Same Side Selling Podcast

Is search engine optimization (SEO) simply an afterthought for your business, or is it something that is part of your marketing plan like your editorial calendar? It should be the former, but either way you'll learn a lot from today's show!

On this episode, the one and only John Jantsch joins us to talk about why SEO is for growth and why it's not about likes, clicks, or shares any longer. We also explore his latest book, SEO for Growth, and how we can use SEO to become a part of our customers' journey as a trusted advisor before they're even looking for a solution.

John is back for a second terrific interview, and you will definitely learn a lot about how useful SEO is for growing your business today on Grow My Revenue!

Listen to this episode and discover:

· Why he chose SEO for Growth as the title of his latest book.

· What was Google's goal from day one of its existence?

· How SEO has evolved beyond just clicks, shares, and likes.

· Do links still matter to search engine rankings?

· Why we put so much trust in Google's first page results.

· And so much more!

Episode Overview

If for some reason you don't know John Jantsch, he's the best-selling author of multiple books including Duct Tape Marketing and Duct Tape Selling. His latest book, SEO for Growth, explains how to apply search engine optimization to your business for growth, and it is a must-read!

The first topic we dive into is the misconceptions about and mistakes made around SEO. John explains that it's not about links, likes, or clicks anymore, but that's what most people think of when they think of SEO. Today, SEO is about growth: you should be building your company's web site with it in mind, along with your editorial calendars and all the other pieces of your marketing plan. It is that important to your overall business.

The strategy to utilizing SEO has changed over the years. Initially, if you wanted to sell something, like alloy wheels, you could stuff a bunch of words on your web site about wheels, and you'd probably get to the top of the rankings.

Google has weeded out all of that now. Today they know what your web pages are about, whether or not links are coming from relevant places, and they can figure out if a site is more authoritative than another site. Google has always been about getting the best results for the search terms used, and as a result, SEO today is really about optimizing content that is focused on a specific ideal client.

With that in mind, John explains what to do if you want to properly utilize SEO for growth. For starters, you have to now design your web site with SEO in mind. That comes from having a strategic approach and asking questions like: What is the home page going to be about? What are the main navigation pages going to be about?

You also need to know certain information to find and attract the ideal client to your web site. You need to know what the terms are that they use in their searches, and which terms they use most frequently. What questions are they asking before they have any idea what solutions are available? And what are the pain points they are going to the internet with?

Also on this episode of Grow My Revenue, John explains why most people actually don't care how their problems get solved, only that they get solved! Additionally, he shares how to become a part of their journey as they are wrestling with a problem (before even seeking a solution), and why this is such a strong approach to gaining a client.

Listen in for all of that and more on this edition of Grow My Revenue, and then let me know what you're doing differently with your web site after you read his book SEO for Growth. I look forward to seeing how you've implemented John's ideas.

For full show notes, please visit: http://www.ianaltman.com/podcast/john-jantsch-seo/

Is search engine optimization (SEO) simply an afterthought for your business, or is it something that is part of your marketing plan like your editorial calendar? It should be the former, but either way you'll learn a lot from today's show!

On this episode, the one and only John Jantsch joins us to talk about why SEO is for growth and why it's not about likes, clicks, or shares any longer. We also explore his latest book, SEO for Growth, and how we can use SEO to become a part of our customers' journey as a trusted advisor before they're even looking for a solution.

John is back for a second terrific interview, and you will definitely learn a lot about how useful SEO is for growing your business today on Grow My Revenue!

Listen to this episode and discover:

· Why he chose SEO for Growth as the title of his latest book.

· What was Google's goal from day one of its existence?

· How SEO has evolved beyond just clicks, shares, and likes.

· Do links still matter to search engine rankings?

· Why we put so much trust in Google's first page results.

· And so much more!

Episode Overview

If for some reason you don't know John Jantsch, he's the best-selling author of multiple books including Duct Tape Marketing and Duct Tape Selling. His latest book, SEO for Growth, explains how to apply search engine optimization to your business for growth, and it is a must-read!

The first topic we dive into is the misconceptions about and mistakes made around SEO. John explains that it's not about links, likes, or clicks anymore, but that's what most people think of when they think of SEO. Today, SEO is about growth: you should be building your company's web site with it in mind, along with your editorial calendars and all the other pieces of your marketing plan. It is that important to your overall business.

The strategy to utilizing SEO has changed over the years. Initially, if you wanted to sell something, like alloy wheels, you could stuff a bunch of words on your web site about wheels, and you'd probably get to the top of the rankings.

Google has weeded out all of that now. Today they know what your web pages are about, whether or not links are coming from relevant places, and they can figure out if a site is more authoritative than another site. Google has always been about getting the best results for the search terms used, and as a result, SEO today is really about optimizing content that is focused on a specific ideal client.

With that in mind, John explains what to do if you want to properly utilize SEO for growth. For starters, you have to now design your web site with SEO in mind. That comes from having a strategic approach and asking questions like: What is the home page going to be about? What are the main navigation pages going to be about?

You also need to know certain information to find and attract the ideal client to your web site. You need to know what the terms are that they use in their searches, and which terms they use most frequently. What questions are they asking before they have any idea what solutions are available? And what are the pain points they are going to the internet with?

Also on this episode of Grow My Revenue, John explains why most people actually don't care how their problems get solved, only that they get solved! Additionally, he shares how to become a part of their journey as they are wrestling with a problem (before even seeking a solution), and why this is such a strong approach to gaining a client.

Listen in for all of that and more on this edition of Grow My Revenue, and then let me know what you're doing differently with your web site after you read his book SEO for Growth. I look forward to seeing how you've implemented John's ideas.

For full show notes, please visit: http://www.ianaltman.com/podcast/john-jantsch-seo/

When you think of public relations (PR), what comes to mind? Swanky parties of schmoozing and martinis? Or someone who makes phone calls to their friends to land big publicity for a business? Neither of these are what PR and integrated communications are about at their core.

Today our guest is Gini Dietrich, the author of international best-seller Spin Sucks, and the founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, an integrated communications firm. She's also head of Spin Sucks Pro, and hosts the show Inside PR.

I brought her on because she is a bona fide expert on all things marketing communications; she knows more about it then most people on the planet! Today she's giving us the truth about PR, communications and what both will and won't do for a business. Listen in to hear all of that and more on this edition of Grow My Revenue.

Listen to this episode and discover:

· Why do most people think PR is about lying?

· When should you include PR in your marketing?

· What are the four components of an integrated communications model?

· What's the best way to show how great you are?

· What role does storytelling play a role in integrated communications?

· And so much more!

Episode Overview

Gini is a wealth of communications information, and today she explains the biggest mistakes people make regarding PR and communication, when you should or shouldn't start a PR strategy, why integrated communications is different than communications, and the steps you should take to properly implement this type of integrated communications in your business.

She said one of the biggest misconceptions about PR and communications that people hold to today is that PR people lie for a living! It's a myth perpetuated by stereotypes we all see in the media, from Samantha Jones on Sex and The City to movies about "spin doctors" in politics.

And one of the biggest mistakes she sees is that people believe – and they must be learning this somewhere – is that PR solves all their problems. For some reason many business owners believe that if they could just be featured on the cover of The New York Times, all their problems would be solved! They think a feature like that will help them sell out of their products, and their businesses will flourish.

When I asked her what makes communications integrated versus simply communications, she explained the four components of an integrated model. There is paid media (which is email marketing, social media advertising) and earned media (an example is being quoted in articles). The last two pieces are shared media (social media shares) and owned media. Owned media is the center of everything because without that, you don't have anything to email people or for people to share.

When working with a communications firm, you want them to include all four components, and they must also have a way to measure sales as a result of those four components. Measurement is key, and must answer questions such as: is this driving qualified leads to your site? And: what are they doing once they get there?

Before beginning to work with a firm like Gini's, there are certain indicators that show you have a need for an integrated communications strategy. With all of these you must be innovative, interesting, and offer a unique perspective; otherwise nobody cares, Gini says! Nobody wants to hear you talk about how great you are – but they will listen to your employees or customers share stories about how great you were for them.

For full show notes, please visit: http://www.ianaltman.com/podcast/gini-dietrich/

On this episode of Grow My Revenue, you'll also hear Gini share the one piece of advice she'd give everyone, and why she gave up on becoming a prima ballerina. Tune in and get ready to enjoy this edition of Grow My Revenue with Gini Dietrich and I!

When you think of public relations (PR), what comes to mind? Swanky parties of schmoozing and martinis? Or someone who makes phone calls to their friends to land big publicity for a business? Neither of these are what PR and integrated communications are about at their core.

Today our guest is Gini Dietrich, the author of international best-seller Spin Sucks, and the founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, an integrated communications firm. She's also head of Spin Sucks Pro, and hosts the show Inside PR.

I brought her on because she is a bona fide expert on all things marketing communications; she knows more about it then most people on the planet! Today she's giving us the truth about PR, communications and what both will and won't do for a business. Listen in to hear all of that and more on this edition of Grow My Revenue.

Listen to this episode and discover:

· Why do most people think PR is about lying?

· When should you include PR in your marketing?

· What are the four components of an integrated communications model?

· What's the best way to show how great you are?

· What role does storytelling play a role in integrated communications?

· And so much more!

Episode Overview

Gini is a wealth of communications information, and today she explains the biggest mistakes people make regarding PR and communication, when you should or shouldn't start a PR strategy, why integrated communications is different than communications, and the steps you should take to properly implement this type of integrated communications in your business.

She said one of the biggest misconceptions about PR and communications that people hold to today is that PR people lie for a living! It's a myth perpetuated by stereotypes we all see in the media, from Samantha Jones on Sex and The City to movies about "spin doctors" in politics.

And one of the biggest mistakes she sees is that people believe – and they must be learning this somewhere – is that PR solves all their problems. For some reason many business owners believe that if they could just be featured on the cover of The New York Times, all their problems would be solved! They think a feature like that will help them sell out of their products, and their businesses will flourish.

When I asked her what makes communications integrated versus simply communications, she explained the four components of an integrated model. There is paid media (which is email marketing, social media advertising) and earned media (an example is being quoted in articles). The last two pieces are shared media (social media shares) and owned media. Owned media is the center of everything because without that, you don't have anything to email people or for people to share.

When working with a communications firm, you want them to include all four components, and they must also have a way to measure sales as a result of those four components. Measurement is key, and must answer questions such as: is this driving qualified leads to your site? And: what are they doing once they get there?

Before beginning to work with a firm like Gini's, there are certain indicators that show you have a need for an integrated communications strategy. With all of these you must be innovative, interesting, and offer a unique perspective; otherwise nobody cares, Gini says! Nobody wants to hear you talk about how great you are – but they will listen to your employees or customers share stories about how great you were for them.

For full show notes, please visit: http://www.ianaltman.com/podcast/gini-dietrich/

On this episode of Grow My Revenue, you'll also hear Gini share the one piece of advice she'd give everyone, and why she gave up on becoming a prima ballerina. Tune in and get ready to enjoy this edition of Grow My Revenue with Gini Dietrich and I!

Have you ever noticed how marketing messages often pay no attention to what is on the mind of the customer they are trying to reach? Rather than find out what their audience is concerned with, most marketers prefer to expound on what's so great about their company, and why people should use their product or service. Doing so is one of the ways marketers have ruined communication today.

On this episode, I'll be sharing some real-life examples of bad marketing, and why you must know what your customer is thinking about before you begin the marketing conversation. I'll also explain how to get the answers you need by asking the right questions. Today's edition of Grow My Revenue is entertaining and informative!

Listen to this episode and discover:

· What are brain pickers, and why are they on the rise?

· Why trying to appeal to everyone makes you appeal to no one.

· What is breakage, and what does it have to do with marketing?

· What is one of the things people most misuse in marketing automation?

· What you must do to be on people's minds.

· And so much more…

Episode Overview

I kick off the show by reading an email I recently received, and explaining why it doesn't work as a marketing tool (which will be apparent when you hear it!). I wanted to give you a real-life example because they are so prevalent today; I keep a file specifically for bad marketing and I add to it daily!

I also discuss why honesty really is the best policy when talking with your clients, rather than the "guarantees" so many companies make today. True marketing experts will tell you the truth about what they offer. The example I use on this episode is the promise of a viral video from a company.

A good marketer will be straight with you, and will tell you certain things must happen for a video to have a chance of going viral. They'll tell you that you must tap into the right angst or need in the market, and the video must be executed in a way that is fun and entertaining – then it might go viral. They'll be sure you understand it takes a combination of things for the possibility of a viral video; there are no guarantees.

To avoid falling into the bad marketing trap, we have to remember how we ourselves behave as consumers. When we hear something that sounds too good to be true, we assume that it is. Why would we try to make the same "too good to be true" promises to others in our own marketing pitches? It works in our favor to tell the truth, and to share the results we've gotten for our clients, but also explain that we cannot guarantee that same outcome. Saying so builds trust.

Another key way to build trust is to find out what our people consider valuable: asking the right questions. There are three types of questions to ask: worldview, industry view, and how relevant you are to your customer's business.

Understanding what your customer's world looks like means asking questions, such as: "At your next board meeting, what are the three things you have to update them on? What are the three big initiatives that are going on, and what are you going to tell them? What would you be fired for not doing at your job?

Second, to understand their industry view, ask them to give an example of the worst experience they've had with a vendor in your space, even if it is with you. Ask them what they think of your industry and be willing to hear the answer because they will give you one!

Third, you can find out how relevant you are by asking them to share what would happen if you would go out of business, how would they be impacted? Would they even notice? You can also ask for them to share their perspective on your sweet spot and what you do better than anyone else. And find out what would make them a customer for life by asking them that exact question.

On today's show, you'll hear all of that and more. It's a fun and information-packed show designed to help you grow your revenue and your business right away.

Have you ever noticed how marketing messages often pay no attention to what is on the mind of the customer they are trying to reach? Rather than find out what their audience is concerned with, most marketers prefer to expound on what's so great about their company, and why people should use their product or service. Doing so is one of the ways marketers have ruined communication today.

On this episode, I'll be sharing some real-life examples of bad marketing, and why you must know what your customer is thinking about before you begin the marketing conversation. I'll also explain how to get the answers you need by asking the right questions. Today's edition of Grow My Revenue is entertaining and informative!

Listen to this episode and discover:

· What are brain pickers, and why are they on the rise?

· Why trying to appeal to everyone makes you appeal to no one.

· What is breakage, and what does it have to do with marketing?

· What is one of the things people most misuse in marketing automation?

· What you must do to be on people's minds.

· And so much more…

Episode Overview

I kick off the show by reading an email I recently received, and explaining why it doesn't work as a marketing tool (which will be apparent when you hear it!). I wanted to give you a real-life example because they are so prevalent today; I keep a file specifically for bad marketing and I add to it daily!

I also discuss why honesty really is the best policy when talking with your clients, rather than the "guarantees" so many companies make today. True marketing experts will tell you the truth about what they offer. The example I use on this episode is the promise of a viral video from a company.

A good marketer will be straight with you, and will tell you certain things must happen for a video to have a chance of going viral. They'll tell you that you must tap into the right angst or need in the market, and the video must be executed in a way that is fun and entertaining – then it might go viral. They'll be sure you understand it takes a combination of things for the possibility of a viral video; there are no guarantees.

To avoid falling into the bad marketing trap, we have to remember how we ourselves behave as consumers. When we hear something that sounds too good to be true, we assume that it is. Why would we try to make the same "too good to be true" promises to others in our own marketing pitches? It works in our favor to tell the truth, and to share the results we've gotten for our clients, but also explain that we cannot guarantee that same outcome. Saying so builds trust.

Another key way to build trust is to find out what our people consider valuable: asking the right questions. There are three types of questions to ask: worldview, industry view, and how relevant you are to your customer's business.

Understanding what your customer's world looks like means asking questions, such as: "At your next board meeting, what are the three things you have to update them on? What are the three big initiatives that are going on, and what are you going to tell them? What would you be fired for not doing at your job?

Second, to understand their industry view, ask them to give an example of the worst experience they've had with a vendor in your space, even if it is with you. Ask them what they think of your industry and be willing to hear the answer because they will give you one!

Third, you can find out how relevant you are by asking them to share what would happen if you would go out of business, how would they be impacted? Would they even notice? You can also ask for them to share their perspective on your sweet spot and what you do better than anyone else. And find out what would make them a customer for life by asking them that exact question.

On today's show, you'll hear all of that and more. It's a fun and information-packed show designed to help you grow your revenue and your business right away.

If you've ever wondered how to streamline and integrate your physical marketing and your digital marketing, or how to best utilize the social media platforms available, you'll want to give today's show your full attention.

On this episode, Shama Hyder joins us to talk about the current and ever-changing landscape of digital marketing. She is the founder and CEO of the award-winning agency The Marketing Zen Group and has been named one of the "Top 30 Under 30" entrepreneurs by Inc. Magazine in 2014, and was one of Forbes' "Top 30 Under 30" the following year.

She is also the best-selling author of several books including her latest, Momentum: How to Propel Your Marketing and Transform Your Brand in The Digital Age. She is a wealth of social media and digital marketing information, and she shares it generously today!

Listen to this episode and discover:

· Do you need to be on every social media platform?

· How do your goals influence your digital marketing?

· The story behind her book Momentum, and why she waited to write it.

· Why you should not have sacred cows.

· What is the primary reason people use social media?

· And so much more!

Episode Overview

One of the first questions I asked Shama was: how frequently should we be posting on social media? She said it depends on your goals and your channels. You must know what you hope to accomplish with your digital marketing and you must also know your audience. But the bottom line is that consistent, quality content is vital.

You also need to know what your audience expects from you as a brand, and where they hang out. You need to be where they are, and you need to be communicating with them through those channels.

On this episode, Shama also gives us three of the key principles she teaches in her latest book, Momentum: agility through analytics, customer focus and integration.

When it comes to agility through analytics, her advice is simple: don't have sacred cows. Don't have things you are tied to unless you have data to back up that tie. She recommends you not be subjective, but instead look at the data available to you, and make decisions based on that. You'll make smarter decisions if you do so.

Which leads into the second topic of customer focus: customer focus today is not about the customer always being right or putting the customer first. Instead, it is about how you build your brand. And rather than the old way of branding by defining what the company stands for and what the brand values are, today it is about what you provide for your customers.

Branding today means knowing the answer to a questions like: what does doing business with us allow our customers to say about their personal brand? When you understand what problems you solve for your customers, rather than what services you offer, then you have defined your personal brand in today's market.

The third key Shama gives us today is integration: the combination of digital and physical. When customers engage with a brand they don't separate the digital from physical interactions, but companies still do. Companies will create a separate physical engagement approach, versus a digital approach. She says when customers engage with companies they want a seamless experience, regardless of whether it happens digitally or physically.

That is why integration is key. Integration needs to combine the physical and digital more seamlessly, and create the same messaging and the same experience across both planes, while focusing more on the customer's journey.

On this episode, Shama also shares the biggest mistakes she sees people making in the digital world today, and the greatest lesson she's learned that can help you. Get ready for all of this, and so much more, on this edition of Grow My Revenue!

For full show notes, visit: http://www.ianaltman.com/podcast/shama-hyder/

If you've ever wondered how to streamline and integrate your physical marketing and your digital marketing, or how to best utilize the social media platforms available, you'll want to give today's show your full attention.

On this episode, Shama Hyder joins us to talk about the current and ever-changing landscape of digital marketing. She is the founder and CEO of the award-winning agency The Marketing Zen Group and has been named one of the "Top 30 Under 30" entrepreneurs by Inc. Magazine in 2014, and was one of Forbes' "Top 30 Under 30" the following year.

She is also the best-selling author of several books including her latest, Momentum: How to Propel Your Marketing and Transform Your Brand in The Digital Age. She is a wealth of social media and digital marketing information, and she shares it generously today!

Listen to this episode and discover:

· Do you need to be on every social media platform?

· How do your goals influence your digital marketing?

· The story behind her book Momentum, and why she waited to write it.

· Why you should not have sacred cows.

· What is the primary reason people use social media?

· And so much more!

Episode Overview

One of the first questions I asked Shama was: how frequently should we be posting on social media? She said it depends on your goals and your channels. You must know what you hope to accomplish with your digital marketing and you must also know your audience. But the bottom line is that consistent, quality content is vital.

You also need to know what your audience expects from you as a brand, and where they hang out. You need to be where they are, and you need to be communicating with them through those channels.

On this episode, Shama also gives us three of the key principles she teaches in her latest book, Momentum: agility through analytics, customer focus and integration.

When it comes to agility through analytics, her advice is simple: don't have sacred cows. Don't have things you are tied to unless you have data to back up that tie. She recommends you not be subjective, but instead look at the data available to you, and make decisions based on that. You'll make smarter decisions if you do so.

Which leads into the second topic of customer focus: customer focus today is not about the customer always being right or putting the customer first. Instead, it is about how you build your brand. And rather than the old way of branding by defining what the company stands for and what the brand values are, today it is about what you provide for your customers.

Branding today means knowing the answer to a questions like: what does doing business with us allow our customers to say about their personal brand? When you understand what problems you solve for your customers, rather than what services you offer, then you have defined your personal brand in today's market.

The third key Shama gives us today is integration: the combination of digital and physical. When customers engage with a brand they don't separate the digital from physical interactions, but companies still do. Companies will create a separate physical engagement approach, versus a digital approach. She says when customers engage with companies they want a seamless experience, regardless of whether it happens digitally or physically.

That is why integration is key. Integration needs to combine the physical and digital more seamlessly, and create the same messaging and the same experience across both planes, while focusing more on the customer's journey.

On this episode, Shama also shares the biggest mistakes she sees people making in the digital world today, and the greatest lesson she's learned that can help you. Get ready for all of this, and so much more, on this edition of Grow My Revenue!

For full show notes, visit: http://www.ianaltman.com/podcast/shama-hyder/

All of us have had the unpleasant experience of receiving a phone call or an email from someone trying to sell us something. But what makes it so unpleasant? Typically it's because the person writing or speaking to us is focused on what they want to give us and what they have to offer, an approach that doesn't work.

On today's show, Bob London joins us to explain why so much of marketing still uses this approach even though it fails, a few great examples from his life and how to show your customers that you really are different. Listen in to hear Bob's humorous insights that will shift your marketing perspective immediately, for the better.

Listen to this episode and discover:

· What technique helped Bob double his business without putting in more effort?

· Why being on Inc. 500's Top 5,000 list is a double-edged sword.

· Is the term "full service" useful or simply an empty, meaningless phrase?

· Why does Jeff Bezos have an empty chair in every meeting?

· Email automation gone terribly wrong: an example from Bob's life.

· And so much more!

Episode Overview

If you've listened to the show before you've heard me mention the concept of "the elevator rant", and today's guest is the inventor of that phrase. His name is Bob London and he is the Founder and President of London, Ink, a firm that helps businesses understand and speak to their customers' greatest needs and wants. He has an incredible track record doing so, and he shares his wisdom today.

Because he's a man with his finger on the pulse of the marketing world, I asked him for a few specific examples he has seen recently. He gave me several great illustrations, including one that highlights a highly common marketing mistake and one that shows how marketing can have an incredible impact when done right. We'll start with the marketing mistake.

Recently one of his clients, a law firm, took out a $25,000 newspaper ad. The ad's headline read: A better law firm experience in D.C. The remainder of the ad was generic copy about what makes them different from other law firms. The copy focused solely on the firm itself, rather than the benefits of working with them. They missed the opportunity to actually show what makes them a better law firm experience.

Bob had suggestions for them that you can apply to your business. He says if you really want to show your customers how you are different, start by marketing to them in their own words and solving their problems (the concept of "the elevator rant").

For example, this law firm could have said things like: our partners do 75% of the actual work, not everything is farmed out to a junior associate. We don't have new business quotas at our law firm. Our client-facing team averages 95% more experience than other law firms. Several of our partners actually have real-world experience working in X industries (fill in the blank). We don't bill you for every phone call.

Those are actual pain points Bob discovered in his research. Those phrases are real words used by C level executives about their experiences working with law firms and are prime examples of how to market to someone effectively.

***

Bob has several other great examples on the show today, including an email drip list he is on that will show you exactly what type of content marketing does NOT work! It's a funny story that will both entertain and illuminate, listen in for all of that and more on this edition of Grow My Revenue.

For full show notes, visit: http://www.ianaltman.com/podcast/bob-london/

All of us have had the unpleasant experience of receiving a phone call or an email from someone trying to sell us something. But what makes it so unpleasant? Typically it's because the person writing or speaking to us is focused on what they want to give us and what they have to offer, an approach that doesn't work.

On today's show, Bob London joins us to explain why so much of marketing still uses this approach even though it fails, a few great examples from his life and how to show your customers that you really are different. Listen in to hear Bob's humorous insights that will shift your marketing perspective immediately, for the better.

Listen to this episode and discover:

· What technique helped Bob double his business without putting in more effort?

· Why being on Inc. 500's Top 5,000 list is a double-edged sword.

· Is the term "full service" useful or simply an empty, meaningless phrase?

· Why does Jeff Bezos have an empty chair in every meeting?

· Email automation gone terribly wrong: an example from Bob's life.

· And so much more!

Episode Overview

If you've listened to the show before you've heard me mention the concept of "the elevator rant", and today's guest is the inventor of that phrase. His name is Bob London and he is the Founder and President of London, Ink, a firm that helps businesses understand and speak to their customers' greatest needs and wants. He has an incredible track record doing so, and he shares his wisdom today.

Because he's a man with his finger on the pulse of the marketing world, I asked him for a few specific examples he has seen recently. He gave me several great illustrations, including one that highlights a highly common marketing mistake and one that shows how marketing can have an incredible impact when done right. We'll start with the marketing mistake.

Recently one of his clients, a law firm, took out a $25,000 newspaper ad. The ad's headline read: A better law firm experience in D.C. The remainder of the ad was generic copy about what makes them different from other law firms. The copy focused solely on the firm itself, rather than the benefits of working with them. They missed the opportunity to actually show what makes them a better law firm experience.

Bob had suggestions for them that you can apply to your business. He says if you really want to show your customers how you are different, start by marketing to them in their own words and solving their problems (the concept of "the elevator rant").

For example, this law firm could have said things like: our partners do 75% of the actual work, not everything is farmed out to a junior associate. We don't have new business quotas at our law firm. Our client-facing team averages 95% more experience than other law firms. Several of our partners actually have real-world experience working in X industries (fill in the blank). We don't bill you for every phone call.

Those are actual pain points Bob discovered in his research. Those phrases are real words used by C level executives about their experiences working with law firms and are prime examples of how to market to someone effectively.

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Bob has several other great examples on the show today, including an email drip list he is on that will show you exactly what type of content marketing does NOT work! It's a funny story that will both entertain and illuminate, listen in for all of that and more on this edition of Grow My Revenue.

For full show notes, visit: http://www.ianaltman.com/podcast/bob-london/