The More Clients Blog

The Influence Game

By Robert Middleton - Action Plan Marketing

Imagine this scenario:

You've been chasing a prospect for two weeks. You've already met with him and it looks like you're going to get the deal, but then he stops returning your calls.

You freak out.

Your mind tells you that he's no longer interested, he doesn't care, he's a jerk - you know the drill.

You thought you were good at influencing but now you feel impotent, unable to even get a response. You think of all the times you couldn't get through or make an appointment or close a deal and you start to feel like a loser.

Dear Abby: "What do I do now?"

Then Abby gives you some advice:

"Call at different times, send a series of emails, talk to a subordinate or perhaps his boss. Be patient. And above all, don't sound desperate as that will only make things worse."

OK, you try all that. But still nothing. No return call.

You probably think I'm going to give you the "magic silver bullet follow-up technique," don't you?

Well, it does work like magic, but it won't be what you expect.

The Influence Game

If you really think about it, marketing is ALL about influence. Trying to get attention is influence. Getting an appointment is influence. Closing the deal is influence. Getting your clients to take your advice is influence.

Influence is getting others to do what you want them to do.

And when we fail to influence, we feel powerless. We get upset, withdraw and often give up. It's just too hard, too painful. And marketing starts to look like a bad idea. So we go back to our default plan: "I'll do the best job I can with my current clients and hope they send me some referrals."

Another way is to attack with the "blame game."

Ever notice that the blame game does nothing to increase your ability to influence? If anything, it makes it worse. Just try leaving a message on your prospect's voice mail that goes, "You g&*%#@%n son of a b*%&h, why don't you return my f#%&ing calls! I want to work with you, you a%%$&#e!" 

See how far that gets you!

When we fail to influence, why is it so upsetting? Why all this frustration and anger? Here's the easiest way to answer that:

"What would you have to believe to feel that way?"

Beliefs (usually unexamined ones), are the foundation of everything we feel. So when we examine those beliefs, we can finally see what's really going on.

You might answer:

"I believe people should be considerate and that they should have the decency to get back to me. When they don't, I feel they are disrespecting me and rejecting me and hurting me intentionally."

Something like that. Pretty reasonable, right?

So let's examine that. Is that true? Can you absolutely know that this is true? People should be considerate. Is that true? People are disrespecting me and rejecting me. Is that true?

By the way, very few people ask this question when they're upset. After all, it's much easier to withdraw or blame.

But is it true?

Is it really, absolutely true that they should act the way you want them to act? If you have even an ounce of honesty you've got to admit that it's not true. It's about as ludicrous as expecting a fish to be hairy or a dog to have fins.

People act they way they act. That's the way it is.

But when you really believe they should do something and they don't, you're upset, you get frustrated, impatient and angry. You become the proverbial pain in the butt. Don't you?

What if you couldn't think that anymore? I mean, now that you know it's nonsense, what would you do instead? Now that you understand that the idea, "They should do this my way," is a fantasy, what might you think instead? What could you do? Who would you be?

You might think a lot of things that aren't upsetting at all:

"They might be out of town. They're probably ridiculously busy right now and my project just isn't their biggest priority. Maybe the project won't happen; after all, not every deal goes through. Perhaps I should look more closely at my proposal; maybe I missed something important. Come to think of it, they might not be an ideal client after all. I have some other prospects in my pipeline that I should start to pursue."

Now you're thinking sanely.

And here's the punch line:

If you're thinking sanely, you have a much better chance of influencing someone. Then you can deal with reality: "They are not returning my call." You can't impact a fantasy: "They should return my call."

Small difference, but whole new possibilities open up.

Will you get the client? Will they get back to you?

How do I know? Maybe yes, maybe no. But now you don't have to take all of this so personally and let it upset you. Instead of disasterizing about failure, you can start to work on your next strategy. Instead of withdrawing or blaming, you can start creating again.

It's your move. Are you ready to play the Influence Game?

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More Clients Bottom Line: Influence starts by accepting the situation just as it is, not resisting it or blaming others. Influence is about communicating with understanding, with compassion, with patience. There is no one way that things or people should be. Knowing that, you can more towards getting what you want with a lot less struggle.

Note: Thanks to Byron Katie for the ideas in today's More Clients. 

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Where does a "they should" thought get you upset and stop you from playing the influence game? Please share your answer on the More Clients Blog by clicking on the Comments section below.

Brand Sabotage - Common Mistakes That Undermine Your Brand

By Robert Middleton - Action Plan Marketing
This guest column by Samantha Hartley of Enlightened Marketing

Craig's cheerful confidence vanished as soon as we sat down to discuss his business. The burst of clients he'd gotten at the end of last year had slowed, and he was starting to panic. Craig knew he needed to dial up his marketing, but he was stuck for new ideas and feeling overwhelmed.

No wonder! His target market was a long list (1-5), the last word of which was "Etc." Like most of my clients, Craig is multi-disciplinary and felt the need to offer every service he could… especially as money was getting tighter.

Offering everything was exactly the wrong thing to do!

The Three Most Common Branding Mistakes InfoGurus Make

Craig is not alone in his struggle to make marketing work. It's not the tactics that are failing him but rather accidental sabotage. He's missing these key components.

1. Not zeroing in on a specific target audience or "niche."

The first thing we need to know about a brand is who it's for. While mass market brands like Ford, Coca-Cola and Google can target everyone, small businesses must focus on a niche.

Too often, InfoGurus expand their markets in search of more clients. You'd be better served by narrowing instead to a more specific niche. This can feel scary and counterintuitive. You may think, "I don't have enough clients now. How can I reduce my audience?"

First, it's rarely the case that an audience is too small; more likely the approach is too scatter-shot. The truth is, by niching, you're improving your message by making it more specific and relevant to one group. That gets their attention. You're able to focus more on services that work best for your specific market, and that makes you more effective.

Second, every InfoGuru has clients that drain their energy and those that give you great pleasure and pay you more. I don't believe in suffering, so cut the duds; those pleasurable and profitable clients hold the clue to your niche. So make sure to tell everyone who your very best clients are.

Note: Back in the day "small business owners" and "women" were actual niche markets, but that day is long gone. I'd advise you to look more deeply at the clients who benefit most from your services and see what they all have in common. That will get you closer to a meaningful niche.

2. Not highlighting your specialty.

Brands are about differentiation, and one way to stand out with your brand is to specialize.

Almost everyone has a specialty; the challenge is to discover it. If you're good at a lot of things, you may struggle to hone in on one thing for fear of omitting something your clients need.

If you're concerned you don't have a specialty, then it's more likely that your gift comes so naturally to you that you don't even realize how distinctive it is.

For example, my engineering clients are bored by what they call "commodity work" but love to solve challenging problems. The team member hired to focus on a new niche confirmed my hunch when he said, "I love projects other engineers shy away from."

When I shared that I think their specialty is solving challenging engineering problems, the partners were intrigued but unsure. Was this really so unusual? I reminded them about the Superman cape they'd been gifted by a client for a miraculous solution. Recently the owner said proudly, "We're getting used to saying we solve challenging problems." And he's finding it perks up decision makers in his pitch meetings, too.

If you're wondering what your specialty is, look at what you do for clients that you most enjoy or that feels most effortless. Many times the thing you do so well that it doesn't actually feel like work is your main differentiator -- hiding in plain sight!

3. Bland brand messages.

Strong brands attract passionate, loyal users. They make and deliver on big promises. They weave their way inextricably into our lives. They seem to understand us better than our families. (I've often said Amazon suggests gifts for me better than anyone.)

If you think that kind of emotional connection only works for business-to-consumer brands, you're missing a big opportunity. Businesses are made up of people, and people have struggles and fears as well as hopes and dreams.

When you dial up the emotion in your brand messages, you tap into needs and desires that drive decisions. It's a simple concept that many don't implement.

My professional organizer client helps businesspeople with messy home offices (niche). How do they feel about the mess? Embarrassed, overwhelmed and stressed.

Knowing she can help them achieve tidiness and organization is nice, but the power of a brand message is in describing how they'll feel in their new reality: calm, productive and even blissful.

Take a look at your website, audio logo and other marketing messages. Are you effectively sharing the emotional journey of your clients? Is it clear that you know their concerns and struggles and can deliver what they dream of experiencing?

Remember Craig? By narrowing his niche and focusing on one service line (his true specialty), he immediately felt less overwhelmed. A clear niche and specialty made it easy to find common emotional threads and dramatically improve his marketing messages. As a result he's signed three new engagements in the past two weeks and, for the first time ever, has a pipeline extending out several months.

To learn more about building your brand, join us this Thursday for "Branding for InfoGurus: Get found. Get known. Get clients!"

Sign up here:

Branding for InfoGurus

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The More Clients Bottom Line: To get attention for your business, you need to stand out. By zeroing in on your ideal target clients, highlighting your specialty and creating brand messages that touch the emotions, you'll get more and better responses from the kind of clients you want to work with.

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What are you doing to make sure your message stands out? Please share your answer on the More Clients Blog by clicking on the Comments link below.

The Maverick InfoGuru

By Robert Middleton - Action Plan Marketing

Last week, John McCain said something that astounded many people:

He said, "I never considered myself a Maverick. I consider myself a person who serves the people of Arizona to the best of his abilities."

Ooops. So much for the "Maverick Brand" he worked so passionately to communicate throughout his career and especially during the 2008 presidential campaign.

I think that's a big mistake. But this is not a political eZine.

It's an eZine about marketing for InfoGurus.

And this last weekend, I realized with astonishing clarity that I'd made the same mistake. I stopped promoting the "InfoGuru Marketing" brand. How could I be so dumb?

Instead, I've identified my target market with the label: "Independent Professionals" for many years. What I realized is that this is quite understandable, yet totally forgettable.

But "Maverick" and "InfoGuru" are both very memorable.

The funny thing is, InfoGuru isn't even in the dictionary.

Neither is "Hertz" or "Toyota" or "McDonalds." But these are solid, reliable brands that have lodged themselves into our collective consciousness. Heck, even "Apple" brings up the image of a computer for a lot of people more than it does the fruit.

So when you claim a word or phrase and use it in your business, for goodness sake, don't drop it for something boringly generic. Now John McCain is simply another person trying to serve the citizens of Arizona. He's no longer a Maverick; he's just like every other senator.

This flash of insight happened during "The System Internet Seminar" that I attended this past weekend. During one of the talks, I realized I had also made my business boringly forgettable.

What a shock!

After all, I teach people this stuff (imagine head hanging in shame).

So I'm returning to my InfoGuru roots and this eZine is the official launch. Other InfoGuru information and services will follow. But for those not already initiated, what is an InfoGuru anyway?

It's a word that popped into my head during a shower sometime in 2000 when I was working on my Marketing Manual. I wanted a name that would pop out and get attention. I wanted a name that would prompt people to ask: "What's an InfoGuru?"

An InfoGuru is actually many things.

InfoGuru is a combination of the words "Information" and "Guru" (wise person). So an InfoGuru is the possessor of practical information which he or she applies wisely.

InfoGurus are professionals who offer (either alone or in combination) Consulting, Coaching or Training. InfoGurus are business professionals who help their clients get results and improve their condition in a way that makes a real difference.

InfoGurus are more than advice givers. They are in the business of providing the expertise, guidance, and support to move things forward successfully for their clients.

InfoGurus also leverage this information and wisdom to market their businesses. InfoGurus educate, inform, explore, and collaborate to gain engagement from their prospective clients. InfoGurus don't use hype, pressure or manipulation; they don't have to.

InfoGurus market their services though writing, speaking and the Internet - all mediums suited to convey information efficiently and with impact. The most successful InfoGurus gain attention and notoriety for their expertise, insights and results.

Famous InfoGurus include: Tom Peters, Marshall Goldsmith, Alan Weiss, Seth Godin, Jim Collins, Jay Abraham, Peter Drucker, and John Gray.

Now how does all this help me in my marketing? Pay close attention here, because this is the brilliant part!

If I'm the person or business who defines exactly what an InfoGuru is and you buy into that concept, then if you're looking for help with your marketing, who are you going to go to?

Are you going to go to someone who's a marketing expert for consultants or coaches or trainers? Perhaps, but you're more than that; you now understand that you're an InfoGuru which is beyond those three categories of business services. So you naturally go to the person who invented the word (if not the concept) of InfoGuruness.

So what does this mean to you? Glad you asked!

It means that you need to define your playing field, your business, your brand in terms or concepts that you OWN completely. It simply can't be generic anymore. That won't get you the attention you want. It won't help your prospective clients self-identify.

But if you can do that, you can own the market. If not internationally or nationally, at least locally. You can become the go-to person for a very specific type of client or kind of challenge.

Now do some hard thinking and go to work! What kind of Maverick are you going to be in your particular field of InfoGurudom?

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The More Clients Bottom Line: If you want attention that really sticks, you need to own a concept or brand that stands out like nobody else. In other words, you can't be just any old InfoGuru, you need to be an InfoGuru Maverick who does something better or different than anyone else.

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As an InfoGuru, what market do you want to own? What concept do you want attached to your expertise? Please share your answer on the More Clients Blog by clicking on the Comments Section below.

I Want It Now!

By Robert Middleton - Action Plan Marketing

I'm not a patient man.

Not one little bit.

This came clear to me late last week when, after working like a maniac on several projects, I sat here in my office thinking, "Well, where's the #!&*$ results?"

I had just developed and launched a 3-day workshop with my associate Rue has and there were only two enrollments so far.

I had spent umpteen dollars on adding a Profile and Networking section to the Marketing Club and only 25 had set up their profile so far.

As I was thinking all of this, it had been less than 10 hours after the emails had gone out. I'm expecting landslide results, not just overnight, but N - O - W!

As I reflected on my gloomy state I realized I was really only happy when two things were happening in my business.

1. When I am busy creating and implementing projects.

2. When I'm reaping the rewards.

Everything in-between pretty much sucks!

Is there a pattern here? Yeah, you might call it the "Pot Boiling Syndrome" - I like to prep food and I love to eat but not so good about waiting for the food to cook part.

In business this is all too common:

We spend a lot of time putting together a web site and if someone contacts us from the site it's great. But what about all those days, weeks and even months when you don't hear a peep from cyberspace?

You enthusiastically design a presentation and give a good talk and if someone comes up at the end and gives you a card, you're thrilled. But when are all those other people going to call?

No wonder we resist and avoid marketing. The time/space/void between us taking a marketing action and seeing actual results can be as agonizing as waiting in line at the DMV.

A friend told me once that he'd joined a networking group a year ago and said he hadn't gotten any good leads, let alone new clients. I told him I would have given up several months earlier.

Or at least I would have found a way to move things along faster.

So maybe it's not a liability to be somewhat impatient.

But there are different ways to be impatient. One way gives you an ulcer, the other way throws you back into action. And frankly, that's what I tend to do.

I give something a try. If the results don't come fast enough, I try something else, and then something else. And I persist like a hungry dog with a bone.

And ultimately the results trickle in. Once in awhile it's a landslide. But I sure don't spend a long time sitting on my hands wondering what I did wrong and agonizing about it.

So what do you do?

Not everyone is like me (action addict on steroids), but all I know for sure is you can't wait around passively. This is a bit like the guy wishing for a relationship but sitting home watching TV every night.

In any case, what did I do after my momentary letdown? I wrote this eZine article, of course. Now off to dinner. So glad my wife cooked it.

P.S. If you're a holistic practitioner, please learn more about the workshop here:

www.actionplan.com/HPW.html

And if you haven't yet checked out the Marketing Club for free for the first month, what on earth are you waiting for? 

www.actionplan.com/actionplanclub.html

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The More Clients Bottom Line: If things are not working the way you want in your marketing, don't just get impatient, channel that impatience into the next creative action. Write a letter, send out an email, get out and meet someone. But don't just wait for that pot to boil (maybe you forgot to turn on the burner)!

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What are you going to do to combat stagnant impatience and take creative action this week? Please share your answer on the More Clients Blog by clicking on the Comments link below. And do it NOW!