1 Initial Marketing Effort Responses to a New Consultant’s Questions

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Initial Marketing Effort

Responses to a

New Consultant’s

Questions

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Original Discussion:

Consultant: “Do you have time today to talk on the phone about my game plan?”

Martin: “I'll give you a call. And if you have any preliminary outlines or ideas written down, if you can send them to me ahead of time, I can look at them in between things and maybe come up with a couple of ideas that we can discuss. That will optimize our time together.”

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Here is what I have done over the last couple of days:

1. Have a rough draft of a business plan

2. Have business cards being printed

3. Called everyone imaginable to tell them what I will be doing and will have more information to come shortly

4. Trying to work on a “flyer” or “Fact Sheet” to give out

5. Trying to create a website with information

6. Looking into different Networking groups

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1Have a Rough Draft

of a Business Plan

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Your Business Plan

1. Database

2. The Market

3. Competition

4. Sales Personnel

5. Back-End Products

6. Joint Venture Opportunities

7. Untapped Assets or Opportunities

8. Growth Areas

9. Key Profit Generators

1. Identify Your “Ideal” Target Market

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Your Business Plan

1. Low Profit Margins

2. Inadequate Cash Flow

3. Long Sales Cycles

4. Questionable Character

Businesses To Avoid Or Work Carefully With

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Your Business Plan

1. Define your market’s problems

2. Show what will likely happen if not solved

3. Identify various options for correction

4. Explain why you are the best choice

5. Develop social proof and credibility

6. Create time and/or quantity scarcity

7. Explain terms and conditions

8. Remove or reverse the risk

9. Present compelling Call to Action

2. Develop Your Marketing Message

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Your Business Plan

1. How much money can you afford to invest?

2. Worse case scenario – what if you don’t get ANY response?

3. What if you get a response but not enough to break even?

4. How much profit do you need to make to consider your efforts worthwhile and to repeat them?

3. Determine Your Marketing Budget

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Your Business Plan

1. Print

2. Radio / Television / Cable

3. Trade Shows

4. Telemarketing

5. Joint Ventures / Endorsements

6. Direct Mail

7. Internet

8. Personal Contacts

9. Seminars

4. Choose Your Marketing Medium(s)

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Your Business Plan

1. Print………………………………….$_____

2. Radio / Television / Cable…………$_____

3. Trade Shows……………………..…$_____

4. Telemarketing………………………$_____

5. Joint Ventures / Endorsements…..$_____

6. Direct Mail…………………………..$_____

7. Internet……………………………...$_____

8. Personal Contacts…………………$_____

9. Seminars……………………………$_____

5. Allocate Your Budget

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Your Business Plan

6. Create a Tracking and Monitoring System

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Your Business Plan

1. Determine exactly what you will do when someone responds to your marketing

a. How will they respond?

1. Live telephone call?

2. Call 1-800 number?

3. Reply mail?

2. What do you want them to do?

3. What if they do it, what will you do?

4. What if they don’t do it, what will you do?

7. Formulate Your Follow-Up Plan

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Your Business Plan

1. Decide on what you’re going to do

2. Prioritize your list

3. Set a realistic target date for launch

4. Get all systems in place prior to launch

5. LAUNCH your marketing efforts

6. Track and monitor your results

7. Follow up as required

8. Take Action!

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2Print Business

Cards

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Business Cards

WantedCertified Marketing and Business Growth Specialist seeks progressive thinking business owners interested in capturing more of their market and dramatically improving their bottom line profits. Compensation is based strictly on results so there is NO RISK to you.

John Smith123.456.7890

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Business Cards

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Business Cards

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Business Cards

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Business Cards

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Business Cardswww.wgbc.com

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Business Cards

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3Called Everyone Imaginable to Tell Them What I Will Be Doing and Will Have More

Information to Come Shortly

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1. Make a list of everyone you know

2. Prioritize in order of “importance”

a. If they can use your services

b. If they can give you input

c. Who they know

d. Who they influence

3. Develop a plan to approach them on a non-threatening, non-salesy basis

4. Get busy!

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Develop Your List Of Resources

• Yellow Pages

• Operations Manual

• Memory Jogger

• Team 100

• Family

• Friends

• Clubs

• Church

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Team 100 Program

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Your Accountant’s or CPA’s Script“I’m adding a new dimension to my business and was wondering, because you know numbers, if you could take a look at something for me and see if it makes sense.”

Show the Business Growth Calculator

“Even if we just make some very minor changes to several areas of a business, the results can be very dramatic. I’m wondering if you know any businesses that could benefit from those kinds of increases?”

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New Accountant’s or CPA’s Script“I’m looking for an accountant that understands business and who can help me with my business and the clients I work with. I’m wondering… is your business in a growth mode, or do you have all the clients you can handle? Can I schedule about 20 minutes with you to explain what I do and we can see if we’re a fit for each other?”

Show the Business Growth Calculator

“Even if we just make some very minor changes to several areas of a business, the results can be very dramatic. I’m wondering if you know any businesses that could benefit from those kinds of increases?”

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A Friend Who Owns A Business Script“I’m adding a new dimension to my business and have put together this CD with an interview that’s designed to help business owners grow their businesses. I’m wondering if you would mind doing me a favor and listening to it… it’s about 12 minutes long… and then giving me your feedback. I’m looking for ideas on what you, from a business owner’s point of view, think of it, as well as suggestions on how I can make it better. Would you mind helping me out?”

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A Friend Who Owns A Business – Follow-Up“Have you had a chance to listen to the CD yet? What did you think? I’m looking for some specific things that you think would be valuable to business owners… things they can do to make their businesses more effective, more efficient, and more profitable. Anything come to mind?

Now, what about other things you think I should have included, but didn’t? Anything?

Can you think of anyone who owns or manages a business that might be able to benefit from these ideas, or in talking with me about how to improve their business?”

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Alternate Follow-Up Script With Friend (‘Yes’)“Hi [Prospect’s Name], this is [Your name]. Is this a good time to talk? In our last discussion you told me about [build rapport]. Well, I’m just checking in to see if you’d had a chance to review the information I gave you. (If ‘yes’, continue.)

1. What did you learn? What was the one thing that stood out that you thought was good… that you might be able to apply in your business? If you did that kind of difference do you think it would make to you?

2. Tell me about that. (Let them talk, take notes, use this information to ‘feed back’ to them later.)

(Continued on next page.)

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Alternate Follow-Up Script With Friend (Con’t)3. Let me ask you, and this may sound like a silly

question, but it’s important… What do you want from your business… to make a little money or a lot?

4. Why is that important? (LISTEN to what they say!)5. If you continue operating in the same way you are

now, how long will it take you to be able to (feed back what they told you in the last question)?

6. If I can show you a few simple things you can begin doing immediately, that will cost you virtually nothing to implement, and can help you make 2 to 3 times what you are now, and (restate what they told you in question 4), how soon would you want to get started?”

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Alternate Follow-Up Script With Friend (‘No’)“Hi [Prospect’s Name], this is [Your name]. Is this a good time to talk? In our last discussion you told me about [build rapport]. Well, I’m just checking in to see if you’d had a chance to review the information I gave you. (If ‘no’, continue.)

Well, I’ve spend a lot of time putting this together and there is some very good information there. Tell me... when do you think you might be able to listen? It’s only 12 minutes. I don’t want to be a pest, but I do value your feedback and I’d like to know what you think. When do you think would be a good time to check back with you?”

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Cold Telephone Prospecting – Voice Mail Script“Hi [Prospect’s Name], this is [Your Name] with [Your Company]. We’re a marketing and business growth company that helps companies like yours optimize their businesses and increase their profits. We’ve just had a spot open up and are doing some pre-screening interviews to find business owners who tired of the results they’re currently getting, and who are serious about strategically positioning their businesses for fast bottom line increases. If you’ll give me a call, I can get some information to you about what we’ve done for others, how we may be able to work together, and what you can expect. And by the way, there’s no obligation. Just give me a call at 555-555-5555.”

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Practice Approach With Friend“Hi [Prospect’s Name], I’m working on a new marketing (or business development) idea (or project), and I need some quantifiable results before I introduce it to my market. I’m wondering if I can use your business as sort of a ‘guinea pig’… a ‘testing’ ground. What I’d like to do is introduce a couple of ideas to your business and measure the effectiveness… the results of what we’ve been able to do. This won’t cost you a dime and there’s no obligation for you to continue after the test is completed. All I want in exchange for your help and the results (or profits) we generate for you are your comments that I can use to promote my system to other businesses. What do you say, would you be willing to help me out?"

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Practice Approach With Friend (Alternate)“Hi [Prospect’s Name], as you may know, I’ve made a career change and I’ve got some pretty exciting things that can help businesses grow and increase their profits. When I launch my business full time I want to get up and running as quickly as possible, and the best way to do that is to have some quantifiable results under my belt… results that I’ve generated for other businesses. That serves as a ‘proof-source’ and helps establish my credibility with my prospects. I’m wondering if you’d allow me to try out a couple of no-cost ideas on your business and measure the results. Then if it works the way I’m sure it will, all I’d like from you are a few comments that I can share with other business owners.”

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Networking Approach“Hi [Prospect’s Name], how’s it going? (Establish rapport). I’m putting together a group of progressively-minded business owners who operate businesses that are complimentary to each other, but that are not in competition. The idea is to meet together once a week (month) and share ideas about what’s working in your business and see if there are some things that someone is having good results with that you can apply to your own business. We’ll also share leads and refer our customers or clients to each other. We’ll only take one person per market niche, and any new members will have to be recommended by someone in the group and voted on by the rest. Is this something you might be interested in?”

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Networking Approach (Alternate)“Hi [Prospect’s Name], how’s it going? (Establish rapport). I’m putting together a group of reliable vendors that offer quality products and have a track record of providing outstanding service… people I feel good about referring business to. In my business I work with or have access to a number of businesses that I need to recommend various products or outsourced services to. I’m meeting with a group of entrepreneurs like you on [Date & Time], and would love to have you join us. I’m only looking for one type of business in any specific niche or industry. In the meeting, each person will have an opportunity to explain to the group what you do, (Continued on next page.)

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Networking Approach (Alternate) (Continued)what’s unique to your business, and how others can benefit from doing business with you. Of course, you’ll want to make sure to bring some business cards with you because you’ll be making some new contacts that might be valuable to your business. What do you think? Is this something that you think you might be interested in?”

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Face-to-Face ‘Take-Away’ Approach“Hi [Prospect’s Name], how’s it going? (Establish rapport). As you may know, I work with companies in a variety of professions and industries, helping them optimize their businesses and grow their bottom line profits. From what I know about your business, I think there are some things that we can do to create some pretty dramatic results, just as we’ve done for other businesses much like yours. Now I’m not sure exactly what we can do for you… maybe nothing at all… but if you can set aside about 17 minutes, I can ask you a few questions and we can get a pretty good idea of what’s possible. Of course, there’s no cost to you and no obligation to do anything more. What do you think? What’s a good time to get together?”

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Face-to-Face Call-Back“Hi [Prospect’s Name], this is [Your Name]. You and I spoke the other day and you asked that I call you back today. To save us both time, I need to ask you a few questions to determine what information to direct you to. Is that okay?

1. How long have you been in business?

2. What do you want from your business? (Direct them to areas such as; more new customers, increased profits, better employees, improved customer service, cheaper and more effective advertising, more personal income, more time away from the business, etc. Listen to what they say. They will tell you how they want to be sold.)

(Continued on next page.)

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3. Imagine it is 3 years from today and you’ve achieved those goals. What would have had to have taken place for that to happen?

4. What do you consider to be the biggest challenge that is keeping those things from happening?

5. What have you done to solve or correct that problem?

6. What have been the results of your efforts?

7. What other things do you think could be done there?

8. Other than that problem, what do you think is the one area of your business that could be turned around the quickest and most cost-effectively?

9. If that happened, what would that mean to you? (Continued on next page.)

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Because a lot of work goes into bringing a new client on board and we’re going to spend a lot of time together, it is very important that we are compatible and that our goals are clear right from the outset. So tell me, on a one-to-ten scale, one being ‘not interested’ and ten being ‘must-fix-this-right-now, do-or-die’, relative to making the changes in your business that would (feed back the things they told you in Question 2), where would you rate yourself? (If they answered a ‘10’, continue.) Assuming we could get started right away, and I’m not saying I can… I need to evaluate our discussion and check my workload… how soon would you be ready? (Assume ‘soon.’) Great. Let me leave you with this (report, CD, etc.). I’ll look things over and get back to you within 24 hours. How does that sound?”

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4Trying to Work on a

“Flyer” or “Fact Sheet” to Give Out

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5Trying to Create a

Website With Information

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Your Website

1. Websites are “nice” but at this stage in your career, very unnecessary

2. Websites can be time-sappers, money-suckers, energy-wasters, and de-focusers

3. If you have the expertise to do it yourself or the money to have someone else create it, okay

4. Don’t lose focus on the most important thing…

Getting Customers!

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6Looking Into Different

Networking Groups

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1. BNI – Business Networking International

www.BNI.com

2. Chamber of Commerce chapters

3. Service Clubs (Rotary, etc.)

4. Leads groups

5. Tips groups

6. Leads groups

7. Start your own group(s)

http://www.bni.com/

Documents

1 Initial Marketing Effort Responses to a New Consultant’s Questions