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Category: Marketing

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Entrepreneurship Marketing Personal Development

11 Commandments for Experts

1. There’s no good time. Now is the time. What are you waiting for?

2. Put out your best material. For free. Do you want to be SHARED or SCARED?

3. YOU may be your biggest obstacle. What would happen if you got out of the way?

4. Stop STARTING things and get more into DOING. What can you do today—right now?

5. A few may wish to see you fail. A lot more are rooting for your success. Where is your attention?

6. Forget the word vision. Better: What do you SEE in your future?

7. You’re aiming too low. How can you elevate your sights, your fees, and your value?

8. Stop blaming others. It’s ALL your fault. Move on—what’s next?

9. A bend in the road is never the end—unless you fail to turn. Where do you need to turn?

10. It’s not what you think it is. And it’s bigger than you think it is. Why not embrace that?

11. There are no silver bullets, secret sauces, or magic beans. Now what’s your plan?

Oh, and if you want a better plan – and to become a better entrepreneur of your expertise, read about our brand new offering, the Expert Profit Formula. You’ll love it.

Which of these Commandments for Experts would you’d like to improve on the most?

Categories
Body Language Entrepreneurship Human Resources Management Marketing Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

“This Is How To Win Comparisons In The Negotiation” – Negotiation Tip of the Week

“The value of what you compare lies in the value of what you’re comparing.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)

“This Is How To Win Comparisons In The Negotiation”

 

People don’t realize; they’re always negotiating.

 

When people evaluate situations, they may not realize it, but they’re making comparisons. About that, you should raise your level of consciousness; because it’s a truism. In some instances, people compare a present situation to the ones that appear related to prior cases. At other times, they compare the current condition to the possibility of future outcomes. And that’s especially true during a negotiation. Regardless of the timeframe, when making comparisons, you’re evaluating the course of action to take. Thus, in your negotiation and other aspects of your life, when making comparisons, be aware of the impact that the following factors have on the outcome.

 

Listening

An intricate part of good communications in a negotiation, and other interactions, is the ability to listen well. To understand someone’s perspective, first, you must listen to what they say about the situation that’s before them. That’ll give you a mental picture of that person’s perception, and the opinion they have about it. That’ll also be the insight source that determines which comparisons to draw from later in the conversation.

If you’re astute, you’ll listen to the words they use to express themselves, the degree of excitement they share while doing so, and the pace at which they speak – word choice gives vision to someone’s thoughts. Thus, by being attentive to their word choices, you’ll gain a more profound sense of their emotional mind. And that’s the reason why you should listen for a deeper meaning than just the conveyance of their words. To do that, you must give that person the time and space they need to let their feelings be known, heard, and shared.

 

Tension/Apprehension

While you’re actively listening, note the comparisons someone makes while they’re speaking. In particular, observe the points about the tensions or apprehensions they’ve encountered. That’ll give you more clues about the pain they’ve experienced. Later, you’ll be able to employ that information as anchoring points of negativity or positivity during the negotiation.

Most people are moved to action by fear of loss, versus gaining something they don’t currently possess. Thus, if you hear someone speak about protecting what they have, catalog it for later use. At the appropriate time, make a comparison to a situation in which they lose something they have. Then, create a worse condition scenario than the first one. After that, offer your solution as the savior of their woes. By initially making comparisons to a bad situation and one that’s worse, your best-case offering will appear more pleasing, and more likely to be accepted.

 

Anchoring

Anchoring occurs when you set someone’s initial point of perspective. Thus, if someone said your price was too high, you might ask, compared to what? In their response would be the answer to what they were comparing your price. And there’d be gold in their reply. Because they will have given you their anchoring point about why they thought your price was high.

At that point, you’ll have a momentary advantage in the negotiation. That advantage will be in the form of thoughts, ideas, and positions from which to find a medium point. You might consider evoking some of the points you gathered while listening to the tensions and apprehensions that individual had in the past. Or, if warranted, you might instead employ something from the positive aspects of which they spoke.

The point is, you should seek to anchor that person’s perspective to the point that will best serve your purpose. In theory, that would be a position that was best for both of you. That would allow the perception of your point to become embraced as being more solvable to the challenge at hand. And that would mean your anchoring point would become accepted as an influencer to the proceeding that follows from there. Anchoring is a powerful tool when it comes to influencing someone’s views. Use it adroitly, and you’ll enhance your negotiation efforts.

 

Storytelling

The stories you tell are another factor that’ll serve as your ally when making comparisons in a negotiation. A well-told story injected into the conversation at the right time, can instantly alter someone’s position and the perspective they have about a situation. To tell a good story, consider the following components.

 

  1. When telling a person how he can acquire a goal that you see as obtainable, the story should have easily recognized components that the person perceives as being real, and not too difficult to achieve. Allow him to see himself bursting with new pride in the imagery of his new acquisition.

 

  1. Paint the mental picture you project with details you gleaned during the listening part of your interaction. Thus, if the person spoke about a dire time when he missed the chance to improve or maintain a situation, due to moving slowly, you might paint the image of someone being overly deliberate and missing an opportunity. Let him draw his conclusion between that situation and the position that he’s currently in.

 

  1. The timing and pace you tell a story will determine its impact. Therefore, to enhance the effect, recite your story’s depiction at a pace that’s easy to follow and consume. While doing so, observe the body language displayed by the person listening to it. In particular, note when they close their eyes, turn or drop their head, or show a momentary frown, as you mention what they may lose if they don’t act fast enough. The body language gestures mentioned will indicate a fear of loss. Cues such as those will announce the impact your story is having on that individual.

 

Reflection

First, realize that during your interactions with other people, you’re negotiating. And in a negotiation, you move someone’s perspective by the comparisons you make and the way you position those comparisons. Therefore, if you wish to win more negotiations when using comparisons, seek to evoke the level of emotions, positive or negative, in which you touch someone’s heart. Following these guidelines will allow you to do just that. And everything will be right with the world.

 

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

 

Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/themasternegotiator

 

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

 

To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Negotiation Insight” click here https://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

 

 

#Comparisons #csuitenetwork #thoughtcouncil #Bodylanguage #readingbodylanguage #Negotiation #NegotiationStrategies #NegotiationProcess #NegotiationSkillsTraining #NegotiationExamples #NegotiationTypes #negotiationPsychology #HowToNegotiateBetter #ReadingBodyLanguage #BodyLanguage #Nonverbal #Negotiate #Business #SmallBusiness #Negotiation #Negotiator #NegotiatingWithABully #Power #Perception #emotionalcontrol #relationships #BodyLanguageExpert #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #ControlEmotions #GregWilliams #success #Howtowinmore #self-improvement #howtodealwithdifficultpeople #Self-development #Control #Conversations #Howtocontrolanegotiation #howtobesuccessful #HowToImproveyourself

 

Categories
Entrepreneurship Leadership Marketing Personal Development Sales

Speaking is NOT Dead

Too many of my esteemed competitors would tell you that speaking is dead – time to move on.

Here’s what that argument sounds like:

You used to be a speaker, huh?

Gosh – I guess Covid-19 wiped you out.

No events – no meetings – no training.

Bummer – so here’s what you need to do:

  • Set up an elaborate video studio in your house. Buy a ton of gear that you have no idea how to use
  • Start doing $49 webinars instead of your $7,500 keynotes
  • Launch complicated funnels, write these huge sales pages for your $197 online course (you have one of those, right?), and crank out 15-part autoresponder emails to hammer your poor prospects until they buy or die
  • Start doing Facebook ads. The more you spend, the better. Leads, baby, leads – that’s where it’s at

<STOP>

Wrong.

Speaking is just one distribution method for your expert-based business.

We’ve always mentored our clients to diversify their distribution methods:

  • Speakers can consult, coach, and work with corporate sponsors
  • Trainers can create webinars, build online courses, and facilitate
  • Coaches can do group coaching, virtual masterminds, and councils
  • Consultants can sell video series, license their IP, and host CEO roundtables

Any expert who only has 1 profit center is at risk.

That was true before Covid-19.

And, naturally, it’s true now.

You can’t be a one-trick pony in any economy.

The secret?

Diversify while still specializing.

You have a speaking-driven business – NOT a “speaking” business.

You’re in the IDEA business.

And your clients need your ideas now more than ever – online, offline, on video, in person, on webinars, in groups, and privately.

Even if you call yourself a “speaker,” is that the business that you’re really in?

Is the speaking business dead? What do you think?

In this training I help you uncover your 3 critical success factors: Clarity (who you are, what you offer, why it’s different); Focus (who you serve, what problems you solve); Decisions (marketing tools, how to find prospects, get profitable fees) – sign up here <<<

Categories
Entrepreneurship Human Resources Marketing Negotiations Sales Women In Business

“Do You Know How To Avoid Words That Cause Conflict” – Negotiation Insight

“People walking blindly into conflict should not be surprised when they’re greeter is regret.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)

Click here to get the book!

 

 

“Do You Know How To Avoid Words That Cause Conflict”

 

“People don’t realize; they’re always negotiating.”

 

Two friends, a man and a woman were talking about an associate’s son. The man stated that the associate’s son had four kids, of which one was not his natural child. The woman said, “you shouldn’t say that’s not his natural child. Instead, you might say, it’s his adopted child.” The man retorted, “you know what I mean when I say it’s not his natural child. And since you know what I mean, you should accept my phraseology with the intent of its meaning.”

From there, their conversation disintegrated into conflict. The two friends had had thousands of discussions in the past. But this time, the two friends would be led to conflict due to the utterance of an objectionable word.

A countless number of people are dragged into conflict every day because of the phrases and words they use. And you’re one of them. If you’d like to know what some of those phrases are and how to avoid the conflicts that are caused by the words you use, implement the following strategies. Doing so will help you avoid the conflict that certain words create.

 

Mindset

You should always be aware of someone’s mindset when conversing with them. If one’s mind is irritated from a prior situation, that irritation might seep into your conversation. And with it may come disruptive emotional baggage. Thus, while you’re engaging that person in an attempt to highlight your points, that individual may be hearing sounds of the prior conversation that wreaked havoc on them.

Remember, past interactions can evoke previous emotions in current situations. If you sense that might be the condition in your case, address it at that moment. Please don’t allow it to fester into what could become an uncontrollable arbitrage. That would serve no one’s purpose.

 

Trigger Words

Words such as, always, you should/must, ridiculous, relax, chill out, etc., can serve as words that trigger someone’s emotions such that they become defensive. And from that position, your initial conversation may become derailed as the result of you discussing that something doesn’t occur all the time. After that, the discussion could further disintegrate. It could evolve into one were people defend their word choice, rather than the topic of their conversation.

Trigger words can lead to unwanted circumstances and outcomes, which is why you should be mindful of how and when you use them. If you know certain words will trigger someone to adopt a particular mindset, and you wish to avoid it, don’t trigger them. On the other hand, if you’re aware of that fact and you intend to do so, be cautious with your efforts. Once triggered, you never know to what degree your effects may have on someone. Thus, you run the risk of losing control if things get too far out of hand.

 

Baiting

Be mindful of when someone uses certain words. They may be attempting to bait you. It’s one way someone can alter your emotions and thought process.

Baiting occurs when a person uses a word that triggers a particular emotion or reaction. Someone can do it intentionally or unintentionally. When done intentionally, there may be a hidden agenda to rile you up, or done to evoke a mindset of compliance within you. In either case, you should be aware of how someone might be triggered to act based on the word choices you invoke during an interaction with them. That’ll be the source that determines the degree that the communication is amiable or fraught with disgruntlement.

Verbal Signs

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, – I got all of that.” I’m sure you’ve heard such phrases in your conversations. They’re either signals that the listener is becoming tired of your pontifications or she’d like to speak. In either case, let her have the floor. And when you do, engage in active listening.

People make utterances to let you know that it’s time for you to move on. Pay attention to those signs. They can help you avoid the road of conflicts that come from speaking too long or using the wrong words.

Control

Depending on the environment, you can control the conflict that stems from the choice of words someone uses when they’re engaging you. If you’re in person or talking on the phone, you can abstain from participating in the conversation by leaving the environment; that would entail concluding the discussion at the point when things began to become uncontrollable. If you’re communicating via email, text messages, etc., you can respond after you’ve considered what the appropriate response should be and what reply might come from that.

The point is, realize that you have some control when conversations begin to turn sour, based on your ability to control the words that lead to conflict. Thus, be aware of your rising emotions, and those of the party with whom you’re communicating before you enact such control. But by all means, make sure you exercise restraint in such situations. The future of your relationship with the other party hangs in the balance.

Empathy

Some people think displaying empathy is a form of control. That may be true based on how someone perceives it. When attempting to alter the negative course that conflict has inflicted, empathy may be the salve that quickens the closing of that wound. But, I suggest you apply its use at the appropriate time. Because if you attempt to employ it close to an altercation, the bruised feelings that came from it may be too bear to stunt the emotional pain. Thus, if you let time elapse, the wound may be more receptive to the application of empathy. And of course, the timing depends on the situation and those involved.

Reflection

People stumble into conflicts by being unaware of the words they use and the disruptive cause their statements can have on someone’s mind. If you become more astute about your word choices, you’ll avoid the cause that ignites conflicts. And everything will be right with the world.

 

 

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

 

Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/themasternegotiator

 

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

 

To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Negotiation Insight” click here https://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

 

 

#words #cause #conflict #csuitenetwork #thoughtcouncil #Bodylanguage #readingbodylanguage #Negotiation #NegotiationStrategies #NegotiationProcess #NegotiationSkillsTraining #NegotiationExamples #NegotiationTypes #negotiationPsychology #HowToNegotiateBetter #ReadingBodyLanguage #BodyLanguage #Nonverbal #Negotiate #Business #SmallBusiness #Negotiation #Negotiator #NegotiatingWithABully #Power #Perception #emotionalcontrol #relationships #BodyLanguageExpert #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #ControlEmotions #GregWilliams #success #Howtowinmore #self-improvement #howtodealwithdifficultpeople #Self-development #Control #Conversations #Howtocontrolanegotiation #howtobesuccessful #HowToImproveyourself

 

Categories
Best Practices Marketing Personal Development

Build Client Engagement with Blogs and Newsletters

Newsletters and blogs are essential forms of communication with your clients and customers. Businesses operate with the assumption that those who buy from you or contract your services are busy people. Many organizations are competing for people’s attention. The New York Times, for example, has been providing a daily newsletter for subscribers and non-subscribers alike.

In addition to the challenge of digital competition, we need to realize that life abounds with distractions. With the constant news of crises, you have to make more effort than ever before to remind people of your existence. At the same time, you need to do so in a way that’s neither intrusive nor annoying.

Op-in newsletters and blogs present an elegant and—if you produce them well—engaging way to capture and retain your readers’ interests. The New York Times newsletter mentioned above has an entertaining mix of brief news summaries and links to essays, entertainment reviews, and recipes in the newspaper. Zappos.com is another model for entertaining blog posts.

The Difference Between Newsletters and Blogs

To be relevant, you need to post on your blog one to seven times a week. Whatever frequency you choose, be as consistent as possible.

Blog posts traditionally run 300 to 500 words in length. They can address issues related thave a series of links to relevant articles, combined with your comments. Overall, they will provide bite-sized chunks of information.

A newsletter may be published once a week or once a month. Again, be consistent. Also, see what frequency works best. You can often determine this by checking the unsubscribe rate immediately after you’ve sent out a newsletter. A high rate may reflect a “Oh, no , not again” reaction.

A newsletter provides information in a more leisurely way. Here, you can provide a more extensive look at industry or consumer issues. You can interview an influencer or publish guest articles. In-depth looks at new products you’re developing can be featured here. You can profile an employee who has made significant contributions to your business.

Both your newsletters and your blogs should always provide links to your web site.

How to Drive Readers to Both Forms of Publication

 Newsletters and blog posts can be interactive. Strive for engagement with blog posts or a longer article in your newsletter. A newsletter can highlight recent blog posts.

Another way to generate client/customer interest is to invite comments. Make this invitation in a way that shows you genuinely care about the readers’ opinions. Reinforce this by answering those who respond and (with permission) quoting responses.

With care and commitment, you can turn your newsletter and blog into a voice that authentically represents your appreciation of the people who make your business thrive.

Pat Iyer began writing newsletters In the 1990s and blogs In 2009. She has written thousands of blog posts by now. Businesspeople hire Pat as an editor. Reach her at patiyer.com. Pat was one of the original 100 C Suite Network Contributors.

Categories
Marketing Personal Development

Is a Book Trapped Inside You?

According to surveys, up to 80 percent of Americans think they have a book in them. For the vast majority, those books will remain inside. Consequently, if you can sit down and write a book, you’ve joined those few who will realize their dreams.

Writing and publishing a book doesn’t always yield material wealth, but it can enhance your reputation as a leader and influencer and publicize your company. Most importantly, a book that contains valuable information can help people. If that’s your principal goal, you will have a source of inspiration that will see you through to the finish line.

The Book May Already Exist

It doesn’t exist in finished form, but the raw material probably does. You may have a collection of podcasts, blog posts, articles, newsletters, how-to pamphlets, and other types of source material.

Stop for a minute and reflect on that good news. It tells you that, without knowing it, you’ve been writing your book all along. All you need to do now is gather its elements into cohesive and entertaining form.

Focus is Everything

I recently read that focus is more important than intelligence. Ideally, a writer will have both, but I agree that intelligence without focus leads to scattered thinking. It does not lead to the completion of a book.

Begin with the question: “What do my clients/customers need to know that I am uniquely positioned to provide for them through a book?” Take your time with this question. It’s analogous to the foundation of a building. It must be substantial. In terms of getting the writing done, it must inspire you.

You can even ask your clients what they’d like to learn. They’ll appreciate your reaching out in this way and will likely give you useful answers.

Once you’ve built your foundation, write a rough outline. Then sift through your source material: the podcasts, newsletters, blog posts, collecting those that relate most to the subject you want to address.

Organize this material. You will probably find gaps, which will point you to areas you need to research. You may want to interview other industry leaders, which provides the additional benefit of networking.

You may be saying at this point, “But I don’t know how to write a book.” No one knows how until they do it—and help is available.

If you are a self-starter and self-paced person, look for a book or course that teaches the fundamentals of book writing. If you need more direct guidance and someone to hold you accountable, find a more hands-on course, i.e., one that meets in real-time or hires a writing coach.

And if you falter or fall into discouragement, remember that, ultimately, this book isn’t about your ego or self-gratification. It’s about those clients who can benefit from your years of experience and understanding of their needs. Think about their appreciation, and your inspiration will return.

 Pat Iyer is a ghostwriter, book coach, and editor who helps businesspeople share their knowledge in a book. As a C Suite Network Advisor, she works with experts to make writing a book possible. Contact her through her website at patiyer.com.

Categories
Entrepreneurship Marketing Personal Development

No Escape = New Plan B

Experts who can’t sell are in trouble right now.

In the good old days – you know, January 2020 or so – there were a lot of entrepreneurial experts (consultants, coaches, trainers, speakers, course creators) who were struggling financially…

But they had an escape plan.

What was that escape plan?

“If all else fails, I can always go back and get a job.”

Then Covid-19 hit.

  • No more clients
  • No more leads
  • No more prospects
  • Contracts canceled
  • Events postponed
  • Pipelines empty
  • Debt piles up
  • Bank accounts shrink

Bummer.

But don’t worry because…

“If all else fails, I can always go back and get a job.”

Then 40 million of your closest friends lost their jobs.

  • Widespread layoffs, furloughs, and record unemployment
  • Who got let go first?
  • The most expensive people at every level
  • Some industries decimated overnight
  • Global economic shifts that are changing history
  • Millions of jobs cut that will never return

Escape plan?

Exactly what kind of job were YOU planning to go back to?

Janitorial work at the hospital? Nope.

You were counting on one of those expensive corporate jobs.

“If all else fails, I can always go back and get a job.”

Poof!

Your escape plan just imploded – and it’s gone for good.

Interestingly, there’s a different escape plan that corporate folks have that just got kicked to the top of the priority list (more on this tomorrow)…

But back to YOU – the entrepreneurial expert…

What’s your escape plan NOW?

Simple – you don’t have one.

Today, you either succeed or you’re done.

No more self-soothing delusion that “if all else fails, I can always go back and get a job.”

That was your old Plan B.

Here’s your new Plan B:

  • Embrace your expert-driven business and go ALL IN
  • Focus like a crazy person on MMA (money-making activity)
  • Decide what business you are REALLY in and double down on that value prop
  • Reboot your strategic vision
  • Re-install a solid prospecting system
  • Re-imagine your highest and juiciest goals
  • Replenish your pipeline with new leads who need exactly what you do
  • Re-ignite your entrepreneurial engine so your business is fun again
  • Rebuild your integrated product suite around what prospects want to buy

Here’s what’s required right now – you need a big HUG.

HUG is an acronym for:

  • Hunger to Play Bigger
  • Urgency to act Bolder
  • Gameplan to get Better

That’s your new Plan “B”

If you are ready to kick some serious ass – I have good news. Our new Expert Profit Formula is just about ready for launch. It’s designed around the exact principles, practices, and tools to help you make a dent in the universe, recharge your batteries, and go full steam ahead into the new normal with a high-fee, high-fun expert-based business that you love — and that will refill your bank account with a steady stream of prospects, clients, and cash. Ka-boom!!

Categories
Entrepreneurship Marketing Personal Development

The 4 Levels of Marketing

When it comes to marketing, there are four things that you need to focus on, four levels if you will.

The four levels of marketing are:

  • Strategy
  • Tactics
  • Initiatives
  • Action steps


When you hop on a webinar, when you ask your mastermind group for help, even when you start searching the web for answers and tools to grow your business, the number one source of overwhelm is when you’ve heard a whole bunch of strategies, a whole bunch of tactics, a whole bunch of initiatives, a whole bunch of actions steps — and you don’t know the difference.

There are three reasons why this short-circuits your brain:

  1. You can’t do them all
  2. You can’t prioritize or figure out how to start to think about them
  3. You can’t distinguish why or how it might work for your particular business


A strategy is a big picture area of your business. It could be a marketing strategy. It could be a sales strategy. It could be a financial strategy.

Let’s say you come across someone who tells you Instagram is an amazing marketing platform and you’re really missing out if your business is not on Instagram.

She is using it and it fits her business beautifully, and you respect this person and you admire her successful business.

And now you’re thinking, “Oh man, it’s all about Instagram, Instagram, Instagram.”

“If she built her business on Instagram, I can probably build my business on Instagram.”

Well, let’s back up and analyze that as far as the four levels of marketing.

Internet marketing is the strategy. In other words, Internet marketing is the big giant umbrella over Instagram.

The tactic under that would be social media. There’s a lot going on via the internet, folks, that’s not social media.

For example, Search engine optimization, your website, the structure of your web presence, blogging, podcasting, email marketing, dozens of internet marketing strategies. Social media happens to be one bucket under that, so social media is the tactic.

An initiative would be “I’m going to start using Instagram.”

This is level three now. I’m going to start using Instagram. I’m going to start understanding it. I might read a book. I might go to some websites, I’m going to grab a copy of Instagram 101 or Using Instagram for Business, all those fabulous resources that are out there for free.

Now, the action step – here’s level four, the action step always takes the form of verb, noun, date.

  1. Set up my Instagram account by Wednesday
  2. Prepare my first 10 posts by Friday
  3. Find 25 influential people to follow in my industry by Saturday
  4. Identify the top 5 hashtags to attract prospects by Monday
  5. Set up Plannthat.com to schedule posts by next Wednesday 

Those are action steps.

And the action step can also go on your calendar.

So it really takes it down to “What are you doing today?” 

What’s on your priority action list today?

Your to-do list could be 50 things, but what are your top three most important things that you need to do based on the strategies you’ve selected, based on the tactics that you’ve chosen, based on the initiatives that you’ve designed, what are the action steps to put on your calendar and get it done?

So right there, just unpacking those four levels, you’ve gotten some insights through which you can start to filter and sort all of your ideas, notes, all of those webinars you’ve listened to, all of those tactics and tools and light bulb moments, all those nuggets and sound bites that you may have swirling around in your head or on your “someday, maybe list.”

If you start to sort them into these four levels; strategy, tactic, initiative, and action step – you’ll get a much clearer vision for ALL your marketing going forward this week, this month, and for the rest of your professional career.

How will you put the 4 levels of marketing to work for your business this week? What strategies, tactics, initiatives, and action steps are you working on? Send me a private message – I really want to know. And I read every single one. Yes me. No minions. No elves :o)

Categories
Marketing Personal Development

Sales and Marketing Tools – Best-of-Breed Time Savers

Marketing Tools

Online marketing is a technical sport that requires a lot of administration. That said, marketing tools are essential for managing your website and social media. Thankfully there are a lot of solutions out there to help you with your daily tasks. However, deciding which of these solutions to use is the tough part.

Every business is different. Because of this, I cannot recommend the exact marketing tools you need without knowing your business. However, my personal list will at least get you down the right path.

These are the tools that my customers and I use today:

Website Health Check

Diib starts as a free tool that checks the health of your website in terms of industry ranking. Amazingly, it will tell you what your website’s potential revenue earnings should be and what to do to get those earnings. It even provides social media objectives to improve your traffic.

Website Appointment Scheduling

Acuity Scheduling is a product that integrates into your website and allows people to make an appointment with you online. It syncs with your calendar to show people when you are available so they can choose a time that works for them. Once a time is chosen, they will receive a calendar invite, and you will simultaneously have an appointment in your calendar. Voila!

Acuity Scheduling is highly flexible and feature-rich. I recently used this for a website I did for a massage therapist because she wanted to be able to take SOAP notes in the application.

SEO

SpyFu is a highly robust tool. It analyzes the SEO of your website, content, advertising, etc. More than that, it has a clever function that allows you to enter a competitor’s website URL and research their SEO. It will show how your competitors rank, the search terms they are using, and how they compare to your own website.

AnswerThePublic collects keywords or keyphrases from Google’s auto-suggestions. Auto-suggestions is what you see when you begin to type in words or phrases into the Google search engine. Simply type in your term or phrase into this tool, and it will give you a report with all the related suggestions, including ranking.

Wordtracker is a keyword research tool that retrieves 1,000’s of profitable long tail keywords with up to 10.000 results per search. Very fast and easy to use.

Social Media Management

SocialPilot is a tool that allows you to post to multiple social media profiles. Not only that, but you can customize your message for each social channel then schedule everything in minutes. Furthermore, they just added the ability to boost posts on Facebook. There are many competitors in this space, but I have picked this one because it offers more social media integrations. More specifically, I like that they support Google My Business (Google’s answer to the retired Google+).

Tailwind is another excellent social media management tool, but it is specific to Instagram and Pinterest. Since IG and Pinterest are image-based based channels, they require different strategies. One of the most delightful features in Tailwind is how they support hashtags. They have a ‘Recently Used Hashtags’ function that will suggest highly-ranked hashtags and allow you to save your hashtags for future posts. Then there is their SmartLoop feature, which is a way for you to repost your most successful posts regularly.

Email and App Management for Multiple Profiles

Shift is an email and app manager for those that have multiple accounts. With this single tool, you house your multiple email accounts, social media profiles, financial solutions, CRM, and more. To my delight, it does NOT consolidate all my accounts into one account. Rather, it puts everything under one house while keeping everything separate. Very clever!

Email Marketing and Automation

ActiveCampaign is one of many email marketing tools out there today. I have chosen to use this tool for a specific functionality – email automation. Imagine someone signing up with you online, and then you can have ActiveCampaign send relevant email communications to them without you having to lift a finger. On top of that, the price is right! It’s only a few dollars a month.

Password Manager

Keeper is a top-rated password manager app and software that allows you to securely keep all your passwords in one place. We can all relate to the massive amount of passwords we have to keep track of on a personal level. Now just imagine what it’s like when you have the added complexity of tracking business passwords. One of the added benefits of Keeper is its browser extension, which automatically signs you in on websites that are in your Keeper Vault.

Royalty-Free Images, Videos & Music

Shutterstock has over 300 million royalty-free images, videos, and music tracks. While it’s always best to create your own visual and audio assets, not everyone wants to take the time necessary to do that. That said, this platform is one of the best in the business.

Envato Elements is your ultimate creative asset subscription. Get unlimited downloads of themes, plugins, graphics, photos, fonts, and more from just $16.50/month. Everything you need for your next project at one low price.

Graphic Design

Canva is a graphic design tool that anyone can use without spending big bucks on Adobe products. I often use this tool to create posts or infographics and publish to all my social media channels. It doesn’t stop there though. You can design and print business cards, flyers, brochures, and more. It’s free to get started, so check it out.

PlaceIt by Envato enables people of all skill sets to make beautiful designs, logos, mockups & videos in seconds. Our selection of design makers means no design skills or software is required to create professional results.

Prospecting

Sellhack is an online email collector. Have you been burned by buying email lists? The problem with lists is that they are old, while LinkedIn has the most up-to-date career information available. Sellhack allows you to pull email addresses from LinkedIn, verify them, and download them into a spreadsheet for use later. With the Google Chrome Extension, it is insanely easy to use.

Outbound Lead Generation

Replyify is a cold email solution. Traditional email marketing systems are for marketing to existing customers or people that have signed up for something on your website. Replyify is specifically made for the sales prospecting part of the business. It plugs into your email client so that the emails are coming directly from you (a person, not from a system). At the same time, you can create different personalized templates and schedule a series of automated emails. Once you’ve set it up, just load up your email list, schedule the times, and let the Replyify do the rest.

GMass is another cold email solution that is solely for Gmail and Google Docs users. This solution is excellent for companies that are boot-strapping. Their free version allows you to mail-merge and personalizes each email to 50 contacts a day. When you’re ready to invest a little money, it will give you unlimited contacts and auto-follow ups.

Copywriting

Grammarly is an excellent tool to check your writing. It checks your grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and punctuation. More than that though, it helps me keep my writing at an easy reading level for better SEO. It plugs into almost anything like your browser or computer and can inspect nearly any platform you are writing in.

Lead Generation & Conversions

Funnelytics is one of the marketing tools that help you plan, launch, and optimize your online marketing funnels. To boot, they provide funnel templates that others have had success with. If you’re a visual learning person, this is the tool for you!

Proposals

Better Proposals is an online resource to create great-looking electronic proposals. This product has a load of templates you can use, tracks your prospects’ activity with the proposal, and allows for electronic signatures.

I hope you find these marketing tools valuable. For more information, please contact us at KakVarley.com

Kak is a proud member of the C-Suite Network!

Categories
Human Resources Management Marketing Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

“Beware Of The Ultimate Authority You Give To Authority” – Negotiation Insight

“Beware of the person that claims authority. For what they claim is only theirs if you grant it.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert    (Click to Tweet)

Click here to get the book!

Beware Of The Ultimate Authority You Give To Authority”

 

 

People don’t realize; they’re always negotiating!

 

When does someone have power? Answer – when others relinquish it or have it taken from them.

 

I can’t ask him to increase his rate; he’s a lawyer. The doctor cast a stern look at the nurse, and the nurse sheepishly slinked away. The nurse had a humiliating feeling of belittlement, which led him to think, “I better not question the doctor again. That was very discomforting.”

How many times has someone with authority caused you discomfort? If the event envokes terrible memories, do you still have challenging times when dealing with authority figures? If so, you need to be mindful of how you interact with such people. One way to do that is to realize you have authority too. And there’s power in it.

When dealing with those that have authority, remember the following.

 

Setting The Stage

Every interaction you have with someone assists in creating the environment of your next encounter. And the more interactions you have with people possessing traits of authority, the more you’ll act the same with other individuals with similar characteristics. That’s why you should be cautious about your response to such individuals, especially if you supplicate yourself to them when negotiating.

To break a spiraling downward cycle of self-degrading, when dealing with people of authority, consider:

 

  • not supplicating yourself because of their perceived status

 

  • establish new relationships on mutual respect based on your value

 

  • Re-establish prior relations on the amount of value you’ve added to it; if need be, discuss how you may have received the low end of past deals.

 

  • highlight the benefit of longterm relations based on mutual respect

 

  • talk about the ‘value-add’ you bring to engagements and how that person’s influence will become enhanced by the outcome you assist in achieving

 

Remember, if you think you can’t challenge people with authority, you’re permitting them to continue their behavior. Thus, if you want them to alter their behavior towards you, you have to initiate that change in them. And the way you do that is by standing up for yourself.

 

Know Your Value

Before a negotiation begins, who determines the value of what the negotiation entails? And, what variables do you consider to determine an item’s value?  Do you ponder the authority someone possesses based on their credentials – the status conveyed by the letters behind their name, their degrees? If you give weight to your assessment, based on those variables, you may be needlessly heightening their credibility. Your perspective becomes worse when seeing yourself, as being incapable of refuting such individuals when negotiating.

When speaking with someone about your services or product, as long as they’re talking, they sense value. If you think, because they’re a lawyer, a doctor, or whatever, that you don’t have power in the engagement, you’re giving away power, which is a form of control. And the more control you relinquish, the higher the probability the other person will control you.

Before entering a negotiation, know the value of what you possess. If need be, be prepared to discuss how you arrived at your value proposition. But only do so, when a client or prospect is committed to addressing your value in good faith. That’s to say, don’t answer questions about how you arrived at it until the other person is committed to genuine engagement.

The point is, negotiations are about control. And the person in control is the one asking questions; that’s because receiving information can be more beneficial than giving it, depending on how you use it. Thus, you must be cautious about the information you provide, when you give it, and the timing of its release. If done too hastily, your response might become perceived as being flippant. If done with deliberation, the other person might view that as you not having much thought about it before he asked the question. Always be mindful of the degree of control you have in a negotiation. And that’s displayed through your mannerisms when asking or answering questions, along with the timing of those questions.

 

Positional Power

During a negotiation, power flows back and forth between negotiators. That means you have more power than your counterpart at certain times. It’s during those times when your influence is most substantial that you should press the other negotiator. Those opportunities may occur due to the positional power you have. And that may stem from your leverage during specific periods.

Therefore, assemble points of leverage to use during the negotiation before the talks begin. To do that, gather information about the party with whom you’ll be negotiating from your associates and his. You should look for points of information that will cause the other party angst or relief, depending on what’s called for in a situation.

An example of causing angst with a lawyer who’d reach out to you to solicit your business might be reminding him of the less-than-stellar reputation he has for not paying his invoices on time. After issuing that reminder, pause. Don’t be the first to speak. Let him experience the angst you just placed upon him. If you observe him becoming somewhat deflated, that’ll signal the momentary control he’s given you. And that will also be a point in which you’ll have authority in the negotiation. That’s the time to suggest an up-front payment for him to engage your services, which could be his beginning stage of relief.

 

Reflection

As you engage anyone with whom you initiate business opportunities, be it attorney clients, doctors, or whomever, never give unfounded authority to their status or station simply because of their perceived status. If you do, you’ll place yourself in a weak negotiation position. Always remember that you possess value when negotiating. Instead of supplicating yourself to someone with perceived authority, highlight the value-add you bring to the environment. That will strengthen your position. And everything will be right with the world.

 

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

 

Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/themasternegotiator

 

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

 

To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Negotiation Insight” click here https://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

 

 

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