Business Newbie Guide Archives

Expanding Your Influence [Business Newbie Guide Part 5]

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Jason Kanigan

Expanding your influence is a key factor in increasing your business. If no one knows who you are, or what problems you solve, they won't know to get ahold of you for help.

This is why those who jump from shiny object to shiny object never get anywhere. You see them, five years later, still floundering. They haven't stood for anything, and so haven't become known for anything. Don't become that kind of person!

To make this kind of transformation happen, you must prepare to share your message with people.

And the best way to do this is being an interview guest on targeted radio shows and podcasts!

If you have some experience with a niche, topic or marketplace, you have more knowledge about it than many other people. And lots of these people will be interested in learning what you know about! You do not need to be an in-depth expert on a subject to be qualified to talk about it. Just keep in mind your target audience. Who are they? What level are they at? Who are you best able to help? If you're clear with this up front, your audience will self-select and appreciate it.

I know a lot about selling. But an in-depth interview on Fit like this one is simply not something suitable for newbies to the subject. If the listener was an experienced sales executive or business owner, however, this interview would be a huge help to them.

On the lock picking topic, I don't know a whole lot. But I do know much more than the average person, and so it's interesting for me to share some surprising observations that are matching that newbie level.

So know where you're at and who your target audience is before you take the next step in expanding your influence.

Then do this:

Write a Bio Sheet for Expanding Your Influence

Summarize your Why, your background and your promise in a couple paragraphs.

Keep this short; we'll see why in a minute. This is a hook, not a resume.

Include your name, phone number, time zone, a backup communication method (eg. Skype ID), and email address.

Draft a Sample Questions Sheet

Write seven to ten sample questions people at your target audience's level of understanding would have about your topic.

Prepare answers to them, and rehearse! Don't skip the rehearsal. Live on air is NOT the time to be figuring out your response.

Put Them On a Media Page

Save these files in pdf format. If you have a website, post them on a Media page.

Write some text above them explaining you are available as an interview guest. Then invite the visitor to download the pdf files to consider you as a guest.

Now you have a place to refer hosts to.

Now a caution: you will have to update the bio sheet and questions as time goes on. Personally, for example, I am so bored with talking about cold calling. I no longer want to talk about it. I have done that interview fifty times. So after my first year doing interviews, I changed it up. Pricing, business models, and funnels are currently my interests. And the bio and questions needed to be revised to reflect that.

So why are we doing this?

Radio show and podcast hosts are EAGER for fresh, interesting content that is valuable to their audience.

That's why it's vital to remember that you have value, regardless of the depth of knowledge you have. As long as you know more than your target audience, and you're clear about who you are talking to, you will be welcomed as a guest.

Now the reason we created the bio sheet and sample questions is...to make life easy for the host.

They will likely read your bio word for word at the beginning of their show. So make sure their introduction of you is spicy and memorable! The beauty of this is it's completely under your control: you write the words. Get that perception started off right!

And then they will go through the questions you've prepared. They will skip the ones that don't interest them, or that they think aren't relevant to their audience. Keep track of this behavior. If you find a question is constantly being skipped, replace it with another. If another question is consistently being welcomed with excitement, prepare and amp up your answer for maximum effect.

Yes, they may ask questions that aren't on your list. But only one or two questions, probably; the rest, you'll be totally familiar with.

Where to Find Sources of Expanding Your Influence

Google "Podcast (topic)".

Google "Radio show (topic)".

And go to radioguestlist.com.

Choose your targets carefully. Out of a dozen shows I'm emailed about, I might choose just a single possibility to send my information to.

Remember, these people WANT to hear from you...if what you have to share is aligned with what their audience wants to hear!

So don't ever feel embarrassed or shy about reaching out.

Send a quick email to the producer of the show. Explain that you'd like to be a guest on their program. Give at least one good reason why you believe you're a fit for their audience.

Attach your bio and questions sheets, or link them to your Media page. Hey, all the work they want done is already completed! You've made it easy for them. They appreciate that.

When they reply to confirm they'd like you to be a guest on the show, calendar the time. Make sure you show up. Keep that backup communication method handy...you never know when your primary method will crap out.

Have a "next step" for listeners to take. The hosts will give you a chance for a bit of self-promotion at the end: a website listeners can visit, a location they can buy something from you.

Send a thank you note after the show is recorded.

Start using these show recordings as marketing collateral.

Post them on your site, or at least links to them. Write about them. Post on social media.

The more your target market can hear and see you before they ever actually speak to you in person, the more geared they will be to buying from you.

The Next Method for Expanding Your Influence

Once you've implemented everything up to and including this fifth step, it's time to talk to me.

>> Want Jason's help? If you're already making money competently producing a product or service, we could be a fit. <<

Where to Market [Business Newbie Guide Part 4]

Posted on April 19, 2015 by Jason Kanigan

Where to market? So you've made a critical marketing piece: now where do you put it?

Just like a website without traffic, a report without readers or a video without viewers is a billboard in the desert.

You need multiple places to put your marketing piece, or link people to where it is.

You cannot expect people to arrive out of the blue at your website, and then also be a perfect fit for your product or service! So do not rely upon your webpage with a download link or autoresponder sign up form to do all the work for you. They won't.

I want you to understand that marketing is a job. Part of your job is marketing. Another part is fulfillment. If you think about 100% of your available time as a scale with a slider on it, you can move that slider around and divide the time up depending on what you do.

For example, if you do affiliate marketing you will concentrate almost entirely on marketing and very little on fulfillment. The delivery of the product is already done for you.

But if you are a freelancer, you will see more of a 50/50 split. Perhaps even 70% marketing and 30% fulfillment. So...where to market?

Where to Market: Online Locations

So where else can you find your audience and get your content in front of them? Some possibilities include:

Kindle
Forums
LinkedIn groups
LinkedIn InMail
Facebook groups
Radio & Podcast Interviews
Quora and other expert platforms
Prospecting Calls
Cold Emails.

Let's look at each of these.

Kindle

Kindle is obviously a great potential source of buyers.

However, it is not a panacea. Putting up a Kindle book or report does not guarantee anything. It's a smart idea and one of the best things you can do from a marketing standpoint. Just having a Kindle book gives you marketing power—even if nobody reads the thing!

But do not expect that you will put up your Kindle product and a zillion hungry buyers will pounce on it. Many factors combine to determine your result. I recommend you get a professional Kindle marketing program to show you all the ins and outs. A well-supported KDP giveaway period can bring you great results, for example.

Forums

Forums are useful because they are gathering places for people already interested in your topic. With your genuine enthusiasm, you can quickly make a name for yourself in a relevant forum by posting. A post is when you answer someone's question, or begin a discussion about the topic.

Each forum has its own rules. Some will be more tolerant of self-promotion than others. Look at other posts and see what the general mood is. If others aren't dropping their own videos in threads, for instance, you probably shouldn't, either.

Your signature, which is the area beneath every one of your posts, is the one place where self-promotion is almost universally allowed. Here is the proper place to put your link. Remember to write an action-inducing headline guiding interested readers to click through.

LinkedIn Groups

Similar to forums, LinkedIn groups are available to discuss specific topics. Most are strict about self-promotion, so your aim here is to find people who have questions you can answer. You could then take the next step with the following tool.

LinkedIn InMail

The following is my opinion, based on my experience. Over the past couple years, LinkedIn went from being relatively free of spam to being overrun with it. However...

...a prospect will look at a LI InMail message.

Compared to a regular email message, your InMail message has a much higher chance of reaching its target. The recipient may sigh and delete it, but they will read the opening part of it.

The good news here is that a quality message will be received with happy surprise. You are much more likely to get a response.

I only use InMail to communicate with highly targeted individual prospects. I do not use software to do so because the punishment for abusing the system is shut-down of your account.

Facebook Groups

Public and private Facebook groups exist and can help you connect with other enthusiasts of the topic. Keep in mind, like forums, there are almost assuredly other sellers in there. Try to be polite and not butt heads.

Facebook groups have the personality of their owner/moderators, adjusted by the collective mood of the active participants, and relative to the involvement level the creator/mods have. Some are open and loose, even with instructions to spam the members! Others are locked down and carefully moderated.

In my experience, the wide open ones are pretty worthless because everyone in there is trying to push their “opportunity”.

A tougher group, on the other hand, may require more tip-toe steps, but your connection and sense of value with the other members will end up being stronger.

Many groups are self-policing, with a few active members who are openly hostile to new arrivals. Be ready to “prove your worth”.

Radio & Podcast Interviews

Being interviewed is itself a very powerful marketing collateral piece. The fact that you are being asked for your opinion by someone else puts you on a pedestal. You do not need to prove your expertise—that will come out in your responses.

The only case I can see being interviewed as an unhelpful thing is if you really have zero expertise.

But since you picked a topic in Part 1, you ought to know more than the average person about it. Remember, you don't have to know everything about the subject: just at least a little more than your market does.

Quora and Other Expert Platforms

If you haven't checked out Quora yet, I recommend you do so. It and other expert platforms like Clarity and Maven give professionals the opportunity to connect with a questioning audience.

You are even allowed to promote yourself a little in these places. Read the rules to be sure of what behavior is acceptable and what is not.

Prospecting Calls

When you have a specific industry as a target market, it can be extremely effective and quick to have brief prospecting calls with actual decision makers.

This is a fast way of sorting for buyers and getting sales.

The purpose of your call is to connect with the decision maker and have them allow you to send them your marketing piece. That way, you'll get on their radar and differentiate yourself. Obviously this is the first step of marketing and the road to sales.

Cold Emails

You are walking near the spam line when you do this; however, if you do it competently and with the right intentions, you can get positive responses. As above, your object is to get the email addresses of key decision makers and send them your content.

Ask if they are interested in what they see. Give them the opportunity to gently say they aren't interested...and a next step to talk with you if they are interested.

Key Thoughts About Where to Market

No one ever got mad about receiving information they are interested in.

Make sure every prospect you have an interaction with has the chance to join your autoresponder series. This is an opportunity to continue to market to them.

Notice that your goal is to start conversations, not spam.

You are going after a few targeted people.

Get their attention with the pain points first.

You can show them how you do what you do differently...later.

Right now your objective is to get them to start the conversation with you: stick up their hand and say, “Yes! I have this problem that you fix!”

Read Part 5 right here

>> Do you want to have a conversation with Jason about your marketing? Book your call here <<

First Marketing Piece [Business Newbie Guide Part 3]

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Jason Kanigan

First marketing piece: how do you write it? This is a big question for most business creators.

And what do they do? Rush out and make a brochure. Whether it is online or on paper, this brochure typically talks about features and benefits of getting the product or service the new business offers.

This is a mistake.

It's also why most brochures are as boring as dirt. "We are these people. This is what we do. It comes in yellow and green. Blah blah blah."

Customers are not attracted by nor do they buy because of these things.

And have you noticed how they are all self-centered? "Me Me Me." That's what the baby business is saying. Even though the most basic marketer knows they ought to be focused on the customer, they default to "Me Me Me" as soon as they have to write a brochure.

How To Make Your First Marketing Piece be Customer-Centered

Instead, imagine a first marketing piece that lets prospective customers know that you understand their situation?

That there are problems, and symptoms of problems, that are resulting in the very uncomfortable situation they find themselves in at this moment--which is precisely why they are looking for a way out?

A common example is: if you were having a heart attack, and a doctor was available to help you immediately, how much would you pay that doctor for their attention?

The answer is: anything.

Use Pain Points for the Copy of Your First Marketing Piece

This is the kind of situation we are looking for, and want to talk about in your first marketing piece. What situation are they in right now...what problem or symptom of a problem are they experiencing...that shows they are in a situation they absolutely cannot remain in?

Near-Future Pain is the biggest motivator of change.

Someone who sees a big problem coming up in the very short term, or that is already upon them, is instantly ready to get the help they need to get away from that problem.

Have your marketing collateral speak to that.

You conducted information interviews and found pain points. Now is the time to write your first marketing piece using the exact words and phrases your niche did to tell you their pain points.

For sales training, mine are...

"If you are:

* frustrated that price keeps coming up as the number one objection from prospects

* concerned that your revenue is up one month and down the next like a yo-yo

* upset because either you or your sales staff are unwilling or unable to make prospecting calls consistently and effectively

we should speak."

This is how to get a conversation started with a highly interested prospect.

The pain point resonates with them. They understand that YOU understand their situation...and because you are speaking so specifically, you stand out well past any competitors--who are going on and on in that boring way about their features and benefits.

Here's a video I made about today's post:

It's too early to talk about results.

Stick with the symptoms and problems for starters.

If you can't start the conversation effectively, you don't get anything else.

Use the pain points to get In.

Part Four: Where to Market

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