More Clients - the Online Marketing Newsletter
for Independent Professionals
from Action Plan Marketing
and Robert MiddletonIn This Week's Issue: How do you make sure the marketing information you learn actually sticks?
The Marketing Dojo
Imagine walking into a Martial Arts Dojo (training hall) and sitting down in front of the Sensi (teacher) while he gives a talk on martial arts. He talks about the philosophy and practices of martial arts, and discusses the various martial arts moves such as punches and kicks. He shows some diagrams and engages you in discussion. He even has a PowerPoint slide presentation!
The talk ends and you go home. A few days later you come back and he gives another similar talk. These go on for several weeks. And yes, he even gives you homework, urging you to practice what you are learning at home.
Do you think you could possibly learn martial arts this way?
Of course not. What's obviously missing is practice - getting on the mat and actually doing the various martial arts moves over and over until you have mastered them. This is just common sense, isn't it?
Then why is it that most business seminars and workshops do exactly what I've been describing? Talks, discussion, PowerPoint slides and some homework. Is it any wonder that most of us retain almost nothing from most seminars, and our ability to implement is virtually nil?
Well, some workshops are different. They add the all-important element of practice. This include things like exercises, interaction, writing, and feedback. You come away from a workshop like this feeling you've really learned something you can apply.
No more information-dump workshops
I've also been guilty of adding to information overload. For almost twenty years I've been doing workshops that have included way too much information and not enough practice. People love the information but they frequently leave overwhelmed and not empowered to put what they've learned into practice.
My Marketing Action Groups (12-week classes by teleconference) turned things around for me. I saw that if I worked with people over time, gave them information, practiced with them, gave them homework to practice more and then gave feedback on that practice, people's marketing expertise grew by leaps and bounds. They now not only know what to do but how to do it.
The Marketing Conversation
I also finally realized that the most valuable things I taught people and got them to practice were what I call "marketing conversations." This is what you both say and write to persuade prospective clients to work with you.
Great marketing conversations get people's attention and interest and get them to take action. When you master your marketing conversations, things really start to happen. This is when marketing becomes as natural as speaking.
Beyond the Audio Logo or Elevator Speech
The most positive feedback I get from my workshops is when I practice the "Audio Logo." People love it. They see the impact it makes and the attention that it gets. But the Audio Logo is only the tip of the iceberg of the many marketing conversations you can learn and master.
The good news is that they are all pretty simple. It's just that nobody has explained to you how they work and what you need to say. For instance:
There's the Ultimate Outcome Conversation where you talk about the absolute best result you can legitimately provide for your clients. This is about what they get, not what you do.
There's the Value Conversation where you discuss the many benefits and advantages of your services. This is often missed completely. We'd prefer to speak about our process.
There's the Proof Conversation where you remove all doubt from a prospect's mind that you can produce the results you're talking about. Do you use the proof you already have? Most don't.
And then there's the Action Conversation where you move the prospect forward, agreeing to take the next step in working with you. You don't need to manipulate people but you do need to ask the right thing in the right way.
And as much as I could explain all these conversations in detail (there are many of them in the InfoGuru Manual), you really wouldn't experience much change in your ability to use them to attract clients unless you got a chance to actually practice them.
In the next year, I'll be developing programs that will give you the opportunity not just to learn marketing techniques and strategies but to practice the skills that will help you attract more clients with less struggle and effort.
The two programs available now where you'll get a lot of practice with marketing conversations are the one-day workshops in Los Angeles and San Francisco in March and the Free ActionPlan Game available to you wherever you live. See below for details on both.
More on "The Marketing Dojo" in Marketing Flashes below.
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Ready to Master Marketing in my Marketing Dojo?
You need more than marketing information and knowledge. You need the opportunity to practice successful marketing conversations that demand attention, generate interest and desire in your services, and get people to take action.
These two one-day workshops are what you've been looking for:
Los Angeles
http://www.actionplan.com/wkp/lawkp.htmlSan Francisco
http://www.actionplan.com/wkp/sfwkp.html
Idea Incubator Seminar for would be information marketers
Stu McLaren, a More Subscriber and InfoGuru Manual owner asked me If I'd plug a special seminar he's hosting. I took a look and was so impressed that I said, "Yes!" right away. It's for people who want to develop and market information products like I do. Since I know several people leading it, I recommend you check it out. Here's the link:
http://www.ideaseminar.com/robert
ActionPlan Game goes to next level
Many of you may have checked out my Free ActionPlan Game - a virtual mastermind group. But check again. I've made the benefits clearer, the instructions simpler and added a bulletin board where you can find members for your group. And it's still free!
http://www.actionplan.com/actionplan.html
Even I need feedback on my marketing!
Do you still need good solid marketing information? Of course you do! And with the InfoGuru Marketing Manual you'll get it in truckloads. It also provides action plans galore that you can use to practice your marketing conversations.
But when you get the InfoGuru Manual you're not alone. You can then get feedback on your marketing plans as well as your verbal and written marketing conversations.
Included with the manual is the InfoGuru Support Forum. You can ask for feedback on an Audio Logo, your web site or anything else. You'll get intelligent, practical ideas you can implement.
In fact just this past week, I wanted to get feedback on a web page I had developed. I asked people on the Forum to take a look. Within just a few hours I had 19 responses. It added up to 14 pages of feedback. I printed it out, made notes and then went back to my web page and made major improvements.
Look, I teach this stuff and even I need feedback!
That kind of feedback would have cost a few hundred dollars from a consultant. With the InfoGuru Support Forum it's absolutely free. The manual costs just $69 and gives you access to the Forum. (Do the math!)
I urge you to check it out today:
http://www.actionplan.com/infoguru.html
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Marketing Flashes on "The Marketing Dojo"
Most of us don't have the ideal conditions to practice our marketing conversations, but here are a few things that do work.
* Read marketing books or manuals that have practical, hands-on ideas you can actually implement. You're looking for details, not generalities. At least these will give you useful material you can practice with.
* Listen to audio programs on tape or CD that include specific examples of marketing conversations. I've listened to tapes like this over and over until they become second nature.
* Attend a live marketing workshop or seminar that goes beyond information. Ask if there will be opportunities for interaction, exercises, and actually practicing the skills that are taught.
* Practice with a friend or with a small group. This is much better that just doing it by yourself because you can get instant feedback and ideas you probably won't think of on your own.
* If you practice alone, don't just do it in your head. Do it out loud. Using a mirror, tape recorder, or camcorder will give you instant feedback and enable you to perfect your conversations.
Until next week, all the best,
Robert Middleton
ACTION PLAN MARKETING
Helping Independent Professionals Attract More Clients~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
210 Riverside Drive
Boulder Creek, CA 95006
831-338-7790© 2004 Robert Middleton, All rights reserved. You are free to use material from the More Clients eZine in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution, including live web site link. Please also notify me where the material will appear. The attribution should read:
"By Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing. Please visit Robert's web site at http://www.actionplan.com for additional marketing articles and resources on marketing for professional service businesses."
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