How can you balance authenticity and sales on social media?
You don’t. It’s like asking “how do you make fries and play football while diving?” Makes no sense. They’re 2 different things that don’t take off from each other, so there’s nothing to “balance”. Authenticity has to do with how you bring your POV in a consistent manner. How you keep true to your beliefs (values). Sales, with how you guide and bring your prospects to make an informed decision —being that decision in their best interest and not necessarily you. Selling is leading. And to lead,…
Going in first: the worst thing you can do.
There’s this common belief that in any negotiation (especially a compensation negotiation), the worst thing you can do is go first. Because “you’re giving your counterpart the information they need to get a better deal” —consciously or unconsciously. That’s nonsense. Re-read out-loud this last part: Give. Your counterpart. The Information. They Need. To get a better deal. Unless you see working with clients (or for this matter, anyone) as a “you lose, I win” war, wouldn’t you want the best…
You’re a hostage
That’s the approach Meta, X(?), YouTube, and other social media platforms are taking. You don’t feel you should pay? Sure. We’ll put you in front of ads (aggressively) every 2 tweets (if they’re still tweets?), after every 3 posts, or in every video you’re about to watch. And if you pay, well… yeah, we’ll still sell your data to the highest bidder. “It’s just business.” Now, if you’re trying to get in front of the people you serve relying heavily (or only) on social media, odds are you…
It won’t fly
That’s the answer to a different approach on sales presented on a project. The founder just said “That won’t fly”. When asked about why, the reply went as “that’s not how things usually happen in Germany”. – Have you tried it before? – No. – So, how do you know it won’t fly? – Because… that’s the way it is. Leaving some room to regroup, the next question was: – “What if you try with a small quantity, in very specific samples? Would that work for you?” – Ok… Sure, /that/ we could try….
Brand centricity
When being brand-centric “my brand, this is why we’re awesome, these are how many awards we’ve won, we build a strong brand” you focus your efforts about yourself. On how to be better than the competition. How to beat them How to win. (As if you could “win” in business) It turns the focus mostly on you and how to attract your customers. In trying to be more attractive, you shift, change and do what it takes to fit in. What if, in place of getting to pull people in, you design the ones you…
Stop writing newsletters
When writing for your market, stop thinking of it as a newsletter. Because, it’s not about news (about you). Also, why would your customers and prospects care about your news? Do they care about “your brand” or about solving their challenges? Instead, think of it as daily (or regular) email. Remember, it’s not about you, it’s about them. There are enough people, businesses and brands talking about themselves. And people are sick of it. Thinking of how to help them… that’s just a way to…
The marketing way to do marketing
Give as much as you can, at scale, to help the ones you serve. Write, speak, present, podcast… you choose. As friend-of-the-list Jonathan Stark says: “Help people you like get what they want.” Helping is the only way to do marketing. PS.- While I’m at it, if writing is one thing that grabs your interest, Jonathan is launching Email365 this upcoming monday (Nov 14th) —he’s actually guilty of me being in your inbox everyday for the last 349 days and counting. It’s a game-changer.
PSA
For fun to keep being fun, you also need to take some good rest when needed. Just your friendly reminder that work is part of life. Take a small break. Enjoy. Then go back to it.
Quantifying fun
How can you quantify the fun you’ll have in a project, so that when thinking of “them” doesn’t become a chore —or a long agony on what to write, how to approach, how to help? Quantifying fun In doing so, you’ll be able to see if the project is worth it and if you have interest in pursuing it. Plus, if you’re ready for the long game on the same type of projects. At its simplest, it’s 5 axis: Impact, Profit, Fun, Access and Credibility. ImpactWhat’s the impact on your clients. Is it a BIG…
From clarity to others
Thinking of “them” —your customers— comes from clarity. It’s how you choose to make a greater impact in your market. It’s about how you can focus on them so that you better serve them. It’s not about how great work you do, how cool you are, how awesome your brand is. (It helps, sure…) While you choose based on your personality, values, interest, access and more, the focus of your business is not you. It’s your customers. Being “others-focused” doesn’t take you off the equation —or means you…