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From the Desk of Becki Noles...

In December we launched the Virtual Assistant Toolbox blog and boy are we very excited about it!  Take a moment and check it out...leave a passing comment while you're at it ;).

This month we conclude Dale's two-part article "Marketing: Your Handshake With The Future Of Your Business."  So many of you had emailed Dale with your marketing struggles and he had a great time personally responding to them.  If you didn't receive a personal reply, please feel free to contact me.  Also if you need marketing help post-haste and are not already a member of VA Networking, I highly encourage you to sign up and begin participating.

I look forward to "seeing" you on Thursday, March 9th during our free teleclass "Calling All Self-Proclaimed Introverted VAs: Boost Your Self-Confidence and Embrace Your Introversion."  Sign up information is below.

Becki ;)

Featured Resource

Calling All Self-Proclaimed Introverted VAs:
Boost Your Self-Confidence and Embrace Your Introversion

Marketing: Your Handshake with the Future of Your Business Part 2
By Dale Noles

If you missed Part 1 please see the January 2006 issue.

Your Social Capital

Your Target Market Network: Many VAs were in professional positions before they left the corporate arena to launch their own businesses.  Additionally, they may have experience with other industries while in their corporate jobs that gives them an edge.  It could be that to get “inside” an industry you would need to have specialized skills like knowing the lingo or how that particular industry operates.  But there is always an “in” to any industry.  The key is to know what that “in” is.

If you are familiar with a specific industry or industries, this knowledge creates that edge you may need to break into that industry.  Areas that can set you apart are: knowing the lingo, the needs, the desires, the goals and other nuances that set that industry apart from the pack, at least from your perspective.  Being aware of what each of these particularities is will prepare you in setting yourself apart from the crowd.  If these industries can see you as an expert, then you are well on your way to attracting the right industry.

Your Industry Network: One of the best assets of an emerging VA or a VA who has been around since Thomas Leonard coined the phrase is a network of like-minded professionals who are similar to your business and share much of the same characteristics.  These resources are perfect to bounce ideas off of as well as to help when your business grows.

Who wears your Bulls-eye?

The best advice that I can give any budding business owner is know who your services will best pair with, know how to communicate with them and communicate with them!  This sounds all too obvious, but it works.  Now pay attention to this.  If you own a coffee house in a town that loves tea it would take you a long time to convince tea drinkers to switch to coffee.  But the key is to not switch them to just any coffee.  You have to convince them to switch to your coffee brand.  It is much easier to sell coffee to coffee lovers.  Additionally, coffee lovers are likely to try other coffee, which makes it easier to get them to switch to your brand of coffee.  Which is why knowing your target market is so valuable.  John C. Maxwell said this, “People do not care how much you know -- until they know how much you care.”

The problem with selling Ice to an Eskimo

We have all heard about the salesperson that can sell ice to an Eskimo.  The main problem that begs to be asked is why would the Eskimo want ice when the environment is saturated with that very thing?  Here is where this conundrum is broken down.  The ice that is being sold is has either to be extremely special or the person selling it is extremely special.  While there are several different kinds of ice that may be useful to an Eskimo, the ice is probably not all that special.  The salesperson, however, is special.  The salesperson has something that the Eskimo wasn’t expecting, a Unique Selling Proposition (USP).  This should be a compelling reason for your target market to use your services over someone else.  You have to know what it is and how to wield it like an expert.  Be prepared to stand out from the crowd.  Everything that you have, from your business cards to your website needs to exude this USP.  It should be what compels your target market to use you and only you.

Take the time to develop your USP so that it becomes part of every single marketing tactic that you use.  Your target market should not have to guess what your USP is or even why they should use you.  You should be impacting your target market in a way that is already breaking down the objection barriers long before you open your mouth.  This continual communication should transcend from every aspect of your business and should designed to be attractive to your target market.  Attracting your target market should not have to be difficult, it should be effective and natural.  Your USP needs to roll off your tongue like speaking your name, like a reflex action.  Eventually it will be so much a part of how you communicate that your target market will refer to your business as your USP or at least be able to communicate your value to others. 

Sense and Sensory

Most everything that you do from a marketing perspective should be inventive and include a good dose of common sense.  Your marketing tactics should not only make sense from the implementation aspect but also from the budgeting aspect.  If you are throwing caution to the wind to try something very expensive without knowing what you can expect from your return on investment (ROI), you are not treating your budget with the appropriate respect.  Marketing your business does not have to be rocket science but it should not be void of a certain amount of forethought toward being conscientious and cautious about how you deliver your marketing tactic to your target market.

The only true way to know if your return on investment is working is to keep track of your efforts.  No matter what platform you use to market your business, you will need to devise a methodology to track what your results are.  If you mail a postcard to five hundred businesses in your target market and perform no amount of follow up, how will you ever know if they received the postcard?  If you do not follow up, how will you know if they are even remotely interested in your offerings?  If you do not track what transpires on the follow up, how will you know how effective it was to begin with?  How many “good responses” are you expecting with the marketing tactic?  What is a “good response,” one new client, ten new clients, forty callbacks?

Additionally, your marketing tactics should also be exciting to both you as a business owner and your target market.  After all, if you cannot get excited about what you are doing to attract your target market how do you expect them to be excited about it?  That is why knowing your target market is vital to successful marketing.  Your marketing just has to make sense.  You need to appeal to their senses.  What is the best color to use or not use?  What phrases do you use or not use?  Is it written to a logically minded target market or a feel good target market?  Are they visually (sight), audibly (sound) or kinesthetically (touch) oriented?  Are they contemplative (need to digest information), lateral (need to explore ideas), linear (need recap of information) or fast (need constant activity) thinkers?

The Red Carpet Treatment

I do not know how many times that I have shared this tidbit of information to the numerous VAs that have been through the VA Training program.  It continues to stand as one of the best practices that is a mainstay in all that I do.  Treat every client like they are your only client.  Give them the “Red Carpet” treatment.  It is much easier to keep an existing client than it is to get a new client.  Your client has already experienced what it is like to have you help them.  The motivation for them to continue on as your client depends on how well you can service their business on an on-going basis.

You do not want to get into the habit of burning your bridges when you disagree.  It would be better for your business if you accept the fault for something that you had nothing to do with rather than placing blame on someone else.  The respect that a client can gain for you when you humble yourself is much greater than puffing out your chest and taking the stance of professing to being right, in any given situation.  Anyone can point fingers and pass accusations, but it takes a leader to bear the blame from someone else’s mistake.

You asked for it

After you have gained your client and proved your value do not be frightened to ask for a testimonial and a referral.  When you have ingrained into your client’s mind the need for your services, your client can become your greatest asset.  From a marketing perspective Josie selling Josie’s services to Marge is less reputable in Marge’s point of view than Sue selling Josie’s services to Marge.  From Marge’s perspective Josie has more credibility when Sue is talking about how wonderful she is.  It is the idea of a friend ‘sharing’ with another friend rather than a stranger ‘selling’ to another stranger.

The testimonial will be useful when you are marketing to a stranger.  This potential client has no real idea of what you can be or are capable of.  It is by the power of suggestion that testimonials are an invaluable part of marketing to someone who has no clue who you are.  It becomes a barrier breaker or a side-door entrance to a new client that may not have considered your products/services otherwise.

The referral is a marketing goldmine all in itself.  It is this marketing tactic that when used effectively is the absolute best marketing strategy that ever existed.  How many of us have ever bought a product or service based solely on the recommendation of someone we trusted, even if you never thought that you would use that product or service?

I have found that the best way to encourage a client to discuss our services with other businesses in our target market is to offer a financial reward.  Is it bribery?  In a manner of speaking it is.  If you offer a significant incentive to your client like twenty percent off their next invoice or a flat figure based upon the new client’s invoice, this form of compensation goes a long way to encourage a vigorous appetite for sharing.  This method is by far the biggest marketing tactic that we employ.  It is more targeted, less costly and produces the best results faster than any other form of marketing that we have ever used.  It turns your clients into your best advocates.  That is why treating each client like they are your only client remains our number one priority at all times.  It should be for the same reasons that this should be high on every entrepreneur’s list of marketing strategies.

About the Author:
Dale Noles is the President of Virtual Accuracy and VATraining.com. Virtual Accuracy supports the coaching community by offering marketing, branding and process streamlining. VATraining.com coaches and mentors both aspiring and existing VAs, giving them the tools they need to create and maintain a viable and successful VA practice.  For more information visit www.VirtualAccuracy.com and www.VATraining.com.

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