appeal to the corporate mentality of buyers.  This is where respondents felt that these providers missed the mark.  Companies they mentioned that do a good job of selling to them are Microsoft, HP and Dell.  This isn’t surprising – but what IS surprising is that only 3% mentioned Apple as a brand that appeals to them.

What to do: Make your web site more consumer friendly.  I just recently purchased Office 2010 online and found the web site to be extremely helpful in making my decision.  Eliminate corporate speak and jargon from your web site, written and demo communication.  Google is one of my favorite examples of a technical company that makes their applications easy to understand and accessible.

Download the study for yourself and see what improvements you can make!

CLEVELAND – GetListed.org is traveling around the country like a group of tent evangelists trying to get the word out to any small business that will listen:  Local Search is IMPORTANT and it’s important to every business and not just pizza shops and retail businesses.  This past week they were in Cleveland with SEO experts on hand to help small businesses learn the best local search tips and get the best local search resources and advice.

If you haven’t noticed, it seems like everyone and their 3-year-old has a mobile device.  There are nearly 5 billion cell phones in use WORLDWIDE.  And 22.4 million of them are used to access information on the internet. This means just about every person on the planet is walking around with a cell phone.

A Change in Buyer Behavior

In early April, I spoke with a team from Thermopylae Sciences. We talked about how our interaction with computers and mobile devices has pushed developers to look for ways to help us transition from out computers to our mobile devices.  It’s no secret that the Star Trek  apps of the future are here NOW.  Let me explain.

Let’s say that you’re planning a trip online in your office.  You make reservations, you check out some restaurants and then you head out the door.   Wouldn’t it be great to have all your information with you on your mobile device.  And then let’s say you are walking around the city and you decide to check out some new stuff.  Maybe you use Layar or maybe you use Bing or Google Local to see what else is around you.  And that means that the businesses listed on those sites will be visible to you and the ones that aren’t — won’t.  Another important point is that you may be traveling on business and want to find the company where you’re having your meeting.  Shouldn’t you be able to see them on the local search as well — EXACTLY.

What You May Not Know About Local Search – But Need to Implement NOW

1. Local search is INDEXED.  This means that if you want to get found, you need to be listed.   Mike Blumenthal, and expert on local search said it best “Google is like a vacuum cleaner; it sucks in data and amplifies it.”  Please be sure to visit Mike’s site for slides and details about the GetListed.org University.
2. The Trend is Toward “Decision” Engine. Maryam Gholami, a product manager from Bing.com was there to explain exactly what “Decision Engine” meant.  Bing.com’s research showed that people were using search engines to decide on where to go and what to buy.  They also learned that not nearly enough businesses were listed in their data bases to make that effective.  ”Every small business needs to get to the Bing Local Listings Center and fill out a full profile.
3. Post Reviews .  Every business should encourage their customers and clients to post reviews.  EVEN if you’re not a retail business.  Remember, local listings are indexed and searched.  Companies with a local listing, keyword rich description, reviews and pictures will give potential customers a more complete picture and show them that you are serious and REAL.  Another hint is to be sure to ask customers to rate you with the star ratings.  And don’t worry about bad reviews — they actually help you.  Would you really believe any company that had ALL positive reviews?!
4. Post Pictures. Again, this isn’t just for the local folks to post pictures of their restaurants.  If you’re a consultant or business to business company, post pictures of your product or people using your service.
5. Consultants, Freelancers, and Home Offices Need to Post an Address. There is no easy way to say this.  Search engines like real addresses.  They don’t like PO boxes.  Anita Campbell recommended going to a UPS store and getting a real address there (if you’re hesitant about posting your home address).  Another option is to use the address of a temporary office space – such as Office Space Co-Working which has locations all over Northeast Ohio.  Google wants to see a real address.  You will have to make the decision of whether the reward of being found is greater than the risk of being stalked.
6. Use Social Media Creatively to Promote Your Local Business.  Matt McGee, the expert on local blogging and social media marketing for local small business was also on hand.  His big message was to get your content out there.  Your biggest defense against large corporate companies is to provide valuable content and lots of it to your local audience.  Use contests, Twitter and Facebook to run promotions.  (Check outWildfire - an App that will get you started quickly and easily).  And check out the Matt’s plethora of slides from the GetListed.org University Presentation in Cleveland for ideas, resources and examples.
7. Get Help. Anita Campbell from Small Business Trendswas the perfect salve on the set of presentations with her advice to learn a little – but get help.   Learn enough to ask good questions, automate your social media as much as you can without sacrificing authenticity and get as much help as you need in those admin areas of running your search and social media marketing.  I loved her recommendation to look at virtual assistants for this task.

If you were at all like me and thought that local search was just for local businesses – I hope that this article has opened your eyes to the marketing possibilities that are open to you whether you’re a local retailer or a national or international consultant.  Get your local search listing in order — TODAY.

What’s been your experience with local search?  Got any tips?  We’d love to hear them!  Leave your tip or comment below!

Get more information on the GetListed.org Local University

Related articles :

• Searching Locally: Recap from O’Reilly Where 2.0 (ysearchblog.com)
• Making Local Search More Effective (wiredprworks.com)
• GetListed Local U Cleveland Wrap Up (blumenthals.com)
• GetListed Local University coming to Minneapolis – St. Paul (domainmacher.com)
• Google and Bing Representatives Among Presenters at Event for Minnesotan Small Business Owners (prweb.com)
• Google Introduces SMBs to Google Places (smallbiztrends.com)
• Google/Twitter Become More Local (blogs.praized.com)
• Search For the Best & Worst Local Businesses With Yelp (makeuseof.com)
• GetListed Local University – Twin Cities (blumenthals.com)
• Danny Sullivan – Tricky Issues With Local Search (itc.conversationsnetwork.org)
• Google Suggest Becomes More Local (techcrunch.com)
• Ohio Small Businesses: Get Local Customers Through Search Engines (smallbiztrends.com)
• Optimizing Your Business Listing for Local Search Supremacy (searchengineguide.com)
• Local marketing 101 at “Local University” (google-latlong.blogspot.com)
• Mobile Search is Local Search (blogs.praized.com)

About a month ago I received an email from Erik Wesner asking me to review his new book “Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive.”  I said “Yes” because I was completely intrigued by the topic.  This is about the second time in as many months as I’ve seen Amish and business success linked together. And I couldn’t wait to receive the review copy of the book and see what all the chatter was about.

I wondered what it was about Amish simplicity that called to Erik Wesner over the siren song of technology, social media-driven relationships and mobile apps that the rest of us have been following.

Erik Wesner Was Inspired By The Amish

After getting about a hundred pages into the book, my curiosity got the best of me.  So I reached out with an e-mail and asked Erik Wesner what inspired him to become an expert on the Amish and to write this book.  Here’s what he said:

“I was really impressed by the caliber of Amish companies.  All the informal indicators were there; these small shops were very busy, they were getting a lot of outside attention, and even in plain Amish society you could see indicators of financial success among the businesspeople.

I ran my own business in Amish  communities.   After selling in non-Amish communities, you see certain cultural contrasts.  And that is what intrigued me.  This includes everything from an appreciation for books, to an inherent anti-waste mentality, to an emphasis on relationships.  For instance, I found Amish always know their neighbors, something I found a lot less likely in “English” communities (and I’m guilty of this myself).  Not to “nostalgize” the Amish too much, but I feel a lot of these traits are things we once “knew” as a society but have maybe lost touch with a bit. “

Everything Old is New Again

This is a wonderful book given the volatile state of the business climate these days.  There’s nothing like going back to basics when the world around you is changing.  And that’s exactly what “Success Made Simple” does. This book is really multi-functional depending on how you choose to read it.

You can read it as a research report.  Erik Wesner interviewed dozens of Amish business owners and entrepreneurs.  You really get an appreciation of Wesner’s relationship skills when you learn how humble these Amish entrepreneurs are.  Unlike today’s titans of industry, these low-key business heroes are authentically surprised at why we should think that what they’re doing is all that special.  In fact, they shy away from taking any personal credit or pride in their success.  Instead, choosing to put the focus where it belongs – in the hands of God.

You can read it as a story or a real-life novel.  Erik does a masterful job of weaving an engaging story around his experiences within the Amish business community.   You’ll meet dozens of Amish business owners who quietly share their “secrets” to running a business, growing a business, hiring people and building lasting and profitable relationships with their customers.  You’ll find yourself getting close to these admirable characters.

And when you DO read this, here are just a few of the principles you’ll learn:

• The two “F-words” Amish businesses deal with: Fear and Faith.  They don’t pretend to know everything.  In fact, they acknowledge that fear of the unknown is real.  But then they lean on their faith to get through it.

• Relationships are everything.  It starts with their relationship with God, then with their family, their community and their customers.  Each one is a natural and authentic part of their daily lives.  In a conversation with Jonas, Werner learns that “If you’re a servant-leader, that means other people are gonna come first.  People have to be very important to you…you’re not in it for the dollar anymore, you’re in it to help people.  And the profits?  They come.”

At the end of each chapter, Wesner pulls together a simple summary that pulls all the interviews together into a summary of core principles.  Here is an example of some points from the sales and marketing chapter:

• Marketing won’t solve the fundamental problem of a subpar product.
• A businesses unique story can form the basis of its marketing approach.
• Marketing is relationship building.  Those who follow-up with a personalized response get noticed.

Here is my favorite point from the “Doing Unto Others” chapter.

• The customer is always right – even when he’s wrong.  But only to a point.  He stops being right when you have to compromise your integrity or sacrifice your resources beyond a predetermined acceptable level.

The recent economic meltdown has made me a big fan of a “back to basics” strategy.   And now you have a book that gives you everything you’ll need to help you take a fresh new look at your core business.

From Small Business Trends

Why Amish Businesses Thrive

“In a world where everybody is screaming for your reader’s attention, you need your articles and blog posts to stand out,” says researcher and writer Michael Low.

“To stand out you need to make your articles easy to read.”

“Fortunately, readership studies teach lowly-writers like you and me a thing or two about “how” your readers like to read.”

Here’s what we know about your reader and the way she likes to read:

1. She likes short, easy to read sentences containing only one idea per sentence.

Have you ever read a long paragraph only to get to the end and forget what you read in the beginning? It’s annoying. Especially if you are forced to go back and read the entire paragraph again just to get the gist of what the writer is saying.

Instead, use short, easy to understand sentences. And express one idea per sentence. This makes reading easy and keeps the momentum of your piece going.

2. She prefers short paragraphs to long paragraphs.

No more than 5 lines where possible is best for your paragraphs. This is because staring at big, gray blocks of text can be intimidating.

Remember, watching a video or listening to an audio program requires little effort on the listener’s part. But reading takes effort. And the prospect of reading one long paragraph after another can tire your reader.

3. She prefers short, descriptive words and phrases.

Although she understands big, “intelligent” words and phrases, she prefers short, descriptive words and phrases, especially when a shorter word or phrase will do.

But that’s not to say you should replace all long words with shorter ones. The final choice should be to go with words that paint the clearest picture in your reader’s mind – making your message easier to understand.

4. She doesn’t want to think too hard.

Your writing should do the thinking for her. After all, she’s not reading to think. She’s reading to get ideas already thought out for her. So, if you want to explain how something works, for example, spell it out in minute detail. Get it all down on the page. Don’t leave any gaps for her to fill in.

Remember: You need to be detailed, descriptive, and give a full explanation of every point you make. If you leave gaps the reader will pick holes in what you say and quickly turn off.

5. She prefers a list of points rather than multiple pages of unbroken text.

There are a couple of reasons for this:

1. Your reader decides almost instantly upon seeing your article whether she wants to read it or not. If your article contains a clear list of points then your article seems less intimidating.
   .
2. An article containing a list gives the reader the impression the writer has thought through many issues or points pertaining to the subject. This intrigues her sufficiently to want to find out what those points are.
   .
3. When reading an article in list format the reader can skim the article looking for the points of most interest to her.

6. She likes main points to be highlighted and, where appropriate, put into a subheading.

This makes it easier to skim to the points in your article that interest her most.

7. She likes sentences and paragraphs to start with connecting words and phrases.

When you begin sentences and paragraphs with connecting words and phrases you automatically build momentum for your reader. The feeling of momentum keeps the reader reading.

For example, try starting your sentences and paragraphs with words and phrases like:

For starters … if history has taught us anything … speaking of which … in a nut shell … however … besides … if you thought that was good … and another thing … again … why not take it a step further? … warning … fortunately … here’s why … here’s an example … but first, check this out … furthermore … my point is … not only that … look … listen … but that’s not all … and so on.

Now that I’ve hopefully got your brain thinking about words and phrases to open your sentences and paragraphs … create your own file (either in a physical folder or on your computer) where you can collect all manner of such words and phrases for future use.

8. She likes it when you pack your paragraphs with interesting facts.

And she likes it even more when those facts are presented in interesting ways. This is due in part to the age of multi-media and fast-action movies and video games. People’s attention spans are often shorter. Unless you attract and keep her attention at every turn with one interesting fact after another you’ll quickly lose her interest.

9. She wants the font face and size to be easy to read.

Just changing the font type can make your article appear more readable. But the wrong font type or size can turn your reader off.

Also, fonts can be like the emphasis in your voice. The right font can add expression to your writing and bathe it in personality.

10. When using bullet points or numbered points she likes the list construction to be logical and consistent.

You’ll notice every point in the numbered list you are now reading (except this one) begins with the word “she”. I did this on purpose. It’s because the consistent use of the word “she” anchors you to my original point: Your reader prefers to read information presented in a certain way.

This drives my message home more powerfully.

Keeping your bulleted or numbered lists consistent has another benefit: It builds momentum. As the reader sees (even if only subconsciously) the pattern in your writing, she can fly through your text at a greater pace. This increases the likelihood that she will read all the way to the end.

11. She likes points in your articles to follow a logical sequence.

If your article points out how to do something or tells a story about an event, then, following a logical flow makes it easy for the reader to keep track of what you are saying.

For example, if writing a list of steps, you may begin sentences or paragraphs with: “This is what you do first …” “Then you …” “Thirdly you …” and so on.

When your writing follows a natural sequence the reader feels subconsciously compelled to read on.

12. She likes it when your sentences contain the strongest point at the beginning.

For example, if your article explains ways to buy bargain real estate in a falling market, you wouldn’t say, “Buying real estate during a temporary slump in housing prices is the best time to get a bargain!”

Instead, you’d say,”The best time to get a bargain on real estate is during a temporary price slump!”

13. She likes it when you write in colloquial language.

Such language includes the use of metaphors, similes, clichés, and common figures of speech. Again, start a colloquial language file to keep great examples you can use in your own writing.

14. She likes it when you use words and phrases that paint a vivid picture in her mind.

The trick is to think about what you want to say then see it running through your mind in a vivid movie. Next, simply describe on paper what you see, detailing the colors, textures and even the sounds, smells and temperature.

The goal is to bring your text to life so the reader no longer sees words on a page but a vivid movie playing before her eyes. Even better, paint the reader right into the movie.

Let her see herself interacting with the detail of your article content.

15. She likes it when you use narrative.

Good journalism is dominated by this “he-said, she said” narrative style of writing. And for good reason …

Readers tend to trust you more when you quote others, especially reliable sources.

Plus, using narrative in your writing makes your writing more interesting. It’s like the movie director using different camera angles in the same scene to add variety and hold the viewers attention.

16. She likes it when you are not redundant.

Redundancies slow your writing down. Your reader wants to get your point then move to the next point. She doesn’t want to dwell too long on something you’ve already made clear.

That’s not to say you can’t repeat important points. But don’t beat a dead horse.

If you feel you need to repeat a point for impact try coming at it from a new angle. For example, you can make your point then give an example that illustrates your point. Then, if you feel you still need to remake your point, present it in the form of a narrative, where you quote someone making the point you want to get across.

Another subtle and often overlooked form of redundancy is the use of the same word mentioned often throughout the text. In the paragraph above for example, the word “point” is used too often and weakens the impact of my message.

Yet another form of redundancy is the use of two or more words in a sentence that mean the same thing. “Little babies” for example. Or “young child.” Aren’t all babies little and all children young?

17. She likes it when you give examples to illustrate your point.

Do I need to give you an example here. If so, see the paragraph above this one. Obviously, giving an example makes your message clearer, easier to understand.

18. She likes it when you leave white space (called “secondary leading”) between paragraphs.

“Leading” is the technical term used to describe the vertical space between lines of text – the space between the line above and the line below.

“Secondary leading” is the space between paragraphs. Long blocks of gray text tire the eyes. They give the impression that reading will be “hard work”. Therefore, put a full space of secondary leading between paragraphs as I do in this document.

19. She likes the occasional one sentence paragraph … and … even a one word sentence or paragraph.

I do too!

It breaks up the pace of the message by adding variety to your writing. This makes the reading of your article more interesting. The brain likes variety. In fact the brain needs variety. So breaking your paragraphs up into occasional one sentence paragraphs (or even one word paragraphs) makes sense.

O.K?

20. She prefers narrow columns of text (of around 65 characters) to columns of text 100 plus characters in width.

Again, this goes back to making your message appear easy to read. Wide columns of text tend to leave the reader’s eyes feeling tired. And tired eyes stop reading. A narrow column of text looks more inviting, and so, the reader finds it easier to agree to reading at least the first few lines.

And if you’ve followed the earlier suggestions in this book you only need the first few lines to turn her initial attention into interest and persuade her to read more of your article.

21. She likes it when your article contains one clearly expressed, useful idea … instead of multiple interconnected ideas.

A good rule of thumb for staying on track is to make sure each paragraph relates to the main topic and even the title of the article you are writing.

Michael Low is a writer, researcher and entrepreneur. He’s also the writer of a free ebook titled How To Write Articles People Want to Read

In the recent movie “Invention of Lying” Ricky Gervais lives in a world where everyone tells the truth.  And since everyone tells the truth all the time, there is no reason to doubt anything they say as being nothing short of honest.  The movie succeeds in making us laugh.

But it also drives another, much more serious point home; in real life, we are surrounded by lies.  In fact, we’ve become  so disenchanted with the messages we hear, that we’ve turned into an extremely skeptical audience.

Trust is Dead

“Over the years, with the weight of our accumulated experiences, we’ve simply become more distrustful of everyone and everything around us.  We don’t trust the government to look out for us.  We don’t trust each other to take responsibility for ourselves anymore … there are exceptions, but the general trend is undeniable… We now live in an era of mistrust.”

Now you know it isn’t just you.  In fact, if you’ve been wondering why your marketing and sales messages have been falling on deaf ears – you don’t need to wonder.  Just look inside yourself and pay attention to the little voice inside your head whenever you listen to the news, read an article or listen to a salesperson discuss the features of their product.  It says something like “hmmmm really?  I’m not sure I believe you”

One thing is for sure: this is NOT your father’s marketplace.

The Authors are Language Rock Stars

Like you, I’ve felt this very same trend when I realized that marketing was more about your customer CHOOSING you, rather than a company selling you something.  That’s when I started doing some research.

The first book I bought on the topic was by Frank Luntz, a political strategist and writer, called “It’s Not About What You Say, It’s About What People Hear.”  In it, Frank does a fantastic job of pulling the curtain back on language and showing us exactly why we trust some people and messages and not others.

“The Language of Trust: Selling Ideas in a World of Skeptics” was written by the CEO of Maslansky Luntz + Partners, Michael Maslansky with Scott West, Gary DeMoss and David Saylor.  These guys are a variable SWAT team of experts dedicated to improving how we communicate.  I received a review copy of this book from the publisher but this is one I would have bought for myself.

While Frank Luntz’s Book “It’s Not About What You Say” exposes how we process language, “The Language of Trust” takes the next logical step and actually helps you craft more honest, more authentic messages.

Language Magic Deconstructed and Applied

You will enjoy how this team of writers and language analysts distills the magic they weave into processes that you can easily read, remember, learn and implement even in your next conversation.

The book comes in four parts:

Part One: The New Language of Trust – In this section, you get the backstory of all the research and how it is that the authors can say what they say.  It’s a riveting and interesting read.  I have to say that it’s my favorite part of the book.

Part Two: The Four Principles of Credible Communication – Here is the magic formula: Be Personal, Be Plainspoken, Be Positive, Be Plausible.  Really. That is all there is.  These are simple words, we know what they mean and yet we don’t use these strategies nearly enough because if we did – we wouldn’t have a need for this book.

Part Three: The New Word Order – Again, more of what you learned in kindergarten.  Listen before speaking.  Put the other person’s interest ahead of your own and provide context.

Part Four: The Medium and the Message – This last section contains those parting words that your parents or a mentor or coach might give you as you head out to get that job, the big contract or win the big game.  This section contains the most common phrases that should be banned such as “Trust me” or “If I could promise you this would you buy?”

OK, so I lied.  Part four was my favorite section.  Or maybe it was part two?  Let’s just say the whole book was not only a fun and enlightening read, but it has given me a new awareness for the unique distinctions that are still a part of our language.

A Must Read for Communicators at Any Level

This book must be on your book shelf if:

• You are a leader in any organization
• You need to persuade a spouse, a child a client or a boss to see things your way
• You are a sales, marketing or communications professional
• You’re thinking of running for political office
• You’re negotiating or persuading groups of people who don’t see eye-to-eye

While I generally don’t like to say a book is for everyone, if you ever have to persuade people to do more than pass the salt – pick this one up.  You’ll not only be a better communicator, you will create less conflict and will more easily get people to see things your way.

From Small Business Trends

“The Language of Trust” Teaches Communications Lessons in a Skeptical World

I just created an app that may be helpful, it’s “The Social Media Dashboard”: http://www.TheSocialMediaDashboard.com (free)

Mike Saunders, MBA

Author of: “The PRISM Salvation-a 3-Step Solution to Social Media Domination for Busy Business Owners”
Available on Amazon!
Get the 1st Chapter here:
http://www.ThePrismSalvation.com/Book
http://budurl.com/PRISMFanpage

Thxs for helpful list. It is my understanding that Mac version of OffiSync will be available in late 2010. Until then any suggestion for similar desktop app for Mac users?

If we all know that referrals are the best, most cost-effective marketing strategy, then WHY OH WHY do we continue to leave referrals up to fate or some happy coincidence?  I honestly don’t know.  In fact, it’s frustrating to see so many new, ideal, wonderful and profitable clients simply going un-harvested, just because you treated referrals as something that just happen and not like a powerful strategy.

Well, it seems that I am not the only one.  John Jantsch, author of “Duct Tape Marketing” and award winning social media publisher has been thinking about this same thing for years and has come out with his latest book “The Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business to Market Itself.”

In the interest of full disclosure, shameless bragging and self-promotion, I have to tell you that he interviewed me for his book and I’m happy to say that my story is listed early in the book in the section titled “Reality #5 Marketing is a System” (that’s page 9 in your copy ).   Don’t worry; I’m not the only one.  John has interviewed hundreds of entrepreneurs and used their stories and information to serve as inspiration as well as a best-practices collection so that you can literally see what others are doing and create a system that works for you.

And talk about building goodwill and reciprocity — you can see a full list of all the people he interviewed on the book’s website! I wonder how many referrals all of those participants will get from that?!

Read It in One Sitting – Use It for a Lifetime

This is what I call a power-book.  It’s just over 200 pages long.  You can read it in one sitting, but you’ll use it for a lifetime.  Here is what I mean by that.  It’s written is such a simple and engaging style with so many interesting stories, case studies and examples, that you’ll find yourself zipping through it very quickly.  I also recommend that you keep a highlighter and some sticky notes by your side because you’ll want to pull out the many good strategies and ideas that you’ll read about and adapt them for your own use.

If you don’t like to write all over your books, John has devoted Chapter 12 “Snack Sized Suggestions” to listing a bunch of strategies that he’s found in his research.

You’ll find examples from retail:

• A gift store setting up a referral club that rewarded customers by giving them a certificate good for $20 off a hundred dollar purchase.
• A clothing store partnered with surrounding retailers to promote each other
• A golf driving range gives members who purchase a 10-session package “Free Range Time” coupons to give to others they want to bring to the club

There are service business examples too:

• A computer consultant joined an industry association and marketed his service as an add-on to hardware upgrades.
• A sales trainer offered a free all-expense paid trip to Cancun for the person who referred the most clients in a year.
• A maid service sent out fake $100 bills as a Valentines Day gift to their clients – and then told them to “gift” them to their friends as $100 off the maid service.

Independent professionals get tips too:

• A dental office installed a small kitchen with an oven and bakes cookies to give to their patients (I wonder if they are low-sugar?).  The practice is so unique that people tell their friends.
• A financial planner surprised his clients by having their car detailed in the parking lot while they were in the meeting.  Clients were so pleased they told everyone.
• A management consultant got a testimonial from EVERY client he had ever worked with.  He had over 500 pages of letters!  When potential clients asked for references, he would send a spiral bound 500 page book with a snappy letter.

3 People Who Should Get This Book – Yesterday

1. Business Owner – If you’re a multi-hat wearing small business owner without a salesforce or marketing expert, the best time and money you’ll spend this year will be for this book.  John Jantsch has done all the hard work for you and pulled together everything you need to make the most of your networking meetings.
2. Sales Person – How much do you love cold calling?  Yeah, I hear you.  Trust me.  I got my start cold calling and selling long distance service and BELIEVE me, a good referral system will have you spending all your time doing what you do best.
3. Free Agent or Consultant – There is absolutely no better way to build a profitable book of clients than the referral techniques that John Jantsch outlines in Referral Engine.

There is no doubt that John Jantsch has put his heart, his soul and all his wisdom into this book.  Hard to imagine that he could beat Duct Tape Marketing - you’ll have to pick this one up and judge for yourself.

Editor’s note about free books: Small Business Trends has 2 extra copies of the book that John Jantsch’s publisher sent us.  We’ll give those away in a random drawing.  Everyone who leaves a comment below by May 12, will be entered in the drawing for a chance to win a book. We’re happy to mail the books anywhere in the world at our expense, via first class mail.

From Small Business Trends

The Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business to Market Itself

In this short audio I’ll be discussing the growing popularity of video content on the web and how it might impact your article writing career.

I’ll discuss the answer to three questions:

1.  Is written content taking a back-seat to online videos?

2. Will written content play a smaller role in the future of the Internet?

3.  What does the increase in online video mean to article writers?

Press the PLAY button to listen (Allow a few seconds to load)

Will Video Content Replace Written Articles on The Web?

Click the link below to read the full written transcript

After listening to my comments or reading the written transcript, come back and leave your own comments below

Hope this helps.

When I “retired” some years ago, I didn’t suddenly stop working. Quite the contrary. I actually started really working for the first time.

You see, up until that time, I was working for someone else – a boss. I was spinning my wheels. And frankly, I felt more like a slave than an employee most of the time!

I always felt I was wasting a lot of the precious hours in my day. Time I could never get back.

When I worked in a car dealership for example, I felt the time spent doing anything other than talking with potential car buyers was wasted. Sure I had to move cars around the lot – to keep the yard looking fresh and presentable.

But I was a salesman. I was hired to sell. So my only real productive time was when I was toe-to-toe with a prospect, doing what I did best.

If I could spend every minute of my nine to ten hour day actually selling … then … I would be spending my time on activities that where worthwhile.

Of course, it doesn’t work out that way. I probably spent about 20% of my time selling and the other 80% following up with prospects or tidying the lot or sending out brochures or … or … or.

However, in my own business, I do get to spend my time on those things I’m best at. In fact, I must spend my time on those things or my business goes no where.

And I’ve structured my business so I don’t have to do anything except those few things.

Yes, I may be free from the daily grind … the daily commute … the daily office politics … but I’ll never be free from doing those things that make my business successful.

Maybe I don’t always call it work. But it is work. Enjoyable work.

What about you? Are you spending all your time on the few core activities you are best at? Or is a lot of your energy wasted on activities you neither enjoy nor do well?

If you want to escape the daily grind you must do less of the things you’re not good at and do more of the things that create success.