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Professionals

Make a New Year’s Resolution to Humanize Your Marketing for 2015

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People do business with people they like. That adage rings will ring as true as ever in 2015. To improve your ROI on marketing, you will need to humanize your communications.

Humanizing your marketing means you think about people instead of the quantity of likes, fans and followers. Someone reading your branded content for 10 seconds is different than someone doing it for 10 minutes.

How much time are people spending on average? Similarly, how many people get to the end of your article? To answer these types of questions, measure success with quality-centric metrics such as reading impact and read ratios. You could also measure live chat engagement.

It also means shifting the focus from purely volume and quantity into one that inherently involves more quality. Here’s how to humanize your marketing for the coming year.

 

Balance quality and quantity.

Naturally, you need to have an audience to share your content with. You can measure this through traditional metrics, such as the size of your email list or your Facebook audience, but approaching your audience purely as clicks, likes, or views can quickly alienate them. Worse yet, you won’t generate worthwhile results if your content doesn’t have a meaningful impact on your audience.

You should shift your mindset to gaging the reaction your audience is having to your content. This can be done by diving into analytics, reading comments and listening to social conversations your audience is having about what content you’re producing.

There some great publishers and companies doing this that you can look towards for guidance, like Upworthy and Medium, two publishers that churn out a ton of quality content and are now measuring the success of their content with attention minutes.

Publishing higher quality content of interest to your audience increases the likelihood your brand will stay top of mind. For example, Baileigh Industrial, a metalworking and woodworking machinery company, has a visually compelling Instagram account. Ty’ve taken the time to share images that better reflect the topics that matter to their customer base, while also highlighting customer success stories. Their competitors don’t even come close to this level of engagement and therefore, it’s much easier for them to come off as a more relatable, humanized business.

 

Don’t automate everything.

There are some very useful tools out there to automate aspects of your marketing efforts, like Buffer, Optimizely and HootSuite, but none of them provide the proverbial silver bullet to make your efforts successful. You have to balance your automation efforts with sensibility.

If you try to automate everything, your customer will notice your scripted messaging and the use of templates, which makes it far more likely that you’ll be ignored. At the same time, you won’t be targeting or segmenting your audience appropriately, which defeats the purpose of using some of these tools to save time, remain productive and reach your marketing goals.

Marketing tools like Marketo and Hubspot can help your business target select groups among your audience, understand their needs and pain points and cater your messaging accordingly.

To start, try better segmenting your email list to begin to see results. Automating a few different templates, each with a unique message to a few segments of your audience. This way you’re able to both automate your messaging without overdoing it and coming off as too robotic to your customer base.

 

Be honest about your intentions.

Lastly, be honest and open with your customers and admit when you mess up. Studio Neat, one of the first companies with a Kickstarter campaign that raised more than $100,000, follows this mantra by consistently updating their customers on their campaigns and blog when there are delays in production or expected problems with shipping.

Blogs like Farnam Street and Ramit Sethi’s I Will Teach You To Be Rich frequently tell their readers to unsubscribe if they’re not interested in receiving their emails, because they don’t want an audience that isn’t engaged or isn’t actively participating in the community.

Microsoft, on the other hand, asks their customers multiple times to opt-in to their promotional emails during check out, even if you’ve already said no. This isn’t an ideal experience for their customers and potential subscribers, instead it comes off as being too focused on growing an email list for the sake of growing it.

Today’s consumers have become much more intelligent with their buying habits, less loyal to the companies they frequent, therefore it’s important to be honest about your intentions and cater to the needs of your audience or you’re more likely to lose their interest.

With so many different ways to measure the impact of our marketing efforts, it’s easy to start perceiving customers as statistics like clicks and open rates, instead of people. In 2015, we should strive to humanize our messaging and marketing as a way of both delighting our audience and differentiating from the competition.

Books, Corporate, Professionals, Students, Teachers, Training & Conferences

Unique Learning’s December Stage Production Schedule

This week Unique Learning’s students are putting on 3 stage performances for our family, friends and community.

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Be sure to attend these free performances and support our students and their learning of English!

 

The Schedule:

On Monday, the 22nd of December 2014, 33 of our students will be performing in a play called Love and Information by Caryl Churchill.

One of the many points made by this exhilarating theatrical kaleidoscope is that we live in a world where information bombardment is in danger of leading to atrophy of memory, erosion of privacy and decay of feeling.

[box type=”shadow” align=”alignleft” ]Love and Information
Place: Atoneli Theatre
Address: Tbilisi, Atoneli, 31
When: 22nd December 2014
Time: 20:00 (8pm)[/box]

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday, the 24th of December 2014, 19 of our students will be performing the much beloved classic The Wizard of Oz by  L. Frank Baum.

Dorothy Gale is swept away to a magical land in a tornado and embarks on a quest to see the Wizard who can help her return home.

[box type=”shadow” align=”alignleft” ]The Wizard of Oz
Place: Atoneli Theatre
Address: Tbilisi, Atoneli, 31
When: 24th December 2014
Time: 20:00 (8pm)[/box]

 

 

 

 

On Friday, the 26th of December 2014, 29 of our students will be performng in the Rodgers and Hammerstein tale The King and I.

Based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam, and the plot relates the experiences of Anna, a British schoolteacher hired as part of the King’s drive to modernize his country. The relationship between the King and Anna is marked by conflict through much of the piece, as well as by a love that neither can admit.

[box type=”shadow” align=”alignleft” ]The King and I
Place: Atoneli Theatre
Address: Tbilisi, Atoneli, 31
When: 26th December 2014
Time: 20:00 (8pm)[/box]

 

theatre map

 

Professionals

Make an Impression on Employees With These 3 Simple, and Free, Holiday ‘Gifts’

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By PETER GASCA, Entrepreneur and Small Business Strategist

This time of year is when many business owners ponder how to demonstrate their appreciation to employees. Though much of the economy is doing very well, with 2014 being the best year for U.S. job gains since 1999, and stock markets at record highs, most small businesses and employees are not feeling it. Therefore, big gifts or bonuses will be difficult for most entrepreneurs to give.

So how can you show your appreciation without breaking your budget?

A small gift and holiday card may be in order, but you can make a much bigger impression by giving all of your employees a healthy dose of these three things:

Compliments

Early in my career, I had a job with a large home builder. The CEO of the company was a very personable and talented leader, and the first time I was promoted, she told me how much she appreciated my hard work and my great work ethic. Her compliment was sincere and unprompted, and it made such a big impact on me that I still remember where we were during the conversation.

Since my position was highly sought after in my industry, I often received recruiting calls from competitors. Each time, I was emboldened by the respect of my boss, so while the money might have been better, I always felt confident to turn them down.

With your team, do not be bashful about giving compliments, especially at this time of year. Be selfless and sincere, and your words will go much further than any small holiday gift.

Credit

Another great trait I remember about many of my role models was their humility. What I remember most was their ability to motivate others to a common goal by constantly giving credit for work. This acknowledgment of my time and effort constantly made me want to work harder and continue to make them proud.

This season, tell your team how much you appreciate their efforts and recognize them for the jobs they have done. Promote successes from the previous year, and even if your team was not completely responsible for them, dole out credit for everything. Appreciate the fact that without your team, your business could not exist. Your selflessness will be appreciated and will energize your team going into 2015.

Confidence

Another great characteristic of great leaders is their confidence. And by confidence, I do not mean self-indulgent narcissism, but rather confidence in the business and the team. Even if your company is doing well, remember that your employees and stakeholders need and want reassurance that their future is secure.

This holiday season, find a way to demonstrate confidence in your organization by leading from the top. Again, promote the successes from the past year, and set and share goals for 2015, which will show that you and your business plan on sticking around. Be sure to express that you believe that, because of the team you have, next year will be better than the last. The energy from your confidence and courage will be felt throughout your organization.

This holiday season, if your budget can afford it, do give your employees a small token of your appreciation for a job well done. Go beyond gifts, however, and give them all a healthy dose of compliments, credit and confidence this holiday season.

These are gifts that cost you nothing but will mean the world to your team.

 

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Professionals

The People Growing Rich In Sales Share These 5 Entrepreneurial Qualities

 

Seems that sales has gotten a bad rap over the past few years, and today it seems young people want nothing to do with it. Salespeople are characterized as overly zealous and manipulative middle-aged men, the used-car salesman if you will.

It’s time this stereotype is reinvented. There comes a time when salespeople need to take a step outside of their employee mindset, and begin thinking differently with a more entrepreneurial approach. Just because salespeople don’t own the business, doesn’t mean they can’t posses the qualities of those entrepreneurs. Here are the top characteristics that all of these “entrepreneurial” salespeople have in common, to help you to reinvent yourself as a salesperson as well.

1: Do-or-die attitude

Entrepreneurs have a do-or-die ethos. They will do whatever it takes to get the job done. If you can extend this into your work in sales you’ll put in that extra commitment and effort to close the sale. You must possess a high level of persistence to obtain this attitude. Entrepreneurial salespeople don’t take “no” for an answer. They will press on, even in the face of failure. They have the attitude and the confidence that they will succeed and make the sale. In the end, they always do.

2: Mindset of a scientist

This unique type of salesperson has a willingness and love for experimenting with new selling tactics, and dipping into new markets. One of the many new, great things about the web is that every interaction can be measured. We can gather tons of data about human behavior. Entrepreneurial salespeople use this data to test their hypotheses and predictions. They constantly try new things, to see what works best for them.

They know there’s not an exact universal science that will get them the sale 100 percent of the time. That’s why it’s good to experiment and play around with different methods. A good scientist never gets stuck in the past, because the world of science is constantly changing. The same goes for in the sales world. If you’ve been trying the same, mundane tactics for a long time, chances are they’re outdated. You will gain from tapping into the scientist mindset for some new tactics.

3: Efficient work, not a hard-worker

Most people working in sales are familiar with the Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 Rule. Which says precisely that 80 percent of your sales will come from just 20 percent of your customers. Entrepreneurial salespeople have not only understood this concept from the get-go, but they live by it. They work smart, which allows them to work less. By focusing on just the top 20 percent of your clients you can really hone in on their needs and watch your business prosper.

It’s difficult for average salespeople to obtain this mindset because, as part of our nature, we want to treat all our clients equally. That’s why entrepreneurial salespeople will soon take over. They’re effortlessly getting a lot more sales than the salesman who’s slaving away to please everybody.

Efficiency is also obtained by entrepreneurial salespeople embracing new technology in the field. Sales-order apps make it easier and more efficient for salespeople to obtain data about the top 20 percent, so you can spend more effort on impressing them and less with the nitty-gritty details. This isn’t just in theory.

4: Attentive listener

Think about the people you value most in your life. Often, these are the people who listen to you most, who show an active caring for your situation and want to hear about it. Active and attentive listening is not only fundamental to building strong positive relationships, but it will also help you to assess better if a prospect really has the need for your product or service.

Once again, the old stereotypical salesperson is one who blabs on for 40 minutes straight and doesn’t even answer your original question. The entrepreneurial salesperson is a master listener, pulling information about the customers thoughts and feelings rather than always pushing.

5: Risk taker

Great entrepreneurs and salespeople are willing to innovate and try risky things. Today, this is more important than ever. New products and services call for new modes of selling. Once you fall into a routine and get into your comfort zone, it’s difficult to challenge yourself.

“I just broke my personal record by staying right here in my comfort zone!” said no entrepreneurial salesperson ever. In order to move to the top of the field and get the most sales, you have to think differently and take big risks. The exciting thing about risks is you can’t know or anticipate exactly what the outcome will bring you. You have to take risks to see future gains.

Anyone in sales can develop these characteristics of a successful entrepreneurial salesperson. With a change in thinking and a new attitude, we can shift the persona of the old salesman into the modern entrepreneurial salesperson everyone wants to be.

 

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Professionals

15 Characteristics of People Who Succeed at Sales

If you’ve ever been involved with sales, then you know that it’s not for the faint of heart. Whether it’s selling a pair of sneakers at a store, a new heating system to homeowners or pitching a startup to investors, making that sale depends on the appearance, knowledge and enthusiasm of the salesperson. Quite frankly, not all of us have those characteristics in us. There is a saying that salesmen are born, not taught. Well, not exactly. Undoubtedly, there is natural talent, but can you can learn these characteristics and be just as successful? Yes!

A true salesperson has the following characteristics that they use consistently to succeed in making those important sales.

 

1. Conscientiousness  

In 1993, the American Psychological Association published a report that found the most successful sales reps were “conscientious.” This trait is found in people who take great pride in their work, are organized and efficient. But, if you are not organized and efficient, you can learn to be. Conscientious also means you keep going in your job, no matter what.

2. Respectful

Founder of Searchmetrics, Marcus Tober, states that “our top sales reps respect our customers’ time above all else. You have to make sure that your customers and potential customers are treated like gold.” Part of doing this is making sure that they have time and you schedule time for work. People want the bottom line. Old tactics don’t work. People are busy, respect their time above all.

3. Initiative

Sales reps don’t wait for orders. They’re go-getters and take matters into their own hands. Being disciplined like this helps salesmen to stay on track. If something has to be sold, there is a way to do it. The salesman will do what it takes to sell the product. Learn to like the product better, compliment where appropriate (even if they hate it at first), learn how to mirror to connect and then actually care about the connection.

4. They listen

American Express’ OPEN Forum says that the best sales people ask their clients and customers “why they want something done.” When you listen to your clients/customers, you find out what they want and need, and how to make that happen. If you don’t know exactly how to make happen what your client has asked for, be absolutely sure that there is a way. You just haven’t found it, yet.

5. Persistent

You have to have thick-skin to be a salesperson. Why? Because you’re going to become very familiar with the word “no.” You have to be confident and persistent if you want to remain involved with sales. The public is done with the hard sell. However, the average person is not done with extreme kindness, even if you are irritating. “Hello, yes, I’m calling you back because I know you didn’t mean to hang up on me.”

6. Coachable

According to Mark Roberge from HubSpot, experience isn’t nearly as important as coachability for predicting successful reps. Being energetic, willing to learn and having the ability to adapt are all a part of being “coachable.” Coachable means an early adopter of the suggestion. If you are asked to do things in a certain way, do it that way, even if it’s something you have always done a different way. Brainstorm in your one-on-one with you coach.

7. Positive

Who would you rather make a purchase from? The upbeat go-getter or the depressed downer? Having a positive attitude and being cheerful makes it easier to approach customers and keep their attention until after you’ve made the sale. This positive attitude exudes from a person. If you’ve got a really bad scene going on at home, stuff it! I mean, stuff it! Learn to compartmentalize the aspects of your life. Your work life is positive. Try some psychology, smile, jump up and down, breathe, do what you have to to be positive.

8. Resourceful

The true salesman is able to shift gears if a sale isn’t going the way that they envisioned. Instead of just taking “no” as an answer, they will attempt a different approach by using their creativity and imagination. Remember though, you have to make it snappy and switch quickly. Learn to read faces. If your approach has not worked within two minutes, change. Have your twists and turns ready. If you have to practice them at home so that you are natural.

9. Passionate

A top-notch salesperson actually enjoys their job. If you hate it, change or get out. Most importantly, the salesman will be passionate about the products or services that they’re selling. If they’re on board with a brand’ message, they can excitedly share that vision with prospective clients and customers. Happy, positive, love it, passionate.

10. Ask questions

Searcy states that there is data that has discovered “that the higher-performing sales representatives ask more questions–often more than twice as many.” But, these salespeople don’t ask questions that focus solely on data. They want to know what the implications are. I have personally found that the questions I ask are not about the product. The client got what you are selling your first time around. Don’t drone on. This client has something to say. What is it? They have a Zen garden at home? You learn to love the Zen garden quickly and ask more.

11. Independent

Since most salespeople work on a commission, they have to be independent and will take the correct measures in making this a reality. The boss doesn’t have to be there to make sure the work gets done. The salesman is a self-motivator. The independent salesperson can build themselves up to do more. They can pat themselves on the back and appreciate their own greatness. Most independent salespeople do not have to be thanked for each call or sales, they know how to say, “Good job, me!”

12. Time managers

Here’s a simple equation: more selling time increases sales and compensation. The best salespeople manage their time effectively, such as finding the best routes from location to location, so that they have more opportunities and time to spend securing a sale. If one place or person takes too long, or longer than expected, the time manager makes up for it somewhere else.

13. Overachieve

Author and sales expert Grant Cardone informed OPEN FORUM that salespeople should “over commit and over-deliver.” You have to go above and beyond. True salespeople don’t know when to stop and typically are pushing for more. More people, more clients, more work, more money… just more. The quality more.

14. Personable

A great salesperson has no problem getting along with others. And, most importantly, they enjoy meeting new people and realize the power of networking. It’s not surprising to see salespeople involved with so many local events and organizations. Most sales people love people, and it shows. They are energized by people. They go home and can hardly sleep after an event.

15. Alertness

Salespeople are always prepared. They have to be ready for any situation that they’re thrown into and know how to successfully break free. The salesperson is aware of herself and her body. If she is not alert, she has felt it coming on and taken care of it. Caffeine up, run up and down the block or eat less, they do whatever it takes. Alertness is key to so many of the principles of being a great salesperson.

Books, Professionals

Book of the Week: Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple’s Greatest Products by Leander Kahney

“An adulating biography of Apple’s left-brained wunderkind, whose work continues to revolutionize modern technology.” —Kirkus Reviews

In 1997, Steve Jobs discovered a scruffy British designer toiling away at Apple’s headquarters, surrounded by hundreds of sketches and prototypes. Jony Ive’s collaboration with Jobs would produce some of the world’s most iconic technology products, including the iMac, iPod, iPad, and iPhone. Ive’s work helped reverse Apple’s long decline, overturned entire industries, and created a huge global fan base. Yet little is known about the shy, soft-spoken whiz whom Jobs referred to as his “spiritual partner.”

Leander Kahney offers a detailed portrait of the English art school student with dyslexia who became the most acclaimed tech designer of his generation. Drawing on interviews with Ive’s former colleagues and Apple insiders, Kahney “takes us inside the creation of these memorable objects.” (The Wall Street Journal)

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Books, Professionals

The Little-Known Story of Jony Ive’s First Apple Product Design

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Jony Ive hasn’t always been the tech design colossus that he is today — in fact, it turns out that his highly acclaimed design chops had very humble origins at Apple. Business Insider has published an excerpt from Leander Kahney’s book Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple’s Greatest Products that details Ive’s first time heading up an Apple design project, in this case the Newton MessagePad 110 that was a sequel to the first-generation Newton that infamously failed to set the tech world on fire in the early 1990s.

After the original Newton got panned in early reviews, Apple put Ive in charge of the project to right the ship. Although no Newton will ever be seen along the same lines as the iPhone or the MacBook Air, Ive did bring some real improvements to the device that were readily apparent. You’ll be unsurprised to know that Ive worked to make the device’s stylus thinner and he also redesigned the device’s lid with a spring-loaded mechanism that opened up the device when you pressed down on it.

The result was a device that won several design awards despite the fact that it didn’t sell anywhere close to what Apple had hoped. And more importantly, the Newton MessagePad 110 won Ive many admirers within the company and set the stage for his later triumphs.

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Professionals

5 Ways To Get Prospective Customers to Choose You

In the world of business marketing, the strategic focus has slowly shifted from seeking potential clients to making them want to come to you.

In other words, you as a business owner can finally forgo the drudgery of always having to jump through hoops to gain a client and instead focus on making your customers want to come to you.

To learn how to utilize this marketing strategy, read the helpful tips listed below:

 

1. Don’t target everyone.

Admittedly, it does seem counterproductive to minimize your potential client base when attempting to grow your business.However, often catering to a niche client base will help you succeed in your efforts to grow your business, not the reverse.

After all, you can’t please everyone and people love specific personalized solutions for their problems.. By selecting a niche group within your broad business arena, you can market more specifically and offer products or services for specific needs.

A good example is Richard Simmons. He is known as exercise expert who focuses on a niche market: overweight people who would otherwise avoid working out. In so doing, Simmons has become a huge success.

 

2. Make your marketing entertaining. 

While you want prospects to attain information about your business, product or service after watching the ad, you also want your marketing campaign to be memorable, funny and worth sharing. Otherwise, it will likely be forgotten.

 

3. Provide free resources.

If you as a business owner and solve a client’s problem for free, you will have succeeded where 99.9 percent of others have failed.

By offering a tip or helping a client pro bono, you are building repoire with them which could lead to business down the line. This can help gain credibility, trust and create an image of yourself as an expert in your field.

 

4. Use authority positioning.

Authority positioning means that you are seen as an expert in your chosen field. To communicate your trustworthiness to your clients, try the following strategies:

Align yourself with other experts. Whether through speaking at the same seminar as other experts in your field or simply using their logo on your website (with their permission of course), when you align yourself with other experts in your field, you garner immediate trust.

Appear in relevant media. Another way to prove your authority is to be quoted in articles, appear on TV or become a guest on a radio shows and podcasts.  To stand out, create three different pitches that tie into general interest news, so you can sent to producers. The key is writing them, so the producer doesn’t have to do any research or work. Give them everything they need for a five- to 10-minute segment.

Share what you know through various means. Whenever you have an opinion, can offer advice or build yourself up as a thought leader share alot and often. A great example of this point is Dave Ramsey. He shares what he knows about financial independence with Christian values on his radio show every day. He also uses seminars, books and his website, to build brand trust and recognition.

 

5. Create a strong digital profile.

Having a polished digital profile is an important step in getting prospects to come to you.

Why is this so important?

  • Potential business connections and clients will sometimes search for your name in advance of meetings, so you want to have an impressive profile available for them to peruse.
  • Your digital profile is a reflection of who you are, what you are passionate about and what you do well. In addition, since you should also include a photo in your profile, it shows your appearance.
  • Your online profile allows you to brand yourself and showcase your talents, and in many ways, has taken the place of a traditional resume.
  • A digital profile that is well maintained gives you the ability to create a professional network, which will help you build trust and authority in your field.

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