Bizucate_BtheXPert

Being the Expert: Growing Your Customer’s Business

Presenter: Peter Muir, Bizucate Inc.

© 2008 Bizucate Inc.

Today’s Objectives

•  We’ll be polling to customize the experience •  Review the last call to action •  Discuss “Being an Expert” and how to be one •  Identify ways to leverage your expert knowledge

and skills into customer ideas you can share •  Focus on using their customer as a main point of

focus •  Discuss actions you can take away to help your

customer and your business grow

Previous Call to Action on February 12, 2008

1.  Discuss changes in communications with customers 2.  Business Plan

  Don’t have one? Write one!   Got One? Review it and check your progress.

3.  Marketing Plan. Same as the Business Plan 4.  Sales Process. Same as Business Plan

  Understand what your customers are going through   Use a Business Development Sales Approach to create a

deeper relationship with your customers

•  The time you spend on these four things will be the best time you spend on your business this year!

•  www.brainshark.com/xerox/vu?pi=290522261

“Being the Expert”…too Bold?

•  Who and what defines an “expert”? •  Webster says: “One with the special skill or knowledge

representing mastery of a particular subject.”

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Skill/Knowledge Comes from a Genuine Interest in…

•  Business beyond your own •  A market (Commercial or Consumer) •  Local and global influences •  Your customer’s business

  Relation they have with potential customer   Relation they have with their existing customers

…you may be that existing customer

Image: www.jeitosa.com/images/sidebar/puzzle_globe.jpg

Being the “Educational” Expert

•  Someone who attempts to keep up and share opinions and information about the topic at hand

•  Understands there is ALWAYS more than one perspective…and listens to it   That’s how you grow your knowledge

•  Has passion about the journey and shows it in all they do

•  Can tie the journey to their business to be able to continue to learn and share

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Two Words to Get You Started

Image: http://sarcasticgamer.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/bif-leaving.gif

GET OUT! •  Local •  Regional •  National •  International

Vertical Approach to New Business 1.  Health Care 2.  Gambling and Wagering 3.  Insurance 4.  Department Stores 5.  Auto Industry 6.  Advertising Agencies 7.  Cruise Industry 8.  Real Estate 9.  Telecom 10.  Banks 11.  Home Office 12.  Investment Companies 13.  Hotel 14.  Utilities 15.  Travel 16.  Professional

17.  Pharmaceutical 18.  Retail Food 19.  Wholesale Food 20.  Higher Ed 21.  Fundraising 22.  Sports Entertainment 23.  Associations 24.  Publishing 25.  Architectural and Engineering 26.  Beverage 27.  Book Publishing 28.  Fashion Apparel 29.  Franchise Options 30.  Greeting Cards 31.  High Technology 32.  Toys and Games

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I Call It…Absorbing an Industry

•  What do they do? •  What do they read? •  What are their interests? •  What are their worries? •  What have early adopters

learned? •  What have/haven’t they

taken time to figure? •  What trade orgs do they

join?

•  Where do they advertise? •  Who are their customers? •  How do they communicate

with their customers? •  What are the trends? •  How can I capitalize on

trends in their world? •  What other industries do I

find out about along the way?

Working With One is Easier than Many

•  When you try to take a broad approach you miss a great opportunity to explore the individual relationship

Image: photos.wingerz.com/d/658-2/crowd.jpg and pro.corbis.com

Consider Three Levels of Knowledge

1.  The Individual •  Role in the organization •  Personal goals •  What makes them look good?

2.  Their Organization •  What does the company want? •  Willingness to do what it takes to go there?

3.  Their Customer •  Why do they do business with the company? •  What more/What less do they wish for?

What Could You Talk About?

•  Their world •  Their business •  Their customer’s world •  The world outside the business

Image: geekalerts.com/u/lev-globe.jpg

Two Topics You Can ALWAYS Talk About

1.  Money 2.  Customers

Image: apudgeisasandwich.files.wordpress.com and www.molssoft.lv/images/

*Pause in the Story*

•  The term customer going forward can also represent a   Constituent   Member   Student   Donor   And many more…

Two Customer Discussions Everyone Wants to Know More About

1.  Getting them (Acquisition) 2.  Keeping them (Retention)

•  When you start talking about their customers (existing and potential) they’ll want to know what you know

•  You don’t need to name names, talk in “type of”

Message Print

Sender

Message PURL

Receiver

Constant Feedback

Instantaneous Feedback

Message E-Mail

Message E-News

Message Blog

Message Phone

Message SMS Text

Message Inst.

Messg.

Message TV

Message Radio

© 2008 Bizucate Inc.

Message E-Stmnt

Message Soc. Ntwrk

Message Website

Understanding Your Customer’s World: Target Marketing's Media Usage Forecast 2008

•  Media fragmentation more pronounced •  Direct mail could become a casualty of costs that rise too

greatly compared to its performance •  Few respondents indicated greater reliance on direct

mail due to technological advancements—such as variable data personalization and personalized URLs—and targeting abilities, the majority of mail-related comments cited rising postal and paper costs as the reasons behind their media reallocations for 2008.

•  The upside is that marketers are interested in multi-channel, integrated marketing and ROI more than ever, so they’re getting smarter about effective testing and measurement with each campaign.

Target Marketing Magazine: March 2008

Overall Media Spend on Marketing


Acquisition vs. Retention Spend


Get Your Multi-channel Game On!

Customer Acquisition •  Direct Mail

  VI and pURL •  E-Mail •  Search Engine Marketing

(Paid) •  (Telemarketing) •  Search Engine Optimization •  Catalogs •  Advertising on websites

Customer Retention •  E-Mail •  Direct Mail

  VI and pURL •  (Telemarketing) •  Catalogs •  Advertising on websites •  DR Space Advertising •  Insert Media

Kevin Litten, EU Expert “We’re getting a 7.5% return

on a thank you campaign. We used to send out letters of thanks, now our thank you address labels and additional support card and BRE are generating additional support!”   Customer of EU Services, a direct

marketing production company

“My best successes are when I show my customer an application that can drive their cause!”   Kevin Litten, Sales, EU Services

Business Development Approaches

•  Program ideas (repetitive personalized work) • Campaign ideas (multi-channel, multi touch) • Newsletter topics •  Seminar themes • What if you did your own studies with your own

customers and shared generic results? • And more…email me yours

The Hardest Parts

•  How much time can you spend? •  Do you charge for what you are doing? •  How much do you charge? •  Closing if it’s the right fit

•  These can be good challenges to have •  It will get easier as you do more •  It sounds more interesting than a price, quality or

speed discussion to many customers

Sy Sperling Knew How…

www.the7thfire.com/images/morphs-pic.gif

“I’m not only the Hair Club president, but I’m also a client.”

•  Practice using your business and tell the story! •  Makes a great case study

•  Empathize and understand the challenges you face •  Problem nothing to be ashamed of •  As a result of first-hand experience,

I can sincerely recommend my product

Good Reads and Resources

•  Now is Gone: nowisgone.com •  Target Marketing: targetmarketingmag.com •  Direct Marketing Association: the-dma.org •  American Marketing Assoc.: marketingpower.com •  Xerox ProfitAccelerator: xerox.com/driveprofit

Einstein on creativity…

http://www.the7thfire.com/images/morphs-pic.gif

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.

For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create. ”

Call to Action!

1.  Business Plan, Marketing Plan and Sales Strategy Review along with following changes in communications

2.  Decide if you want to “be an expert” and immerse yourself in your customers business and their relationship with their existing and potential customers

3.  Develop ideas you can share helping your customer reach their goals while including services and products you offer

•  The time you spend on these three things could be the best time you spend on your customer’s business this year!

Thank You!

  E-Mail: [email protected]   Website: www.bizucate.com   Blog: www.bizucate.typepad.com   Skype/AIM/Google Talk: pimuir   Mail: 157 Hausman RD

Green Lane, PA 18054 USA

Bizucate_BtheXPert

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