Archive For: Marketing

Do You Rock?

2017-01-22 Chris Wilson

Over the weekend my vocal coach, Zerafina Zara, and I went to see one of Australia’s music legends, Chris Wilson.

Musically, he was amazing. I am yet to see anyone play harmonica better than he does and his raspy vocals inject such soul into his music. To be honest, the drummer and the guitarist were also fantastic.

But here’s the thing. Being a great muso is not enough!

Many may argue that is “should” be enough but the reality is, being a muso alone is not enough. When I put my event professional hat on and consider a performance as a Master MC, I think you need to be more.

My personal philosophy is that ANYONE who steps on stage to be in front of an audience, regardless of whether you are a rock star, a CEO, a speaker or a bride giving a speech, you must be Yourself, Amplified.

You have to be yourself because authenticity is essential to connecting to you audience and you have to be amplified as your work has to come across strongly and be able to break through any resistance. Your amplification of energy and confidence will do this.

Chris’ first bracket was fine. Good music performed will but he didn’t connect to the audience. This was contrasted with his second bracket. He chatted to us, made some jokes and told a story. The difference in energy in the room was noticeable. 

The key element of success in any presentation or performance is to remember that “It is all about the audience.” They have to be connected with you, emotionally and energetically. You can do this via a good great introduction, looking at the audience, playing with the audience, acknowledging they are here and what it took for them to get here, or including them in your story.

When you connect with the audience, the whole place ROCKS! Your music and your message gets across easier, your fan base love you a little bit more and your event raises the bar that little bit higher.

So when you present, do you engage with your audience? Do you make them want to see you again?

Do you rock?

PS Here is a bit more of Chris for your enjoyment!

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Summer Wonderland

Last week I was lucky enough to give away a holiday for two people, including tickets to the Super Bowl in Houston, worth over $20,000. It was all part of Air New Zealand’s new launch of Dave, the Frequent Flyer (That’s him pictured above – click on him to see him in action).

I like Air NZ. They are very clever but show it with a great sense of humour and humanity.

Dave is great way to show an alternate way for long haul travel.
Their new Christmas message (basically, it’s really hot in the southern hemisphere over summer, so no snow for us) is a fabulous mix up of the cheeky personality of Julian Dennison (the kid from Hunt for the Wilderpeople) and fabulous music from Ronan Keating. Click the image below to see the short film – it’s worth it.

They frequently have fights with other airlines on twitter. Recently it was with Aer Lingus. The best thing is that with their fights, everyone wins!
So much of their work is not a blatant promotion of their airline but generating fun while reminding you of what they do.

So how do you bring humour and humanity to what you do? How do relax and just enjoy the Summer Wonderland?

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Stop Wasting Money

2016-08-31 flyers

So many businesses are haemorrhaging money and they don’t even know it. One of the key places they waste money is in their advertising. 

Each week businesses spend thousands on letterbox drops, local paper advertising, posters and even local sport sponsorship. Each week, these same businesses refuse to track or even service the business that comes in from this advertising. So save yourself the money and stop advertising!

For example, recently we needed some gutter work done on an investment property. Serendipitously we received in the letterbox an A5 sized coloured flyer promoting a local gutter specialist. Let’s just work out the cost of that. 

A quick Google shows that 5,000 flyers cost about $500 to distribute and about $500 to design and print. So that’s a $1,000 for the minimum run of 5,000 flyers to print and distribute. To pay for that, the business needs to bring in a new customer and a new job that pays $1,000 in PROFIT not just revenue.

Our gutter specialist not only did a letter box drop, they did an advert in the local paper “Trade” section. But it wasn’t a normal sized advert, theirs was a double advert so it was twice as big as everyone else’s.  Now they service multiple areas so it is possible that they have this advert in multiple local papers. Their advertising spend continues to grow.

The reality is a little different. We called and let them know what we wanted. Putting aside the rough and ready way they answered the phone (“Hullo?”), we said we would be on site for the next three days. The guy said that “I will try to get there and if not I will be in touch.”

It has now been three weeks and we are yet to hear from them. (But their advert was in the paper again this week). So not only is it a waste of money, it is really poor customer service.

Stop wasting your money. If you don’t have the systems and processes in place to deal with the new business your advertising is generating, you are doing yourself more harm than good.

Your systems MUST be ready to accept new customers, discover where they are from (so you can track the effectiveness of your marketing) and then be able to service them. With the number of supporting products and services available in the market place today, there is no excuse for poor systems and poor service.

Here is how this experience could have gone.

The number on the advertising could have been for a virtual service. The person answering the phone could have asked for basic job and contact details, how the caller found out about them and then advised that the tradie would be back in touch within 48 hours (unless it was urgent), typically after 4pm when they finished hands on work.

If they tradie called within 24 hours, the customer would feel good simply because they called within 24 and not 48 hours. The tradie could advise that all quotes are done on Fridays and the next available quote slot is this Friday at 2pm (or whenever). They book a quote time and then start the process.

This whole process not only makes it easy for the customer, it also helps set their expectation for the service they will be receiving. Their customer service experience has not been left to chance.

Michael Gerber said, “The systems run the business and the team run the systems.” This is particularly important for solo business operators like tradies and entrepreneurs.

So look at what you are doing. Are you wasting money on advertising because you are not set up to actually take on the new business? Are you annoying people with bad service that you can easily avoid? Put your systems in place and make your success happen.

Whatever you do, stop wasting money!

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It’s Not About You

I was at a funeral recently and it was sad. It was sad that my friends husband had died and even sadder that the priest shifted the attention off the man who had died and on to himself.

I have seen this happen on several occasions. The host, celebrant or religious leader turns the spotlight on themselves, their message or their beliefs rather than focussing on the needs of the audience.

A good GREAT host knows that it is not about them. It is ALL about the audience. Be it a conference, funeral, some other ceremony or even a simple networking event, how can you make it about the audience or the other person?

How can you shift the focus to be about them and their needs?

Get out of the road and make the event more memorable for others and you will make a bigger name for yourself than you would turning the spotlight on yourself in the first place.

Plain and simple, it’s not about you! 

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How Much?

I have just taken on another mentoring client.

They are a leader in their industry, have a significant presence in the market and are excellent at what they do but they charge only about 30% of the average industry price for some of their services.

Naturally one of the first things we will be doing is raising their prices.

To do this we will have to have some serious conversations, but not with their customers. It is all about what THEY think they are worth.

Your price does not reflect what your market thinks you are worth but what YOU think you are worth. You then need to go to market and position the value.

So for what you do, how much are you worth?

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Grand Opening

GMS COver Small

WOO HOO!!

I am so excited that after some serious procrastinating, some hard work, bursts of inspiration, serious doubts, more procrastinating, more work, home made design, a lot of interviewing, a stack of support, the kindness of friends and some techo gurus the Get More Success show is now live!

Over the coming years I will be interviewing people from all walks of life and find out how they define success and what are their success tips that you may be able to apply to get success in your life.

As an added bonus, the show will also include excerpts from the Get More Speaker Success monthly blab. This is a group conversation with a more lighthearted approach that covers issues in the speaking, meetings and events industries. It has some great ideas if you are looking to run events.

Because of the increased demand in the visual media, a lot of my interviews are also on video as well as audio. So if you like to look at what is happening, feel free to watch as well as listen.

You can see/hear the show at The Get More Success website. 

BUT I NEED YOUR HELP

The first couple of weeks of a podcast’s launch are important to help get traction. So this is where I need your help.

If you like the idea of the show as well as the first couple of editions that are out there, I need you to subscribe to the show in iTunes if you are an iTunes user.

This will trigger some of iTunes magic goodness and increase its profile and shoot it up the charts which then makes others want to look at it.

So I would love it if you could give me a boost.

It’s really easy. Just click this link to see the show listing.

Click on the “See in iTunes” button on the left of the screen

When iTunes opens, click on the subscribe button.

At the very least, head over and listen to Wayne Thompson from the Australian Type Foundry talk about how he creates fonts and some of the icon advertising pieces you have seen in advertising all over Australia (including the Optus “Yes” speech bubble).

So what is new in your life? What have you achieved after grinding away for what seems like years? How can I help you achieve success?

 

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Take Me Home

One of the key things you need to know as a speaker (or as a budding rock star) is that the audience want to take you home. 

They may have only heard you for an hour or two but there is a connection and they want to get more info from you or hear more of your stories or find out more about your message.

This is true regardless of your “status” in the market place. There will be audience members that just connect with you, even if you are not the headliner legend in your field. For example, my lovely wife and I went to “Burn the Floor” at Crown Casino on Friday. It was a very good show with lots of dancing and some great music. A very solid casino kind of show. Everything done really well and done within budget. 

But they still had a merchandise stand with posters, CDs, trinkets and clothing. At the end of the show there was a significant crowd there all wanting to buy their merchandise.

So as a speaker, educater, professional what do you have that lets your audience take you home?

Following in the footsteps of others from Professional Speakers Australia (The association for experts who speak) I have created over thirty differents discs (some CD, some DVD and some template discs), two books, two e-courses and many other products. After presenting at the Professional Speakers Australia event on the weekend on how to create product like this, some of the audience wanted to take me home. Having this product meant that they could.

If someone wants to take you or your company home, how do you make that happen?

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Why Are You Shouting?

AIME2016 is on this week. That’s the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Expo. It is held at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre and it is a real focus for the meetings industry. It is always good to go along and see what is happening in the industry.

It is interesting looking at some of the comments coming out on social media, and they are typical of many exhibitors and events all over the world. Essentially they are shouting “LOOK AT ME”

The actual comments are more like “come by stand 26B to see XYZ. You could we an ipad/bottle of wine/(insert token gift here)”.

Can I humbly suggest you save your breath and stop shouting?

What is happening is the more you do it, the more your fellow exhibitors think it’s a good idea to and then they do it and then you do it again and fairly soon everyone is shouting.

Meanwhile, all of the delegate have been scared off and purposefully avoid you.

Here is another approach. Make a personal offer to the people you want to talk with. If you have their emails or phone numbers, contact them directly and make an appointment or let them know why you would love to see them. If you don’t have their details, you will know the type of person you want to speaker to so make an offer directly to them that is intriguing and makes them want to come and visit.

For example, “For all the association event organisers visiting AIME, how would you like complimentary shoulder massage as we share with you ways to get more members at your events? Drop by the Event Strategists and let our masseurs work their magic for you”.

Isn’t that a little more attractive?

Find out what your niche customer will be attracted by and provide it. Then get ready for the onslaught of visitors. (Naturally this idea translates in to normal marketing, sales messages and even parenting)

So why are you shouting?

By the way, I will be at AIME on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. If you want to chat about how you can make your next event more fun, memorable and successful, call me on 0408 592 158 and we can catch up on the show floor.

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Respect Your Brand

I am a Star Wars fan.

I was 9 when the first film came out. The first three films were great, the second three  – not so much.

When I heard Disney bought Lucasfilm I was concerned. Disney are known for their focus on achieving a significant return for their investment, sometimes at a cost of the brand. (Recently they sent legal letters to people posting photos of their legally bought Star Wars action figures.)

The long awaited Episode Seven is due to open on the 18th of Dec. Already the marketing and merchandising has been going full steam ahead. I was stunned today to see the licensing of kids yoghurt balls (the advert is above).

I am certain many brands would love to piggy back on Star Wars popularity but what is the cost to Star Wars and Disney?

As a long time fan, I am saddened by all of the marketing. Somehow aligning “The Force” with everyday products takes away the “special” feeling the brand used to have. It is no longer unique but common.

What about your brand? Whether it be your company brand or brand “YOU”, be aware who you align yourself with.

If you don’t respect your brand, why should anyone else? 
PS We ran a special Blab on Friday talking about Mindfulness and Communication. We also created a special deal for the 2016 Kick Off. You can check out the recording here and take advantage of the deal until midnight tonight (Monday 14th December 2015).

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A Message from the Music Industry

office space

I was speaking with Zerafina Zara, one of the performance coaches for Mushroom Records recently about the music industry. There is a constant message that applies to your business that you need to know.

No matter how good you are, it doesn’t matter a damn if you don’t have an audience.

So many people work on their skill set, their techniques, their song writing, their creative process, their new development, but if you don’t have an audience, you will starve.

Apparently some performers get to the point where they think getting an audience is “beneath them”. From first hand experience, there are plenty of business people who are not focussed on getting an audience, or as I like to call it, SALES.

We have all seen products and services that are not that good but they have a huge following and significant sales. Maybe it is your competitor and you even have a better product or service than they do. But they have clearly focussed on their marketing and sales processes. This is because they know the value of an audience.

So do you have an audience? What will you do this week to increase your audience rather than work on your product or service?

 

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Bringing Home the Bacon

Image: SauceOnPurpose.com

This Friday, I am delighted to be filling in for Jacki Mitchell on her award winning show Taking Care of Business.

When I asked my social media contacts what did they want me to talk about, there was a resounding reply of “BACON”.

As many people know, I am a huge fan of bacon (new research shows it keeps you young too!) but I thought that listeners may be more interested in Bringing Home the Bacon.

It is one thing to talk about sales, marketing, strategy, productivity, business plans and so on. What counts is actually earning money.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a firm believer that SUCCESS is measured by far more than just money, but as the late great Kevin Merry (my dad) used to say to me, “it’s not a sin to be poor, just damn inconvenient”.

How good are you at Bringing Home the Bacon?
Do you bring home enough bacon?
What are you doing to provide better value to your employer and customers?

There are always ways to acquire more and better bacon if you need it. What are you doing about your bacon supply?

PS My apologies to any vegetarians for this image and bacon concept

PPS Join me on Friday 10th April 2015 on RPPFM (you can stream it) at 11am to hear about one of my favourite businesses The Farmers Larder (they make real bacon) as well as tips on how to turn Linked In contacts in to high quality bacon.

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A Celebration

Wow! What a big weekend.

I was part host, part facilitator and part attendee at the National Speakers Association of Australia annual convention in Canberra.

The most important part of the weekend for me was when I received my Certified Speaking Professional accreditation (as pictured below)

A big thank you to you for being part of my speaking journey and your support in getting me to this stage. Because of this designation and a few other factors, I have been asked to speak in Singapore and Washington DC later this year. I could not have done this without you.

This global certification makes me one of 75 people in Australia and one of about 650 worldwide.

I look forward to continuing sharing observations with you, hosting your events and speaking at your conferences.

Now it’s time to celebrate.

Thanks again for helping make this happen!

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To Serve or Delight?

I have had many a discussion with my mentor group on whether we should aim for Customer Service or Customer Delight. Million Dollar Relationships expert Danielle Storey defines Customer Delight as “Providing the customer service experience that was expected, plus a little bit extra.”

Friends and I were delighted on the weekend. We stayed at a great little B&B as part of our B&B Crew weekends (we all kick in $50 a month and head somewhere different every couple of months). This time it was off to Ocean Grove and we found a colourful and funky looking place with four bedrooms called Fairmont

Now we have stayed at a few B&Bs over time but it was the little bit extras that made a big difference. An early check in, a late check out, chocolates for us, doggy treats for the dogs, quality linen, all the little supplies like slat, pepper, coffee, tea, herbal teas, quality appliances, quality bathroom products, quality toilet paper, … I could go on.

All of these little things that would not have cost a significant amount of money, time or effort, all added up to not just Customer Service but Customer Delight.

So how do you delight your customers?

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It’s A Success

My apologies for the delay in this weeks motivator. You see, I didn’t work yesterday as I was busy celebrating seven magnificent years of marriage with my gorgeous wife.

Success comes in many forms and another year of happy marriage is a great success.

As I have always said, if you may celebrating success a habit, you will make success a habit. So I HAD to have the day off yesterday.

Let me keep this message short and sweet. When you look at successful people they have some key habits and perspectives on life. Success is not about who you are but about what you do.

If you want to learn this “Psychology of Success”, join me tonight or tomorrow afternoon for a complimentary webinar on the subject.

We will cover:

1. How to set yourself up for success
2. Why some people enjoy good fortune and others endure endless mis-fortune, and how to be the former
3. How to recognise and over-come procrastination
4. Why “good” is a barrier to “great”… and how to achieve greatness
5. How to overcome fear
6. How to deal with adversity, how to turn adversity to opportunity
7. Why so many fail to reach their potential and what to do about it

 

Click here now to find out more and register.

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Your Melbourne Cup Runneth Over

Your Melbourne Cup Runneth Over

Your Melbourne Cup 2014

Your Melbourne Cup

It is the Monday before Melbourne Cup.

For many, the excitement is building about the “race that stops a nation”.

The trainers have been working hard to get the horses ready. The horses have been doing most of the work to get themselves ready (whether they know it or not). The venue staff have been making the place look beautiful, getting the food and beverages ready and working on people logistics. The bookies are doing their research to make sure they know what odds they need to put out there. Everybody involved is getting ready.

The place is abuzz with excitement – particularly because this is a carnival is not just for Melbourne Cup but for many races as the carnival lasts for over a week.

But what about the jockey? The humble person dressed in bright colours who seems to perch precariously on the back of the majestic beast and control the run towards victory. The Australian Medical Journal has research showing that the job of jockey is THE MOST DANGEROUS JOB ON LAND (with only offshore fisherman being more dangerous).

What mental courage to head back out into a gladiator like battle time and time again. Ignoring the odds and managing the risks to strive for victory.

They must have such a strong drive for success and commitment to their goal.

Sitting in our comfy workplaces in relative safety, how can we have that same drive for success? How can we stay commited when we want to give it up?

Bright, colourful, silk covered hats off to the jockeys. The real heroes of the Melbourne Cup.

PS If you want to Get More Success and learn some of the secrets that committed people like our friends the jockey’s use, then join me on a complimentary webinar next week.

It is being held in the evening of Tue 11th November or during the day on Wed 12th November. Click here for more information or to register. I would love to have you on the call.

 

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