Think ‘Digital Marketing’ Is No Big Deal?

Dove | Evolution

The above 75-second viral video was placed on YouTube by Ogilvy & Mather, Toronto on behalf of Dove. In less than a month, this thing has been viewed nearly 2 million times.

It has garnered significant media time on several talk shows.

It has caused a “traffic spike to CampaignForRealBeauty.com, three times more than Dove’s Super Bowl ad and resulting publicity last year.” (AdAge – October 29th)

Sitting there every day reading all of this ‘new media’ hype and just dismissing it as another fad?

Ignore it at your peril…

Just don’t say you weren’t warned.

Struggling to Cope With Failure?

It’s a disgusting weather day here in Central Ohio, so instead of heading outside to wrap up the autumn lawn work, I spent some time this morning working on my sales skills. Part of that work took me to a relatively new destination out there — RealWorldSelling — which is a new podcasting venture that includes Brandon Hull of SalesTeamTools.com.

I had a listen to a podcast by Steve Martin (not the comedian) that discussed “coping with losing” a sale. Martin’s advice was good, and his voice lent itself well to the podcasting format. I’ve found many a podcast that I had to fight myself to get past the first two minutes. Not so on RealWorldSelling.

Podcasting is one of those things that’s not just wonderful if you have an iPod and a long commute time. It’s something that you can take advantage of instead of listening to music or some wacky talk show while you work.

Enjoy it.

Turn Away That New Business

Say ‘No’ to new business? That’s what Noelle Weaver is advocating over on the AdAge Small Business Blog…

No, she’s not crazy. Her approach is very well-reasoned and may get you focused on the accounts that will make your firm money… and make you a bit less crazy. From the article…

“I can’t tell you how many times, in an effort of transparency and honesty I’ve told a prospective client that 1.) we don’t’ have the staff bandwidth to serve them 2.) the timing of the pitch didn’t work with regards to other current client production that was happening in the agency 3.) the budget for the type of work that we would do plus the amount of energy we would spend doing it, just wasn’t there. More often than not, the client was not only appreciative of the truth, but called us back at some point later with another opportunity.“

Maybe she is crazy… crazy like a fox.

Attract Customers with a Free Consult

There are many ways that we all go about looking for new business in this world.  Some are effective, others not so much.  But one idea that seems to work in nearly all cases is the idea of giving something away.

No, not pens with your name on them or some silly mouse pad.  Instead, give away information.  And not information that simply promotes yourself, but information that’s meaningful to the potential client.

I’ve been in the midst of creating a free public seminar in the past week to discuss my specialties with the general public, mostly to help my potential clients understand the options that are available to them.  The intent of this for me is to give away enough information to show that I am an expert… and who better to talk to for more information than me when the hour is up?

But it doesn’t just have to be a public seminar, does it?  There are many ways to position yourself as an expert without setting up a seminar in a coffee shop.  One such way is discussed very well by Gail Goodman over at BizTools.

“Publish your short case study in your e-mail newsletter or via a separate e-mail marketing campaign. Alongside it, run a sidebar offering a “free consultation” (or “complimentary assessment,” “project evaluation,” “service overview,” “introductory consultation”–whatever language works best for your business). The case study should be the main feature while the sidebar extends your offer.”

Get over there and read this thing.  It’ll give you some good ideas to start the week off on the right foot.

Cold Calling for Business Owners

Well, a few weeks after the “get a real job” debacle, I’m back in the saddle. I’ve done more cold calling in the past week than I ever remember doing in my life. Cold calling can very easily become a monotonous, horrible experience that drags you to the depths of the world. Or, of course, it can be a bit less horrific if you just do it with a smile.

So I wanted to link you up to a solid podcasting website out of the United Kingdom — The Cold Calling Podcast — which appears to offer a weekly short podcast that gives you some ideas of how to improve your abilities to hit the phones. I’d recommend it highly – it was just what I needed to find after a 10-hour calling marathon with a bit of positivity today.

The AccountHUNTER Returns

I appreciate the Emails of support (and the ones asking me what on earth was going on) that I’ve received in the past weeks. There are times when you blog that you don’t know if anybody is out there reading your thoughts, but the past weeks have shown me that there are.

Six weeks ago, I last made an entry into the blogosphere, preparing for what was to be a “week-long junket” of 15-hour days in a classroom. Today, I’m back in my home office after what was likely the most difficult six weeks of my professional life.

There are times in life that we make mistakes, those times when we either misjudge or misunderstand a project that we’ve taken on. The last six weeks have consisted of an abundance of the former.

And for one of the few times in my professional life, I’m thrilled that a project is over.

The life that I lead as a training consultant / freelance commercial writer is never a boring one. It seems that I’m in a constant state of account hunting, looking to make that next sale and keep the business growing. I’m sure that the majority of you who read this blog are of a similar mindset. That’s why you read this.

So for me, it’s back to the hunt. I hope you continue the ride with me.