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Survivors Guide to Social Media

Before a recent social media workshop for owners and executives in the printing industry I sent out three pre-workshop questions each participant had to ponder and try to answer before the session started:

1. How does social media fit into your current marketing plan (if there is one)? If there isn’t a plan, what would you like to get out of social media?
2. What is going to be said, by whom, using which channels and why?
3. Could social media management be a service you could use to help your customers? If not, why not? If so, how?

The answers I got back were expected and it helped me develop the content for the workshop. Here is an example of one of the responses:

“I don’t know that I am able to answer these questions. I want to know:

1. What social networking is
2. How a business [printer] can use it to his benefit
3. The step by step process to establish our social network.

At that juncture I expect I would be more prepared to answer the questions. I can tell you that we have a marketing plan; however, social media marketing is not part of it. What I want from social media marketing, like my overall marketing effort, is to develop more business.”

What follows is an abbreviated Social Media Survivors Guide you can use to help begin your journey in navigating the challenges and opportunities around social media.

What Is It? Social networking addresses the human need to interact. Social media are methods and channels to interact with other humans as part of a person’s network. Social networking isn’t new. The ways in which it can get done: blogging, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and many more are very new to most. According to Wikipedia, social networking transforms broadcast media monologues into social media dialogues.

Why Should We Do Anything? There is a video on the web worth watching as part of your survival training. The Did You Know? video is currently in its fourth version and describes global changes in the world, new technologies, convergence and the way people behave. The video asks us if we’re ready for the changes and I believe that sets up one of the most important success behaviors in social networking and business—having a plan. Developing a strategic approach to the opportunity is better than haphazard tactical attempts. An even more relevant reason to work on your strategy about how to deal with the changes is because most of your customers are trying to figure this out too, why not work on it together?

Where Does Social Media Fit In? I’m not trying to overwhelm you with videos, but they are an effective medium along with print and there’s one you don’t want to miss. Eric Qualman wrote Socialnomics, a brand new book on social media. Eric developed a video that takes many of the social media statistics and puts them in an engaging presentation on how we are totally changing the way we communicate. The beginning of the video asks “Is Social Media a Fad?” By the end you will see that some form of social networking with new media tools will continue to grow in use and application.

What Can a Business (Printer) Do About This? No one likes the first part but it’s a good first step. Think strategically about what you could do. Where are you, where do you want to be? Where is your current customer and where are they going? And what about the customers you don’t have…where are they going and can you meet them ahead of time or help them get where they are going? It’s how you can win new business from existing customers and new customers by identifying what they want and having a process in place to deliver on it. That’s marketing.

The second part to the question is a tactical one. It’s got a 4 part answer according to Qualman and it works because I do something similar and help others do the same: 

1. Listening: Choose a social media channel and set up an account. Find out who is saying what to whom and perhaps why. Following your customers, customer’s customers, vendors, partners and competition can increase your knowledge—and suck up a lot of time if you don’t watch it.
2. Interacting: Participating in conversations, sharing ideas, asking questions, answering questions, exploring what can be done and said are all part of this step. 
3. Reacting: Make changes to your social media approach, your business, your services, your customer service…your whole mission can happen here. FedEx listens actively on Twitter and follows up in minutes if someone Tweets about a bad FedEx experience.
4. Selling: The first three steps will help you identify what a business wants. Keiger Printing in Winston-Salem, NC uses Facebook, LinkedIn, RSS, Delicious, Digg and more to show their customers they are listening and creating dialogs about how they’ve helped their customers beyond cost savings alone. They use case study content on their social media channels to show what can be done. They can even ask for business from some of those who follow them. 

When you leverage social media so people find you, listen to you, and ask you if you can do business with them—that’s a great indirect sales approach. There’s less selling and more helping. You have the opportunity to get paid for that help.

Four popular social media technologies for you to investigate should include a blog (for writing complete thoughts about trends, happenings, thoughts, challenges and more), LinkedIn (for posting information about yourself and your business and network with others who may be looking to find people like you or about topics you may know about), Facebook (to interact with people personally and/or professionally and create communities that are interested in common goals or ideas) and Twitter (to share a quick thought or idea about who you are, what you think, what you want others to know, what you can do to help and follow how others are doing the same in their own way). How you use these tools can help you find out things, get found and identify new opportunities to grow your business in a new way. Once you’ve started the journey you have experiences you can share. You could even set up services to help others do the same in their business.

Share what you learn along the way in some new media…that’s what being social is all about.

Keep the learning going, pass it on. ~Peter

It's all in the process...well, most of the time

(I knew that would grab your attention. No need for a double take, that's Steve Martin. I found this photo in the New York Times book review section. The photo credit goes to Sandee O.)

What does it mean to be a Renaissance Man?

After some intense thought and brief research, I found that a Renaissance Man is thought to be a man or a woman of many accomplishents.  The success of these accomplishments is in part due to the Renaissance Man's proficient knowledge in a wide range of fields.

Where am I going with this?

I came across Steve Martins' Born Standing Up earlier this year and it really got me thinking about processes. This book is an autobiography, but reads like a biography because it's a
step-by-step take, by Steve Martin, on how he accomplished his success.

In business terms, Born Standing Up is about the process. It's healthy to ID what customers need and then give it to them, but having a process in place on how to accomplish giving the customer what they need is stellar. Do you know your process?

Beth Schneider over at Process Prodigy has nailed the topic and has created a business based on processes. It is my understanding that in order to be successful in your deliverables for the customer, you have to have a process (system) in place to be sure it happens the way it's supposed to happen, every time.

What's your process for keeping your customers?

Send me a comment, I'd like to know. And if you've read the book, what are your thoughts about it?

Keep the learning going...pass it on!

~Peter

Stay in touch this summer

The hot summer months are officially upon us and despite the fact that there are less hours worked and more time outdoors, make it a point to keep the networking going. The summer offers endless possiblities of squeezing some "getting to know you" moments in. For instance, weddings, picnics, conferences, camping trips, get togethers, vacations, family reunions...you get my point.

I read an article by Buzzy Gordon over at About.com about the power of meeting new people, finding out what makes them tick, things they need help with, and making an offer to stay in touch. Creating a system on how to follow-up, well, that's another post, but check out the article here.

Let me know your networking plans during these hot summer months. I know I'll be out and about making new friends and exchanging contact info. 

Keep the learning going...pass it on!

~Peter

Going for the discount during a recession

Are you a bit confronted or tempted to cut your prices during this economic downturn?

If so, you are not alone. Professional services companies are faced with this reality, too. Today, I'm here to spare you the anxiety of possibly cutting prices. Freddy Nager over at
Atomic Tango, a creative strategy agency, gave these reasons why cutting your prices could do more harm than good:

1. It sends the message that you've been ripping your customers off all this time.
2. It means you'll have difficulty increasing your prices to "normal levels" when the economy starts jamming again.
3. It kills your profit margins, so you won't have the cash to do what might really make a difference to do during a recession: better marketing.

Freddy's blog also shares the importance of marketing the value of your services. Which leads me to my next point...

Yes, times are tough in this country, but don't lose sight. Remember who you are, what your product or service brings to the market, and how it's making a difference in the businesses of your current customers. It's time to visit Sales 101. Don't let a prospect pigeonhole you into lowering your prices, instead gently remind them of the customers your product or service has already helped (name-drop) and stick to your story.

Keep the learning going...pass it on!

~Peter

What's a cup of "Joe" worth to you?

Have you ever stopped to wonder about that? When you meet with a prospect at the local coffee shop,
that eventually turns into business...what's the dollar value of that cup of Joe?

Before I go there, I must say that getting to that cup of coffee has a lot to do with what you said yesterday, last week or last month that even got you the meeting. What you used as your pitch plays a HUGE role in how you plan to keep the pipeline full of prospects/business. The key to keeping that script fresh in your mind is to rehearse it as often as possible. Perfect practice makes perfect.

Look beyond the $4.85 Vanilla Latte...how many of those Lattes led to a new account? It's all in how you look at it. In fact, if you stopped reading this blog and went to your local coffee shop right now, you'll most likely see business happening all over the place. Those conversations you'll witness are far more than coffee.

Having a perfect elevator pitch isn't about big words and confusing jargon, it's about truly understanding your target market and having the ability to tug at their core emotions in 30 seconds or less whenever you're asked the coveted, sometimes dreadful, "What do you do?"

I found a useful tool to help hone in on my elevator pitch.  Practicing what you're going to say allows you to break away from the unneccesary information and get to the point of the message.       

If your coffee talks are down, maybe it's time to take a look and a listen. Grab a buddy, pitch and ask for feedback. Your pitch is your ticket to getting more time over coffee and in turn, greatly affecting your sales goal.

Keep the learning going...pass it on!

~Peter                                                                                                   

Catching up and choosing content

It has been a while. What has everyone been up to? For me, work, consulting, creating rich content for training sessions and meeting inspiring professionals.

Now, it's time to get my newsletter, a project that I've been talking about for quite some time, off the ground. My team and I have been tossing ideas back and forth: What will it include? When will we get it out? What should it look like? How often do we publish it?

I want to know what you think. Any ideas on what should be included in this newsletter?

I'm looking forward to your feedback. Don't be shy. Please send me topics you would like discussed.

Keep the learning going...pass it on!

~Peter

Going Global Part II

Gaining an international presence in your industry is a process that doesn't have to be long and drawn out. It just takes some proper planning and stamina. I'm hoping that my thoughts will give your company the boost it needs to get out there...in a major way.

Here's a picture of me [BELOW] presenting to a team in

Hungary

.

In this game, there really are no rules, you make the rules. The tips that I'm sharing with you are the rules that we've [Bizucate] established to help us win this game of playing in international markets. Here are my other tips:

1.GET OUT...visit your chosen country and see what it's about

2. Make yourself aware of the economic markets and conditions of that country as part of your Going Global research

3. Decide why you want to go global (as part of your number 3 below). Is it to see something in another country, have something produced/developed there) or both? It will drive your research efforts

These tips are a great way to realize the culture and really measure whether your selected country would benefit from doing business with you. This gives your company an edge and a true understanding of what you're getting into. Again, you want your motives for doing business in the selected country to be crystal clear so when asked, you will be able to communicate the company's objective(s).

The next BIG question is how long should it take before your company is actually delivering its product or service? That time is up to you and your team. Like anything, you want to craft your plan, talk to as many companies or contacts who are already global, and take measurable action. To keep the idea of going global exciting, check out the blogosphere. I've recently discovered this blog doingbizabroad and international business is the primary topic.

Do you have any ideas about going global or other great blogs focusing on this topic?
Leave me a comment.

Until then, create your plan and stay focused on the vision.

Keep the learning going...pass it on!

~Peter

Trends Discussion 2008: Going Global

This is a topic that’s been on my mind for quite some time. In fact, I’m going to make this a two part series because I have some things to share with you about the benefits and some down sides, but mostly benefits, of doing business abroad…

Did you know that taking your business global could be the largest driving force in your revenues? If you’re properly positioned before take-off, I can almost guarantee it will be a ride worth taking. Other countries are dying to buy our services and/or products. Bizucate billed six countries last year and that experience exceeded my vision for where I’d plan to take my business in 2007, not to mention getting the visas, racking up on frequent flyer miles and operating on completely different time zones. Now that I think about it, things were pretty busy for us on the international front last year.

We buy services abroad, we sell services abroad and we travel abroad so why not do business abroad? Dell and IBM weren't afraid to do it and look where it has gotten them. I know the first thing that usually comes to mind when I talk about crossing the seas is HOW?

At Bizucate, the bulk of our international alliances were formed through larger corporations that contracted us to train their team.  I have to say that had it not been for these major powerhouses, I’m not sure if we would have been able to hit the international markets as strongly as we did. Crossing international markets is doable if you have a systematic approach. In case I've sparked some interest of new possiblities in the way you do business, I want to share four tips to encourage you to get started:

1. Know what your company has to offer

2. Strategically choose partnerships with a major firm, organization or business who has international offices and who could benefit from your service

3. Define your international strategy and make them known to your partners, when the time is right

4. Know your price points, is your company willing to shell out eight grand for an airline ticket to present a one hour speech?

More tips to come in my next post. In the meantime, I hope this really gets you thinking about international companies who could benefit from the service you provide.

Tell me, why aren't you doing business abroad? If you are, what are your thoughts about it? 

Keep the learning going...pass it on!

~Peter 

Trends Discussion 2008

Now that we are making our way out of the “New Year” I think it’s safe to say that 2008 has hit the ground running. Have you made a difference in the lives of your customers’ businesses yet? What’s stopping you? Who’s stopping you?

Time is ticking so I want to challenge you to be forward thinking in your approach as we are just four weeks away from the closing bell of the first quarter.

At Bizucate, I'm finding that in order to add value, it's essential for me to sell and deliver for at least two hours out of my day. What does that mean for my business and my customers' businesses? It means that all this talk about a recession show us that we should take the time to add to our pool customers by making those follow-up calls and carving out new business opportunities, while delivering what we promised to our current customer base. In no way should hard times be an indicator to pay special attention to your current or potential customer base. Be proactive.

The trend for 2008 is to keep the current customer happy and constantly adding new customers to the mix.

I’d compare the selling and delivering component to the likes of a mother loving four children all the same? Surely, doesn’t she love one more than the other? Selling and delivering operate in this way, when you’re out doing the presentations, or trying to make a sell all while giving your current customers what they deserve, it makes it impossible to love one more than the other, well, almost.

Let’s start with what’s necessary and add value in the way we do business.

Keep the learning going…pass it on!

~Peter