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801 Concepts, LLC |
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Archive |
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December 16, 2008
Sssssshhhh: it’s a Secret!
No one has ever (to the best of my knowledge) accused a marketer of lacking in enthusiasm. Whether it be outlandish billboards (“Owner has brain damage!”), wordy sales letters that rival War and Peace, or tons o’ hyperbole, those with a product or service to market love to build up interest and intrigue. One trend that has interested me is in the use of the word “secret”. You’ve seen them: Ancient Chinese secret; the 7 Top Secrets all Sales Pro’s must know; The Secret of attraction marketing…. Usually turns out these aren’t secrets at all, especially since they’re being spread all over the place!
Anyway, I thought it would be fun to use Secret in the form of an acrostic, and see what we can learn in terms of building our business. Let’s go:
S—Share with others. Share the good news of what you have to offer! Share the service you can provide, the time you can give, the advice you can impart. Give to get. E—Endeavor to persevere. Don’t give up. You may have to change your game plan, may have to adopt a new tactic. There are so many examples of those who stopped just prior to when they would have made it big. Don’t become that kind of statistic. C—Call to action. Your marketing, networking, and prospecting efforts must include a call to action. Remember “ABC”? Always be closing? You’re not always trying to close a sale, but you must be working to move things along. Be action-oriented. R—Reward your team. Woody Hayes said “You win with people”. Remember the efforts of those whom you lead, whom you serve. While a successful campaign is certainly deserving of some kind of reward, so to are things like loyalty, groundwork laid in advance of a roll-out, or massive action that has yet to yield the inevitable desired results. Praise and heartfelt gifts provide a payback many times over (and darn it, they’re just the right thing to do). E—Energize. That’s right: energize! Energize your efforts, crank up your energy level, have that “relaxed enthusiasm” from which others feed. This is infectious, so your team will follow the lead. Your customers and everyone you associate with will pick up on it as well. Make it real and be authentic, just make sure you do it. T—Take the time to listen. Most of us, especially those in marketing, love to talk. Love to hear ourselves talk. Can’t wait to get that word in. Studies have shown, though, that those people known as good conversationalists got to that point by being good listeners. You can’t help others if you don’t listen intently to them, really engaging in the moment. Listen to others, as they are the ones who hold the key to your success.
So use this secret, and see where it takes you!
Onward,
alan
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Alan Stout
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(281) 658-5615 alan@801Concepts.com al
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I’m a note-taker. Whether it be in client meetings, staff meetings, classes, or training calls lead by other leaders: I want a history of it. It’s a great way to capture the knowledge accumulated by others, then you can access it later as the need arises.
This archive can meet the same need. For me, it’s a journal of where I’ve been, and hence, where I’m going. You can use it to grab what you’ve missed, or simply to get more of a flavor of where I’m coming from.
Happy hunting. |
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Roadmap! |