Business Challenge

The world of Social Media just too large for us to tackle it in a single episode.  As Joe mentioned in Part 1, we could likely dedicate an entire podcast to Social Media marketing; however, we are striving to give key action items in two episodes.

Today’s challenge hits right at home of the growing need to meet the demands of social marketing.  Customers and prospects alike are checking more places before they engage and whether your budget is big or small at some point you have to prove that what you are doing is worth the time and money.  The challenge that we are tackling today is:

“I struggle with social media.  I can’t see direct revenue and I just can’t seem to gain momentum, what should I do to get more out of it?”

Listen in and read on to find out more:

Key Items

* Set Your Goals - So many times we have seen people start on social media because they “need to be there”.  While yes, there are billions of active users on social media platforms, many are going there to be distracted, connect, have fun and that may or may not be a match for your business.  Before spending your hard earned time and even media dollars on one of the favored platforms take time to set the goals of what you would like to accomplish.

* Are you looking to grow a user base?  If so, how many users is a success?

* How long will you give it?

* Will you provide links to areas on your website for conversion?

* How much is a visitor worth to your business?

Decide on an initial set of goals to help you focus your efforts and judge the effectiveness of your work.

* Make a Content Plan - Many a social media profile (and blog, and podcast for that matter) gets derailed by the lack of a content plan.  One simple way to start is by writing down 50 ideas you would share.  If this takes you longer than an hour don’t be alarmed as this can happen the first time you craft what you want to share.  You have a great deal to share, it is just about putting the ideas to paper and about remembering all of those great customer interaction points that you will now transform into content.

Joe Says

* The Jonas Project (http://thejonasproject.org/) - With Memorial Day upon us we remember those who gave it all.  The Jonas project was created to honor the memory of Navy Lt. Comdr. (SEAL) Jonas B. Kelsall.  With a mission of helping Veteran Entrepreneurs, right here in my own backyard (Long Beach) they are making a difference one Veteran at a time.

* Some Gave All (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydWhRObVxrM) - The Country Music industry does a great job of honoring the Military.  In Billy Ray Cyrus's song, "Some Gave All" he honors those who paid the ultimate price.

Sponsors

* Perry Marshall (http://www.bridgestwins.com/perry) – As the co-author of the Ultimate Guide to Google Adwords, creator of the Adwords Bootcamp and one who has developed ninja level marketing programs you are sure to find a marketing strategies and tactics that will help your business get to the next level.

* Email Autoresponders (http://www.bridgestwins.com/email/) – Staying connected with existing customers and prospects can be a challenge when you are relying on only your own activity.  Implementing an email autoresponder sequence will help you to engage prospects over time until they are ready to do business with you and keep existing customers thrilled that you are staying in touch.  Find out more about the solutions that can help your business today.

Want Your Challenge Featured?

With each challenge we tackle, we look to not only solve the problem we look to shed light on new opportunities for our listeners.  We invite you listen to a couple of the business owners who shared their challenges (http://www.bridgestwins.com/challenge) and to submit your own today!

Business Challenge

When you think of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. it can seem overwhelming to have a present in each of these platforms.  It seems like your customer base along with your prospects is seemingly everywhere!  With mobile video views growing at a rapid pace (Facebook and Snapchat each report 8 billion + views daily) are you to create content for this eager audience?  As each sports athlete and news reporter shares their Twitter handle do you need to focus your attention there instead? Or with Facebook having a robust advertising platform where you can reach Facebook and Instagram visitors, should that be where you focus your efforts?

Today’s challenge hits right at home of the growing need to meet the demands of social marketing.  Customers and prospects alike are checking more places before they engage and whether your budget is big or small at some point you have to prove that what you are doing is worth the time and money.  The challenge that we are tackling today is:

“I struggle with social media.  I can’t see direct revenue and I just can’t seem to gain momentum, what should I do to get more out of it?”

Listen in and read on to find out more:

Key Items

* Avoid Trying to be Everywhere - As social media platforms have expanded many businesses have simply included a icon in their footer that points them to that platform.  You might find updates that are a week, month or more old, is that really adding any value?  Not every social platform is a match for every business.  By not participating everywhere (initially) you can establish a foothold on where you focus your efforts and see how each platform contributes to your media mix (http://www.bridgestwins.com/episode-74-what-is-the-right-media-mix-for-my-business/).

* Where do your prospects and customers gather? - Especially if you don’t have much of a presence on any one platform, take time to investigate where your customers are engaging.  For example if your business often requires instruction from you or your employees YouTube might be the way to go as you can provide instructional videos.  If your business is more visual in nature you might focus more on instagram to pique initial interest.  Take time to research your audience by executing surveys (http://www.bridgestwins.com/episode-73-understand-more-about-my-customers/) and searching on your own to see how your competition is making it work. Find a platform where you can maximize both the free (i.e. building content) and paid (i.e. advertising) portion.

Sponsors

* Perry Marshall (http://www.bridgestwins.com/perry) – As the co-author of the Ultimate Guide to Google Adwords, creator of the Adwords Bootcamp and one who has developed ninja level marketing programs you are sure to find a marketing strategies and tactics that will help your business get to the next level.

* Email Autoresponders (http://www.bridgestwins.com/email/) – Staying connected with existing customers and prospects can be a challenge when you are relying on only your own activity.  Implementing an email autoresponder sequence will help you to engage prospects over time until they are ready to do business with you and keep existing customers thrilled that you are staying in touch.  Find out more about the solutions that can help your business today.

Want Your Challenge Featured?

With each challenge we tackle, we look to not only solve the problem we look to shed light on new opportunities for our listeners.  We invite you listen to a couple of the business owners who shared their challenges (http://www.bridgestwins.com/challenge) and to submit your own today!

Business Challenge

Generating business from your website can feel like an uphill battle.  Especially when you are already generating business from referrals, it can seem like a big mountain to climb to grow your business with the online channel.  Of course those who do tackle the challenge of generating business online are able to get even more referrals!

Today’s challenge hits right at home of the problem of starting the process of growing your business with online marketing.  The challenge that we are tackling today is:

“I have a business that’s been growing largely with referral.  I want to have that same growth online.  It seems like there are so many software choices, which ones should I put in place for acquisition of new customers?”

Listen in and read on to find out more:

Key Items

* Traffic Source - With your website in place you will need new visitors to come to find out more, request more information, and do business with you.  While many business owners continue to get on the traffic sources of Google, Bing, and Yahoo, some don’t realize that Google and Bing have their own management tools you can download.  The editors for Google and Bing are free and allow you to work on your account with much greater speed than using the online interface.  Download these tools to allow you and your team to get more done in less time.

* Capture - Attention on the internet is hard to grab.  Prospects are only a click away from a cat video which means you need to give them a reason to provide you their name and email.  To capture attention we would recommend having a tool that makes creation of forms and landing pages easy.  Think of tools like unbounce (http://unbounce.com/), leadpages (https://www.leadpages.net/), and Instapage (https://instapage.com/).  Tools like these can make creation and testing of your landing pages simple and have you growing your list.

* Retention - While some businesses have a short decision cycle, many customers will can take days or even months before they make a purchase.  To give yourself the best opportunity at making the sale, you will want to have a retention strategy in place to help you keep in touch with those prospects who aren’t quite ready to become a customer.  Having an email autoresponder tool or a fully functional CRM tool (http://www.bridgestwins.com/episode-84-i-need-a-new-crm-part-1/) will help you to communicate with your prospects until the time is right.

* Analysis - Driving traffic and collecting leads is great, but what you are doing with all that data?  Are you doing better this week over last week?  How does this period compare to the same time frame last year?  To get the most out of your marketing efforts will take some analysis and tracking of data.  Using the data from your email/CRM, PPC programs (Google, Yahoo, and BING), and Google Analytics, put together a dashboard that you can review with your team.  If you don’t have a team, put it together and present it to someone for your own accountability.

Joe Says So

* 4 System Rule - You should have 4 marketing systems bringing you business.

* Pick a Budget - Set a budget and stick with it.  Let it run and hold it accountable.

Sponsors

* Perry Marshall (http://www.bridgestwins.com/perry) – As the co-author of the Ultimate Guide to Google Adwords, creator of the Adwords Bootcamp and one who has developed ninja level marketing programs you are sure to find a marketing strategies and tactics that will help your business get to the next level.

* Email Autoresponders (http://www.bridgestwins.com/email/) – Staying connected with existing customers and prospects can be a challenge when you are relying on only your own activity.  Implementing an email autoresponder sequence will help you to engage prospects over time until they are ready to do business with you and keep existing customers thrilled that you are staying in touch.  Find out more about the solutions that can help your business today.

Business Challenge

Back in the day you might call the BBB to see how a company rated with their customers.  Now seeing how a company treats its customers is as easy as checking social media and review sites.  How you handle the acquisition of reviews can make a big impact to your business.  Even the best businesses are going to run into an unhappy customer which means encouraging those happy customers is key to long term success.

Today’s challenge hits right at home of the problem of gathering reviews.  The challenge that we are tackling today is:

“My customers always tell me they love my business, but I don’t have many reviews online that they can see.  How can I collect reviews?”

Listen in and read on to find out more:

Key Items

* Where will You Collect Reviews? - There are so many ways customers can leave reviews it can feel overwhelming for a business.  From Yelp, Facebook, Google Reviews, Reviews focused for ecommerce (i.e. like Bizrate (http://www.bizrate.com/), ResellerRatings (http://www.resellerratings.com/), etc) that could show up as an ad extension...the options are massive.  Deciding on where you will collect reviews is a pivotal step to helping you harness those ravings fans and bring you more adoring customers.

* Jump Start - Once you have decided on a place to collect reviews (yes you may grow to more locations over time) you will want to jump start the activity.  If you only have a few reviews that are a bit old (think longer than 6 months) then you most certainly want to jump start the energy.  To jump start you can do some or all of the following: Call your customers (yes, that’s a wow moment), email your top customers with a polite ask and let them know you are trying to spread the word, create an internal contest with your staff on who can collect the most reviews from your customers.

* Make it Systematic - With reviews in full swing you will want to keep the momentum going.  For some reason those who absolutely adore your business tend to be quieter than those who have a poor experience.  Create a system where you methodically engage customers to leave feedback.  This could be in an email funnel after you have provided service, it could be on a thank you page after a purchase, or it could even be a postcard you hand to each customer after they make a purchase in your shop.  The key to consistent feedback and growth is a consistent system of acquisition.  Make sure to measure how many reviews you acquire monthly so you can identify it as a true system.

Joe Says So

* Commit - You gotta be committed to the review process.  It is a constant process of cultivating customers to share their experiences.

* Google Seller Ratings - When you want ratings to show up as part of your ads, there are many sources that Google pulls from.  Take a look at the different review sites available to see what your customers are saying.

* Banana Slicer - When you want to see the internet in full swing, see the reviews on the Hutzler 571 Banana Slicer.

Sponsors

* Perry Marshall (http://www.bridgestwins.com/perry) – As the co-author of the Ultimate Guide to Google Adwords, creator of the Adwords Bootcamp and one who has developed ninja level marketing programs you are sure to find a marketing strategies and tactics that will help your business get to the next level.

* Email Autoresponders (http://www.bridgestwins.com/email/) – Staying connected with existing customers and prospects can be a challenge when you are relying on only your own activity.  Implementing an email autoresponder sequence will help you to engage prospects over time until they are ready to do business with you and keep existing customers thrilled that you are staying in touch.  Find out more about the solutions that can help your business today.

Want Your Challenge Featured?

With each challenge we tackle, we look to not only solve the problem we look to shed light on new opportunities for our listeners.

Business Challenge

In today’s era helping a customer only once makes it tough to build a business.  Across nearly every industry, to truly grow your business, takes empowering customers to do business with you again and again.  Of course with the onslaught of social media, apps, and more, how can you stay connected with customers to ensure they come back to you when they need your product or services?

Today’s challenge hits right at home of the problem of staying connected with customers.  The challenge that we are tackling today is:

“I need a new (Customer Relationship Management) CRM for my company which one should I choose?”

Listen in and read on to find out more:

Key Items

* List Your Key Features - It may take reviewing a few of the sites of different companies and seeing the features listed to build your grid of features.  Your requirements will be much longer than the key features but the essential features can help you easily compare vendors as you go on in your evaluation.

* Demos - At the end of the day the vendors want to run you through their demos.  This is their point of conversion and they want to show you all of the bells and whistles that are part of their solution. The experienced vendors will ask you what your goals are and how you will judge success of the project so have those answers ready as they will likely be incorporated in your requirements.

* Request for Proposal (RFP)- Depending on the size of your company and the purchase price this step may or may not be necessary.  The larger purchases will certainly require an RFP.  Through this process you can negotiate with vendors and also see the total cost of ownership (i.e. renewal fees, add ons, etc.).

* Summary of Key Points.- Avoid the knee jerk “that one is great, let’s get it”.  Set a time to present your findings to the powers that be.  In a smaller organization this might be presenting to the boss.  In a larger organization this could be presenting to an executive committee.  Since you have gone through the demos, requirements, etc. make this report digestible for those that haven’t gone through all of it.  Try to avoid putting your bias in, but present a balanced story to help the organization choose the best possible solution.

Joe Says So

* Budget - When a vendor asks you what your budget is early on in the discovery phase, keep that one close to your vest.  There will be an opportunity to negotiate and keeping your budget as your information will help you to negotiate later.

* New CRM for Your Company Part 1 (http://www.bridgestwins.com/episode-84-i-need-a-new-crm-part-1/) - We covered the aspect of identifying requirements and considering a wide net of options when looking at software.  Listen in to Part 1 to get the details that will help you select the best software for your organization.

Sponsors

* Perry Marshall (http://www.bridgestwins.com/perry) – As the co-author of the Ultimate Guide to Google Adwords, creator of the Adwords Bootcamp and one who has developed ninja level marketing programs you are sure to find a marketing strategies and tactics that will help your business get to the next level.

* Email Autoresponders (http://www.bridgestwins.com/email/) – Staying connected with existing customers and prospects can be a challenge when you are relying on only your own activity.  Implementing an email autoresponder sequence will help you to engage prospects over time until they are ready to do business with you and keep existing customers thrilled that you are staying in touch.  Find out more about the solutions that can help your business today.

Want Your Challenge Featured?

With each challenge we tackle, we look to not only solve the problem we look to shed light on new opportunities for our listeners.  We invite you listen to a couple of the business owners who shared their challenges (http://www.bridgestwins.com/challenge) and to submit your own today!

Business Challenge

In today’s era helping a customer only once makes it tough to build a business.  Across nearly every industry, to truly grow your business, takes empowering customers to do business with you again and again.  Of course with the onslaught of social media, apps, and more, how can you stay connected with customers to ensure they come back to you when they need your product or services?

Today’s challenge hits right at home of the problem of staying connected with customers.  The challenge that we are tackling today is:

“I need a new (Customer Relationship Management) CRM for my company which one should I choose?”

Listen in and read on to find out more:

Key Items

* Identify Requirements - What problems are you trying to solve?  For some businesses they just want the ability to send a newsletter to their customers.  If that is your only requirement then you can select an email autoresponder as opposed to a CRM tool.  Find out if your CRM tool needs to interface with your website, keep track of sales history, provide scoring ability (i.e. hot leads), and if it needs to create advanced sequences.  Interview the stakeholders to make sure you know what is truly required.

* Start with a Wide net of options - If you are looking at enterprise level solutions then you might want to check with a 3rd party evaluation group, like Gartner and see who they put in their magic quadrant.  Visit review sites to find out other software options and build your list of candidates.  As some review sites are monetized by affiliate commissions and incentives, don’t pay too much attention to the rankings they give the CRM options, but use them as a starting point to find the options that could work for you.

Joe Says So

* This episode is so packed we had to break it into multiple parts.  Listen in for Part 2, which will be up next...and maybe even a part 3 if we can't get it all packed in to help you find the best CRM for your organization.

Sponsors

* Perry Marshall (http://www.bridgestwins.com/perry) – As the co-author of the Ultimate Guide to Google Adwords, creator of the Adwords Bootcamp and one who has developed ninja level marketing programs you are sure to find a marketing strategies and tactics that will help your business get to the next level.

* Email Autoresponders (http://www.bridgestwins.com/email/) – Staying connected with existing customers and prospects can be a challenge when you are relying on only your own activity.  Implementing an email autoresponder sequence will help you to engage prospects over time until they are ready to do business with you and keep existing customers thrilled that you are staying in touch.  Find out more about the solutions that can help your business today.

Want Your Challenge Featured?

With each challenge we tackle, we look to not only solve the problem we look to shed light on new opportunities for our listeners.  We invite you listen to a couple of the business owners who shared their challenges (http://www.bridgestwins.com/challenge) and to submit your own today!

Business Challenge

Jumping into a new Adwords account can feel overwhelming.  Especially when it is already working, to some extent, and you are charged with growing the account.  After all they want you to make changes, but those changes better make ...

Business Challenge

Whether you run your own business or a growing division you might feel that no one can do the job as good as you can.  The struggle is real for businesses in this stage.  You might have hired and fired a few people and be thinking “can I find anyone who can do this job?”.  It can be frustrating and downright exhausting.

This is a position we have been in and one we have helped out with quite a number of times.  Today’s challenge hits at a common problem and one we are exciting to solve.  The challenge today is:

“I feel like I am the only one who can sell for my business, what do I do?”

Listen in and read on to find out more:

Key Items

* Myth of the Natural Born Salesperson - While some people may brag they are so good they can "sell ice to eskimos" I have yet to see what the ice sales actually are to eskimos.  The reality is the slick, say everything right salesman/woman that is featured on TV is a creation of Hollywood.  Many business owners get caught into believing they are that magic salesperson (because after all you grew the business) and that makes it hard to give up control and higher others to do your sales.

* What do you do make sales? - We are talking about every item that you do to make a sale.  From the moment a lead comes in to your business to when they sign on the dotted line, what does that process look like?

* What questions do you ask of prospects?

* How many days do you wait between follow ups?

* What do your email messages look like?

* What do you do when you encounter rejection?

Outline each aspect that you do down to the smallest detail.  You can even record yourself making phone calls so you can get your side of the scripts to ensure you are capturing the true essence.

* What does your training program look like? - For many businesses under the size of 50 people the sales training program looks something like "here are some leads I haven't had time to call, please call them, and make some sales".  Yes you are busy, yes you need to drive sales yourself, but if you don't have a program to help new candidates you are setting them up for failure.  Use the elements that you use to make sales and go through it with them, do practice phone calls, practice 1 on 1 meetings, give them a binder of homework, have them shadow you.  Understand that they won't make money for you for awhile and let them know you are investing in their success.

Joe Says So

* Glengarry Glen Ross (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6Lf8GtMe4M) - This movie is filled with one of the all time classic sales speeches delivered by Alec Baldwin.  There is some tough language in this one, but it is delivered with the intent to shock the salespeople into selling and avoiding excuses.

* Ari Galper (http://www.unlockthegame.com/) - He is well known as a sales guru.  Here is what he had to say the other day from Facebook on what to do when you encounter a particular objection.

(http://www.bridgestwins.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/episode-82.png)

Sponsors

* Perry Marshall (http://www.bridgestwins.com/perry) – As the co-author of the Ultimate Guide to Google Adwords, creator of the Adwords Bootcamp and one who has developed ninja level marketing programs you are sure to find a marketing strategies and tactics that will help your business get to the next level.

* Email Autoresponders (http://www.bridgestwins.com/email/) – Staying connected with existing customers and prospects can be a challenge when you are relying on only your own activity.  Implementing an email autoresponder sequence will help you to engage prospects over time until they are ready to do business with you and keep existing customers thrilled that you are staying in touch.  Find out more about the solutions that can help your business today.

Want Your Challenge Featured?

With each challenge we tackle, we look to not only solve the problem we look to shed light on new opportunities for our listeners.

Mindset Challenge

With the start of the month it is also Mindset Monday.  The mind is your powerful ally when in focus, however, at times the mind can sabotage our success.

Today’s inspiration for Mindset Monday came from an unlikely source.  We were recently watching the show Alone on the History channel (http://www.history.com/shows/alone) and while originally it looked to be a survival show, it certainly was much more a show of the battle of the mind.  From the challenge of being alone, battling tough conditions, to managing one’s fear of what goes bump in the night it was a remarkable study of how the mind can help one to succeed or cause failure.

The challenges the survival experts experienced weren’t much different than what you face in the business world.  Sure you might not actually have a bear outside your tent, but when the bills are piling up and the revenue is drying up, then that can feel just as scary as a black bear.

Listen in and read on to find out how you can challenge your mind to help you reach the success you deserve:

Key Items

* How far are you willing to go? - The ones who succeed in Seal training are the ones who know how far they will push before they hit the limit.  One such phrase we saw a SEAL utter on a documentary was: "I will either go home in a body bag or I will become a SEAL".  That same mentality was exhibited by winner of Alone and one that when you set it in your own business will help you hit the highest levels of success.

* Do you dwell on problems or look for solutions? - Challenges are going to occur.  Projects will take longer, cost more money, and will hit stumbling blocks.  Do you try to find out "why" a problem occurred or do you immediately look for how you can solve the problem.  How you can keep going to your big goal.

* Do you expect the unexpected? - Our buddy who completed his first ironman before us said "something will go wrong that day, be prepared for it".  When you have the mindset that something unexpected will occur you won't get down when it happens.  If it doesn't happen then you are great, you are even better.  The famous quote "plan for the worst pray for the best" is along the same lines.

* Are you managing your fear?  The ones who quit early were scared...mainly at night.  They let the thought of Mountain Lions, Wolves, and Bears get to them.  While the danger is real, the fear was misplaced as the ones who stayed the longest (50+ days...winner at 56 days) never had an issue.

Sponsors

* Perry Marshall (http://www.bridgestwins.com/perry) – As the co-author of the Ultimate Guide to Google Adwords, creator of the Adwords Bootcamp and one who has developed ninja level marketing programs you are sure to find a marketing strategies and tactics that will help your business get to the next level.

* Email Autoresponders (http://www.bridgestwins.com/email/) – Staying connected with existing customers and prospects can be a challenge when you are relying on only your own activity.  Implementing an email autoresponder sequence will help you to engage prospects over time until they are ready to do business with you and keep existing customers thrilled that you are staying in touch.  Find out more about the solutions that can help your business today.

Want Your Challenge Featured?

With each challenge we tackle, we look to not only solve the problem we look to shed light on new opportunities for our listeners.  We invite you listen to a couple of the business owners who shared their challenges (http://www.bridgestwins.com/challenge) and to submit your own today!

Business Challenge

This one is direct from our Facebook book page.  When you have an online business it can present unique challenges.  While many people envision the internet dream of waking up, putting on the bunny slippers and watching the money pour into the account, the reality is that there is a great volume of work to be done!  Trying to keep clients happy and move the business forward is a struggle for many and that is right where this challenge comes in.

Today’s challenge is:

“How do I have an efficient online business and schedule clients?”

Listen in and read on to find out more:

Key Items

* Set the Rules - With your own online business you are the one who sets the rules.  While this sounds obvious we have found that not everyone defines their own rules and communicates those to their clients. For example are your 1 on 1 calls 15 minutes?  What are your operating hours?  Define the rules so it’s easy for everyone to know how you work.

* Scheduling Clients - When your business relies on consultations and/or online meetings scheduling is essential.  Not enough time and people aren’t happy, too much time and you can’t move your business forward. To schedule clients we recommend opening up times on your calendar that your clients can see.  Put some of the power of scheduling in their hands but you are the one who sets what times are available.  Consider tools like TimeTrade (http://www.timetrade.com/) (we use this one), Acuity Scheduling (https://acuityscheduling.com/), Appointy (http://www.appointy.com/online-appointment-scheduling-software/).

* Efficient - To gain greater efficiency and scale there are two common methods when your business involves coaching.  You can put in a group coaching model and you can develop courses.  Both are great models to help people and can be used as part of your ascension model.

Sponsors

* Perry Marshall (http://www.bridgestwins.com/perry) – As the co-author of the Ultimate Guide to Google Adwords, creator of the Adwords Bootcamp and one who has developed ninja level marketing programs you are sure to find a marketing strategies and tactics that will help your business get to the next level.

* Email Autoresponders (http://www.bridgestwins.com/email/) – Staying connected with existing customers and prospects can be a challenge when you are relying on only your own activity.  Implementing an email autoresponder sequence will help you to engage prospects over time until they are ready to do business with you and keep existing customers thrilled that you are staying in touch.  Find out more about the solutions that can help your business today.

Want Your Challenge Featured?

With each challenge we tackle, we look to not only solve the problem we look to shed light on new opportunities for our listeners.  We invite you listen to a couple of the business owners who shared their challenges (http://www.bridgestwins.com/challenge) and to submit your own today!