The post 5 Marketing Success Elements appeared first on Chuck Sink Link.

According to the SBA, over 70 percent of registered American businesses are sole proprietorships. The vast majority of these businesses have one employee, the sole proprietor himself or herself. They are the self employed. The “one man band” industry is big, and more lucrative than many sales people may realize. It may be more accurate to refer to this group of small businesses as an economic sector, rather than an “industry.”

The variety of services and products this diverse set of entrepreneurs provides puts them in a class of business consumers that’s impossible to define narrowly. They fall into no vertical market category. The only common denominator among this group is the number 1. They work independently but not alone. They have dynamic organizational structure in the form of a network. Their relationships are necessarily strong for them to sustain their businesses.

Successful solopreneurs tend to be trusted advisors to their clients and therefore have significant influence in the market. Some examples:

• An independent management consultant could make recommendations that influence major industrial contract decisions. Winning his approval could be required to land a huge sale.
• A local real estate agent could be the connection you need to sell software to the largest mortgage company in the region.
• The busy carpenter you meet at a Chamber mixer could be your first bookkeeping or CPA client.
• A freelance writer working from home could bring you a couple of your largest website clients.
• The self-employed professional (with no recent pay stubs) could grow to become a solid commercial banking client.

The moral of these bullets is that you just never know who’s who until you find out whom they know and work with. There’s a type of customer referred to in old sales jargon as a “sleeper.” A business person you discover working from home or from a small office with no staff could be assumed to have no real budget behind their humble operation. While there are many struggling start up solopreneurs who seek freebies and might waste your time, you can’t tell by appearances alone whether they offer opportunity or not. You need to have a conversation and hear what they do. Check out their business network and work history before deciding whether it’s worthwhile to engage in business. A real “sleeper” could end up being your best customer or referral connection.

Small Power!

The solopreneur sector is growing out of the necessity of “the new normal” – the economic conditions that have stifled growth and permanently eliminated many corporate jobs. Highly talented and skilled people have, in record numbers, discovered they can put their ambition and talent to work in a newly frugal marketplace that welcomes smallness, simplicity, low overhead, nimbleness, cost effectiveness and independence.

When people suddenly get laid off without another job lined up, most of them file for unemployment compensation and start looking for a new job. There is a perceived dependency on steady income, healthcare benefits, vacation time and a regular work schedule. The organization feels like a safe and comfortable place to work and becomes almost like a parent provider for the family. The prospects of starting a business with no immediate income and predictable stream of paying customers is horrifying to most people with a mortgage, college loans and car payments. I know this feeling intimately because I’ve been there. The aspiring entrepreneur with high family expenses and no start up capital needs to believe it can be done. They need faith in something bigger than themselves because no unaided person can build an organization by himself.

Economic modesty is privately disparaged by some in the professional community. Nobody wants to admit they can’t afford to replace an old car or take a trip whenever they feel like it. It’s a cultural thing. Some people with means may perceive that those who haven’t yet turned the success corner probably never will and should be avoided as time wasters. Body language often conveys this attitude. Thankfully for entrepreneurs, there is usually a curious person with an open mind somewhere in just about any crowd.

An Untapped Niche?

I’ve personally seen distressed individuals lose jobs and take the leap to start a business. They came across as a bit needy at first. They persevered through the startup struggles during the first few years and now operate vibrant, growing businesses, buying all kinds of products and business services to keep running. A few of my compatriots fit this profile and we can tell you our stories.

For the start-up solopreneur, there is nothing more empowering than other solopreneurs or small businesses willing to mentor and provide affordable needed services. Here, relationships are better than cash. Money, once spent, can’t keep providing anything. Strong relationships and mutual collaboration are the wellsprings of business sustainability and growth.

Every bootstrap business founder in the world can look back to the early relationships that saved his butt and provided springboards to profitability; profitability that today is reinvested through the purchase of capital assets as well as operational supplies and services. Many of these business owners like to remain small, nimble and independent. They don’t usually have the visible trappings of other businesses but they do have money to spend and colleagues to recommend.

In some cases, it’s a good idea to help support the one-person startup business that has a need for your services by loosening firm prices, waiving tight credit terms or spending a little more time with him or her. As their company grows, so will your business as they remember who their real friends are.

The post Tapping the Business Network of One appeared first on Chuck Sink Link.

It can be the very best idea you ever had; one that will change everything and lead to fortunes… And it’s gone, probably forever!

This article is not what I had in mind to write about earlier this week. A flash of brilliance hit me while driving and I was so excited to write an article about it. It was perfect for the audience. It was an extremely important and valuable message. I had a list of instructions to include and I couldn’t wait to write the article so people could begin to benefit from it. That’s as much as I remember about it. Now it’s gone. GONE!

I intended to record the idea, got distracted and figured it could wait because there was no way I’d forget an idea that good. Well, I didn’t pull over to write it down nor otherwise safely record the idea. Now, no matter how hard I try to recall, it’s a total blank. This has happened to me before and it won’t happen again!

Writing about forgetfulness is the last thing I had in mind this week. This exercise, however, is good for me and it’s good for you too. The very act of drilling this notion so deeply into my subconscious by writing about it will help assure  that I act on my future good ideas.  This reminder about the importance of keeping a journal or recording device with you always will help you remember to catalog those great ideas that can help your customers and improve your business.

Some of our most creative and useful ideas occur to us when it’s least convenient to stop and record them. These situations include:

• The shower – ideas go right down the drain.
• In bed – ideas vanish like forgotten dreams.
• While driving alone – ideas go out the window and get run over in traffic.
• While jogging, biking or working out – ideas get weaker as your body gets stronger.

Figure out a way to record your good ideas in all of these situations and make it a habit to keep a journal with you always. Recording ALL of your good ideas the very moment they occur is the only way they have a chance at being implemented.

Some people are like elephants when it comes to memory and they can mentally index and classify ideas for recall when needed. Those people are rare exceptions in the population. As for you and me, lets’ make a pact right now to start writing down every good idea so more of them will be implemented for a better world.

And just think, when I start practicing this habit of recording ideas and keeping a journal, you’ll have more interesting articles to read and better tactics to implement for your business. Please stay tuned…

The post The best ideas are sometimes forgotten. appeared first on Chuck Sink Link.

The law of sowing and reaping is old, really old, and it won’t go away. The biblical metaphor of the farmer who persistently and patiently keeps sowing good seeds always reaps rewards, eventually, no matter what. The late Jim Rohn made a fortune telling this story many times as his own way of sowing, and his business grew internationally making him among the most respected (and richest) business motivators of the last century.

There are beaten paths, rocky roads, choking weeds and all manner of hazards, some of of our making, that interfere with the growth of the crop (business) we’re trying to plant and raise. It’s easy to plant the seeds of business development and then quit after the first few plantings fail to yield. We can easily be convinced the seeds are just no good or we’re not cut out for the business we happen to be in. Giving up too early is tragic when all that is needed for success is a patch of fertile soil, and the world is filled with such patches even if they’re temporarily hidden.

There is a lesson in persistence here but there is so much more to the parable – story – metaphor. There are many different kinds of thieves – some internal, some external – that rob us of faith and steal our motivation to press on. These thieves are cunning and baffling.

So often have I been experiencing direct success from a sales or marketing activity when at the same time someone is telling me they tried it and it doesn’t work. They signed up and made the team but quit when they missed their first shot on goal. It’s easy to be convinced it won’t work if it doesn’t succeed after one or two tries. Don’t fall for the lies of self deception and beware of the other naysayers out there!

The first quarter of 2014 is gone forever!

Now is the time! Spring is the season of rebirth and renewal, bla bla bla… See, there goes my little demon telling me that positive messages like this are trite; that I need toget my head out of the clouds and look more at scientific metrics. But you know what? I’m going to keep on keeping on: sowing seeds in the form of publishing newsletters, attending business events, public relations, sponsorships, social media networking, online marketing and, yes, even good old sales calls!

We have good seeds to sow and as we keep sowing, some is bound to land on fertile ground. If you know where that ground is, great! Stay there an nurture it. No matter what, keep sowing wherever you’re going. If you happen to find the seed of a good idea in any of our newsletter/blog content, would you please plant it in the mind of another?

The post The wealthy sower – so old he’s new! appeared first on Chuck Sink Link.

Sometimes this blog brings some hands-on marketing technique information to readers such as better SEO practices, how to use Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. But it focuses mostly on building skills that help business owners, marketing directors and salespeople do their jobs better. Let’s look at just a few key skills that will help you in your business, whatever category you’re in; professional services, manufacturing, construction, business services, retail, legal, real estate… you name it.

3 skills every business person needs to succeed:

1.  Networking & Building Relationships:  If you can’t listen well and carry on a mutually pleasing conversation with someone you may as well go back to your cubicle and fight carpal tunnel syndrome. That may be fine if you program or crunch numbers better than anyone else but chances are you’ll always work for someone else or need someone else to help you grow your business. There is no substitute for people doing business face to face. Clients and customers gravitate to people they enjoy being around and prefer to do business with people they like.

2.  Consistency:  Stay focused on what you do best. The jack of all trades is master of none and today’s customers want the best that’s out there. If you try to be all things to all people, you will be known for nothing. None of us can be best-in-class in more than one or two specialties. Resist the temptation to position your brand as an expert generalist. There’s really no such thing and customers know it. Business owners often fear they will miss out on opportunities unless they cast the broadest net. It may work in politics but not business. When you carefully develop your business strategy and clearly communicate your brand positioning by being known well for one thing, customers from all over the place will be attracted to that message because they want that one thing from the best in the business.

3.  Customize experiences:  Do your homework! “When you walk in empty headed, you’ll walk out empty handed.” There’s another brilliant quip from Jeffrey Gitomer. It means preparing for every unique customer interaction. If you have an appointment with a prospect or new customer, go in knowing about them and what makes them tick. How can your product or service experienced be customized to fit them like a comfortable glove? This takes research. It takes extra time and work on your part. Do the extra work and you’ll stand up head and shoulders above your competition. Your genuine confident smile will set your clients at ease and let them know they made the right choice when they called you.

We subtitled this “3 skills…” but here’s your bonus: Believe and have faith in the power that is greater than you – from whence all success is derived. Whatever your understanding of this power, know this. It exists and it isn’t you. I choose to call Him God. All of your skills and talents are given life to serve others and you are the instrument through which they are carried out in service. The most precious habit you can nurture is prayer and meditation to start your day – every day.

The post Soft Skills that Deliver Hard Assets appeared first on Chuck Sink Link.

This post is updated from one year ago and it is more relevant today than ever.

I will need several business services and products to continue growing my business and many of them I don’t need now, or can’t afford yet. That’s why I want you to keep in touch so I won’t forget you.

One of the most common mantras you will hear in business is “Timing is everything.”  I agree. Trying to persuade a prospective customer that he needs your product before he needs your product will annoy him. Just as bothersome is attempting to “educate” your prospect about his “pain” when he doesn’t feel any. If, however, there is a pain point in his business and your product or service will solve it, then by all means take some time to discuss your solution. If you get a “think it over” response, you probably won’t make a sale… until maybe year or two from now. I’m sure you plan on still being around then.

A careful sense of timing – to each individual customer – is critical when planning a direct marketing message or making a sales call.

You may say, “yeah, but how can you possibly live inside every potential customer’s world and know when the time is right?” In traditional business development, a good CRM (customer relationship management) program like Salesforce or ACT works well. So, that’s one way to use good timing but there’s a better way:  It’s all the time!

Junk goes in the trash but the good stuff is opened.

First, identify your target audience by vertical industry lists or by networking and prospecting so you know they have a need for your service or product. Develop your database of names, addresses, phone numbers and EMAIL ADDRESSES. Furthermore, connect with as many as possible on LinkedIn and Facebook. Follow them on Twitter. Then get to work being a sought-after specialist to each one of your prospects.

Why are Google and Apple the most successful companies in the world right now? Because they are genius at what they do and how they communicate it. They remainrelevant and communicate value all the time. There are much smaller examples including local restaurants, law firms, IT companies, you name it.

You need to get busy demonstrating your genius to all of the prospects in your database.  Be a collector and generator of valuable content – expertise and ideas that make people say “Hmm… or WOW!  Yes, it’s hard but you can do it. If I can do it, you can do it too, maybe better!

This isn’t about about you but rather the people in your target audience. My closest concrete example of how this works is what you’re reading right now. Every week different people tell me the same thing: “I get so much junk email and delete it but I always save and read your newsletter.” The Chuck Sink Link generates more quality leads – soon to be clients – than any other sales or marketing activity I’ve ever practiced in 25 years. To all of you: Many thanks!

The examples of how this works are sprinkled throughout your life.

Think about the emails you opt-in to and the supplier companies you follow. What about the exceptional sales reps that stand out from the crowd and whom you like hearing from?

There are plenty of great marketers who know how to put value in front of their audience on a regular, appropriately frequent basis so they are top-of-mind at all times for their products & services. So, when the time is right for their prospect to buy, guess who gets the call?

The post I’m interested, but not right now. appeared first on Chuck Sink Link.

Think about your last five or ten new customers. Where did they come from and why did they come to you? I’m willing to bet they ordered from you or hired you because you established a relationship. If they came to you by referral, it was because you built a relationship with someone else first.

Selling is a tough profession these days. The world of sales has changed profoundly in the last 10 years. I’ve been through it and seen it from numerous angles and have some understanding of what works and what doesn’t in 2014.

I don’t make sales calls anymore and unlike pre-2010, I don’t get anxious during new business meetings. Rather, I stay in touch with prospects without any pretense of selling them something. They know it and I know it. Now I make sales all the time. My “closing ratio” is the best it’s been in my selling career. There is a natural process to it free of pressure on either side of the transaction.

I was having a discussion with a client about pre-internet and pre-voicemail proliferation. Prior to the mid-late 1990s, most companies had open door policies for salespeople because they were the carriers of new product information and industrial innovations. The advance of Internet search changed all that.

In the present day and age, without having a strong network and a good reputation, most salespeople haven’t much hope for success. People don’t give salespeople their time like they used to.

Up until about 2006-2008, before online social-business transparency started to influence people’s decisions, traditional cold calling and appointment setting still worked fairly well. Since then, the game has changed profoundly. The good news for traditionalists is that relationships still rule the business world. People will always prefer to do business with people they like.

I do a lot of self marketing with email, social media and earned media coverage. All of that builds my company and personal brand. My company is known for the reasons I want it to be known.

As a marketing consultant, there is nothing more gratifying than when I gain a new client through these marketing efforts. However, when I look honestly at the numbers, approximately 70% of my business comes from networking and the relationships I’ve nurtured over the last 4 years.

Without brand recognition and continuous marketing to strategically build that brand, networking alone probably wouldn’t be enough for my business or any business to succeed. I once heard a quip that has always stuck with me. When asked about what single thing really works in marketing, the successful entrepreneur answered: “No single thing works, that’s why we do everything!”

For a salesperson to succeed today, he or she needs 1) a good product/service, 2) consistent strategic branding and marketing efforts behind the product/service/brand, and 3) a consistently robust networking routine. The relationships built from the networking combined with the referrals generated from those relationships are where the majority of sales will come. One of my favorite sales gurus likes to say, “It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you.”

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The post Who will take your call in 2014? appeared first on Chuck Sink Link.

In the early years of my selling career, I was lucky to have a decent smile, a sharp suit and manners instilled by my parents. Just showing up at the right time enabled me to take orders from prospects and customers. It was luck (to me, Providence) because all I really cared about was making the sale so I could earn money. I was driven to be a good salesman to feed not only my family but as much my ego. If I hit it off with a customer, that was nice but it really wasn’t the relationship I was seeking. Notice how many I’s are in this paragraph?

Many years of cold calling, follow up calling, appointment setting, winning and losing taught me some lessons about why, for many years, I was putting the cart before the horse. Customers didn’t care about my success, they cared about their profits and their own careers. Then I started reading about sales and marketing from some masters of the profession. With skepticism I attended more networking events but tried collecting business cards and insisted others take mine and call me the instant they needed my products, promising “competitive prices and great service.” (Ho hum!) Persistence was my only real selling asset for a long time.

Fast forward a decade and a half to my entrepreneurship. I wouldn’t have a business of my own had I not learned to care genuinely for people in my network. Networking events now are fun and rewarding because my focus is on how interesting other businesses are; how fascinating the professional lives of others can be, not to mention their personal and family lives. 

Common ground is fertile ground.

Most people in business love to talk – about their business. The person who actively listens to them is a valuable and attractive person. The person who really listens to them, understands their value and takes action to connect them with someone else who can benefit from their value is a treasured contact. The resulting relationship crosses from connection to friend. People want to help their friends. Business networking is a great way to build your personal brand and it works for you when you show up with the goal of listening to help. People like that. Therefore they will like you. People prefer to do business with people they like.

Do you have a start-up? Is your website delivering results? If not, find out why and what you can do about it – from experts. It’s guaranteed:

Submit Your Startup. Get featured. Get feedback. (Sponsor this newsletter)

The post Isolation is Desolation appeared first on Chuck Sink Link.

There is a lot of volunteerism and philanthropy going on all the time. Most businesses I know devote time, energy and money to showing up at fundraisers, volunteer events and simply giving for the sake of helping the less fortunate among us. Thank God for the generosity of so many in the business world. Giving back is a wonderful thing and many companies make it part of their business plans.

When we see and hear the authentic gratitude of individuals who are helped immeasurably by the generosity of corporate and personal giving, we get emotional because that’s where our selfless love is manifest – one child, man or woman at a time. It is in that one home (hopefully with more added and multiplied) where we witness the evidence of the goodness of our charity.

There are other, more profound works of charity being performed by a small portion of our society. They happen on the street, in the office, the classroom and even the boardroom. They are performed by people who have something in common. What that “something” is, I leave you to ponder.

Doubtless, you have been surprised at some point by extremely valuable help coming from others at great expense to them. Perhaps you felt obliged to pay them back, tried to and they forthrightly refused.

Who’s calling?

The simplest things like answering a stranger’s phone call, returning the calls and emails from salespeople you’ve engaged or from job hunters are acts that one can avoid without a business penalty (usually). He might even think it’s best not to waste the time because his time is far more valuable remaining focused on paying customers and weighing important business decisions. Maybe that salesperson or job hunter would be helped or encouraged by a brief and cheerful dialog.

Spending half a day of prime business hours, filling a gas tank and burning through tires costs real money. Doing things like that for non customers who need your professional expertise is a very kind thing to do. Such is an act of charity; selfless giving that fewer and fewer people seem willing to do. But these kinds of things create ripples in the world, noticed or not.

The latest example of business related kindness in my circle came from a man who wouldn’t expect an article to be written about him, nor would he consider whether or not the favor would be returned. So, to honor his genuine humility I’ll just offer a hyperlink to his website and let you know that my students really needed to hear from him yesterday and they did. Thank you, Steve!

The post Showing up is fine. Helping unexpectedly is priceless! appeared first on Chuck Sink Link.

There are these really old guys out there, some passed like Zig Ziglar, who no longer appeal to new generations striving to succeed in business. A new breed has come along. They promise miracles if you will only follow their formula to the letter. If you try and fail, it’s your fault for not doing it right.

There are golf equipment marketers who claim that if you will only switch to their brand of clubs or balls, you will shave a number of strokes off your game.* The asterisk is for the lawyers. How about weight loss products, exercise equipment, even software for business efficiency? Sure, truly breakthrough technologies from inventors and brilliant engineers offer new tools that leverage your skill more efficiently (sometimes exponentially), I get that.

But, there there will always be scam artists out there like the late PT Barnum who know full well, “there’s a sucker born every minute.” More subtle marketers can make believable claims about removing the hard work from business so you can “make money in your sleep.” Yeah, again, I get it! E-commerce technologies can automate transactions and bill credit cards for you, but what made that possible and how will it be sustained?

Please let a recently deceased and universally loved gentleman drive my points home, for I fear the risk of wearing you out. Please take over Zig… READ MORE

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