How Did You Do in 2013?

What will your 2013 look like?

Imagine you are 365 days into the future and you are looking back on today with glee, for everything you set out to do worked beautifully.  What were the top decisions you made that changed everything?

Track Every Lead

Sometimes it can be hard to tell what is working and what isn't.  Multiple lead generating campaigns can be difficult to manage, but that doesn't mean we have to limit our methods of reaching new audiences.  The tools available to us range from highly complicated to simplistic, and finding the right one can be a challenge.  Having the most sophisticated tracking tools is costly, so it is important to use them well.  

Build a Client Database

Your sales team is responsible for contacting clients and prospects.  They work hard and are constantly making calls.  Chances are they are learning valuable tidbits, likes and dislikes, prior experiences with the competition, etc., that could help you in your marketing plans.  Where are you capturing that?  And how difficult is it to do?  You may already have all the tools you need to capture key elements and insights about your customer base, but you may be too close to the situation or too overwhelmed to do it.  We have found a simple survey or checklist, like the one on this page can help, and you can have the sales team access them on the go, from the field.  

Get Organized

If you have been blogging and sending emails for a year or more, you have content that could be repurposed, recycled, or stripped down and updated.  There was a reason you wrote it, and that purpose may be valid today, or tomorrow.  And what you have is not limited to the content you created.  You have followers and subscribers with whom you may not have any real relationship.  What better time to take stock than the present?

Listen to the Buzz and Act on It

Who is talking about you?  Comments and suggestions are often as valuable as referrals, because they tell us that someone cares enough to make a statement about you.  I have made a career in client service of embracing the complaints, connecting with the dissatisfied customer and changing the outcome.  Some of my largest supporters were turn-arounds.  

Communicate Often

Keeping everyone informed of what is working, what is changing, what is coming down the road helps everyone tell the same story and believe it!  All it takes is one person to damage a reputation, and that can happen easily and quickly in this digital age.  Effective marketing begins with satisfied employees and it extends outward from there, so don't forget the team when planning your marketing strategy for 2013.

Employ the Best You Can Find

This is where we come in.  We are always looking for talent and we are highly selective.  We can customize a team solution for you that maximizes the value of your investment in your team and ours.  Whether you need to complete a project in a crunch or supplement your skills for the long haul, we can build a program to work with you, train your staff or be on call - whatever works for you.  

Let us know what you need, and we'll celebrate the successes of 2013 with you!

Why a Book?

One way to share your ideas and build your personal brand is to get yourself published.

Published on Lulu.com

Clients and prospects long to hear something memorable and personal.  Sharing stories builds trust.  It lays the stepping stones toward a long term relationship and it opens doors to learn more about the customer or patient.

When I started coaching people on how to tell their stories in four simple steps, there weren't too many executive and career coaches using that approach.  Every time I spoke before a group, they asked me if they could buy the book.  What book? I asked.  It had never occurred to me that I should have taken my approach and put it into a book, but that is what other speakers had done, and that was what they wanted.

I knew what I wanted to say, and I knew I needed to follow my own advice and use the process I shared with others.  So, the book draws on my personal life as a way of sharing my strengths, my talents and my personal experiences.  

You may not think there is a large audience for your ideas, but that shouldn't stop you from putting them down on paper, electronic or otherwise.  Who knows, you may just have something people need to hear or read about.  

Video Bios

Half the expense in making a video is the shoot, with the other half editing and production costs, including licensing the music or photos.  One way to cut the cost of visiting you at your location to shoot the video, is to have you shoot yourself.

One company we found, VideoBio, advertises an approach that lets you use your computer's video capability to record your bio, and then gives you the tools to publish and share what you record.  There is a monthly fee for this service, but you can get started with a free trial.   But, what if you need help figuring out what to say, or if you want to record in a studio?  Remote coaching and on location shoots are options the company provides, with different prices for each.   

Before you sign up with anyone, however, it helps to have a good idea what you want to accomplish with your videos.  Search the web and see what others have done to get an idea what you want your video to look like, and what message or story you want to share.

Do-it-yourselfers come in a variety of types, each with different skills.  Perhaps you know what you want to say, but you are not comfortable in front of a camera.  Or you have no problem talking into your own camera, but you have no experience editing.  A great way to wind up with a high quality product is to collaborate.  Figure out what you can do with the equipment you have, and hire someone to do the rest.