marketing Archives - Nuggets of Wisdom from 40 Years of Self Employment

11 Characteristics of a network #2 of 3

August 13, 2021 2 Comments

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Do you leave halfway through a network because it wasn’t “good”? Are you sometimes the last to leave a network because you’re still chatting?

You need to know what “good” means for you before you go to any network event. How do you know? Here are 11 characteristics to know about it.

Characteristics of groups where you can network

Target market Before you look at any group, know who your target market is. Are the people you’re looking for corporate HR, IT people, “mompreneurs”, small business owners or solopreneurs? Know this first.

2. Location. Where is it held? Is that too far for you get to? I live in downtown Toronto and don’t drive so a network in Barrie which is a town about 50 miles (85 km) north doesn’t work for me.

If it’s a conference in Los Angeles and you live in Boston, you would have to fly there. Can you afford the flight and hotel costs as well as the time away from your business. Would you get enough leads and build enough relationships to make it worth your while?

3. Time. Ahh time of day. I’m not a morning person so being self employed suits me fine. As soon as I see that it’s a breakfast meeting at 730 a.m. I look to see when else this group meets. Breakfast, lunch or early evening may make a difference to you — it does for me!

4. Size. Groups vary from 6 to 600. Do you thrive in a big group? Do you look for small intimate groups? Here’s where size does matter.

5. Cost. What does it cost per meeting and what do you get for it? The average is $25 but for a dinner meeting it could be up to $75 — be sure you get dinner.

6. Room Layout. It depends on the size of the group. The huge ones are standing only with a few chairs around the outside of the room; the medium to large have chairs in a traditional format in rows facing the speaker at the front; small ones could be held around tables or have the chairs set in a circle. Which one works best? It depends on you and what you’re comfortable in.

7. Do they do an “around the room”? You want maximum exposure for your “elevator pitch” so giving it to everyone in the room is better. It allows you to decide who you want to speak with and those who want to hear more about your business and perhaps use your services will come up to you. (This only happens with groups under 40.)

8. Speaker. Most groups have a speaker. You may want to hear that person or the topic.

9. Membership. How many times can you attend before you have to join? Or do you even have to become a member?

photo credit: Port of San Diego via photopin cc

10. “Fixed or fluid”. Often called leads groups. BNI and BCX only accept people from different business types. For example if you’re a web designer and they have one, you’re not invited to join. You also are required to give leads every meeting and you may not have used the lead’s services so don’t know much about the company.

11. Type of group. Are they a networking group or an association? An association will be in your field so if you’re a startup you may want to learn from more experienced people.

Frequency of meetings. Groups usually get together once a month but leads groups meet twice a month. Do you have the time and money?

Look at each of these questions and get answers. Which characteristics are important to you? If you’re a startup you may want to attend every event you can until you find out what works best for you.

Remember that you need to attend each one several times to see if it’s what you want.

If you know other entrepreneurs you can ask them which groups they recommend. And you always have the internet where you can check the group!

I know of a several groups here in Toronto so ask me in the comments.

Originally posted January 30, 2015

Marketing

Is marketing art or science? Here’s what Seth Godin says

May 15, 2021 No Comments

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IS marketing an art or science? This is a great question that one should think about. Seth Godin‘s blog post (I get them delivered to my inbox regularly) answers this.

He begins by writing “It’s both, and that’s the problem. ….Some marketers are scientists. They test and measure. They do the math….The other marketers are artists. They inspire and challenge and connect..” We need both, don’t we.

Read what he has to say … Is Marketing an Art or Science?

I hope the article makes you look at your marketing in a new way. Tell me what YOU think!!

Originally posted on April 2, 2014

Marketing

6 Ways marketing and sales are different

May 14, 2021 No Comments

What do rubber ducks have to do with the differences between sales and marketing? They represent marketing.

Solopreneurs do both marketing and sales.

But do you know the difference between the two? In the 1980s I co-owned an Apple computer dealership here in Toronto. When we were tiny and worked from home, the line between sales and marketing was blurred since my partner did both of them. But as we grew we hired sales people to sell and my partner did the marketing.

I found out the differences then! Marketers market and sales people sell – right? But where does one end and the other begin. Here are six of the differences.

Marketing creates the demand and sales fulfills it. This is an example of a symbiotic relationship. One of the best articles I read about this uses a scene in the 2013 movie “The Wolf of Wall Street” where the main character tests his protégé’s understanding of sales by saying to him “Sell me this pen” and holding out his own pen. You can read this blog post here.

Here are the 6 differences

Marketing is one to many. Sales is one to one. I wrote an earlier post and put my version of a marketing and sales funnel in it to illustrate this. You can find it at Is Sales a Part of Marketing .
Marketing is data (or numbers) driven. Sales is relationship driven. When you choose your target market you often choose by the number of potential clients in this niche – start with a big number and then whittle it down to far fewer by choosing a “niche” or subset of this market.
Marketing people develop product or services. Salespeople don’t. Marketing includes research to find out what people want (and will pay for) and then creating it.
Marketing can’t be tracked. Sales can. The most successful trade show that we did with our Apple dealership was in 1986. We tracked the number of people who came to our booth. They dropped their business cards in a bowl and how many eventually bought. We had our salespeople call, set up interviews, write proposals and close. We saw first hand how symbiotic the relationship between marketing and sales really is.
Marketing looks after your brand’s reputation. Sales looks after what individuals think of you.
Marketing analyses gives you the big data. Marketing brings you the average result not the specifics. Sales takes care of the ambiguities and details of each person.
Marketing isn’t interactive. Sales is a conversation between two people.

See how they’re intertwined? In “big” businesses they’re two separate departments who often don’t interact with each other. One of the advantages you have as a solopreneur is that you do both.

Keep doing it yourself – that’s one of your competitive advantages as a solopreneur!

When you hire someone to do it for you, stay involved in all marketing and sales. Be sure the people selling or marketing you understand your brand and what you stand for and believe in.

Tell me whether you outsource or keep it for yourself to do. What have you had to do if you’ve hired someone?

Marketing, Small Business

Say thank you – often

February 9, 2021 1 Comment

**Thank you. Merci. Gracias. Arigato. Danke. Grazie.** **Go raibh maith agat.**

There are many ways to show your thanks but we were taught that we should say it, weren’t we. Do you remember being told as kids that the “magic” words are please and thank you?

When should you use thank you?

Say it after EVERYTHING that’s done for you especially when clients buy your product or service.

Use it in your emails and on phone calls. You can mail a “thank you” card, send flowers, do something special that the other person likes (and that you know they do) or send an electronic card that makes them smile.

Say thank you all the time.

There’s several positive results from this this. You get remembered. You get cheques faster, people do things for you with a smile and immediately, repeat and referral business and best of all you feel good.

When, to whom and for what have you said thank you today?

Originally posted June 6, 2014

Marketing, Small Business

Where were you when you talked about your business?

January 29, 2021 No Comments

When you talk about your business, you don’t know who is listening.

You could be in line at the grocery store, at a health club, on the phone with someone trying to sell you a newspaper subscription, having a coffee or tea with a friend, picking up your dry cleaning or in a drug store ordering a prescription when you mention your business.

You never know what the person you are chatting with is interested in or who they know. And you don’t know who is listening in AND what they are interested in or who they know either.

Talk as if you are being heard (that doesn’t mean louder) or be very quiet if you don’t want to be overheard.

A colleague of mine was buying paint for her kitchen and while in the paint store, overheard the conversation that the couple ahead of her in line were having with the cashier. She interrupted them and suggested what colour paint they should get. They bought the colour she recommended and then invited her for coffee at a nearby coffee shop to talk some more. Voilà – they became her first client in her new interior decorating business!

Talk about your business

I ALWAYS mention my business no matter where I am or who I’m with. I’m proud of it.

Always be marketing no matter where you are or who you’re with. Have a marketing mindset as your way of thinking and seeing the world.

You never know who’s listening or where you’ll be when you get an idea. Tell me one of the most unusual places you were when you got a prospect.

Originally posted March 30, 2012 .