Public speaking is a phenomenally powerful marketing tool. 

I often tell clients to join local and trade associations - which is a good marketing strategy in of itself.  But the power of belonging to a group is multiplied tenfold if you can share your knowledge, get up and speak in front of the groups you belong to.  Public speaking provides a golden opportunity to market your business - but it’s often overlooked as a marketing tool because people fear public speaking. 

You have to remember that polished public speakers aren’t born that way. They take steps to develop their public speaking skills.

Tonight, I’m giving Toastmasters Speech 10 - fulfilling my requirements to become a Toastmasters Competent Communicator.  When I joined our Mission Viejo Toastmasters Club I was a decent speaker - but I had…um..ah…you know…like, I mean I had a lot of bad habits. (Well, hopefully not THAAAAT bad!)

When you speak for business, you are usually critiqued on the content of your speech.  In Toastmasters, the focus is on the delivery of your speech.  You may be surprised to learn that MOST of the professional public speakers you hear have been in Toastmasters - or had some other formal training in public speaking.   I joined Toastmasters to get rid of those bad habits so I could take my business to the next level - to do more public speaking and more group training sessions (which I’m now doing quite frequently!).   

I can say with 100% certainty that the Toastmasters training has paid off for me.  If lack of polish or public speaking confidence is holding you back, I encourage you to check out Toastmasters.  It’s fun. It’s affordable.  And it really can change your life.  To find a club near you, check out Toastmasters International.  If you’re near Mission Viejo, CA, you are welcome to stop by our Mission Viejo Toastmasters Club meeting tonight at 7:00.

The other day I was using Adobe Illustrator to design a logo.  Normally, I pass on this work to one of my go-to graphic designers (always a good call) but this was a special project and I had a strong idea of what I wanted. 

I’m not a bad designer, but I’m a slow one.  Seriously, I’d make about $1/hour if I did graphic design myself.   You have to know what you’re good at, right?  I can whip out a press release or a case study in no time, but design - nope, I belabor every permutation.

As I was working on the logo, my 5th grade daughter sat down next to me and asked if she could play with the logo.  Sure! So I handed over the computer and watched as she randomly just hit buttons investigating what every little thing did.  In no time, she had found all these cool new features that I didn’t know even existed.  Here’s the logo she created:

(Don’t you love the tagline?!)

OK, so her logo is a little busy, but I love how she just jumped in and looked around.  I would never do that!

I wondered. When did I become so careful?  Why do I look in the help files before just messing around with the program?  But I think it’s just my nature.  Whenever I get a new gadget, I’ll sit down with the manual and read it cover-to-cover. 

I hate doing things wrong, but sometimes there is no wrong. There’s no consequence. The best thing is to just dive in.  

I think the lesson here is to watch and learn from others who are different than you.  Look what I learned from an 11-year-old.  Amazing!

Looking for a little creative inspiration to spice up your marketing efforts? 

The whole Mighty Optical Illusions website is pretty fascinating, but particularly their attention-getting ads and billboards sections. You may not be advertising on billboards, but certainly you can get some good ideas for thinking “out of the box” and getting creative with your marketing.  Optical illusions create memorable marketing! 

If you want to see more pictures like this one:

Go visit Billboard Optical Illusions  pages on the Mighty Optical Illusions site:

http://www.moillusions.com/2006/12/deceiving-billboard-ads-part-i.html

http://www.moillusions.com/2008/05/deceiving-billboard-ads-part-ii.html

You know I’m a big fan of “systems” - accounting systems, marketing systems - pretty much anything that will make life faster, better and more organized.

I feel compelled to share this brilliant marketing / operations strategy Walgreens just deployed.  When I went to pick up my prescriptions this month, I was offered an auto-refill service.  What a idea!  It’s so brilliant and completely obvious that some Walgreens executive is probably knocking his or her own forehead with a big “D’oh!” With one minor change to their business strategy, Walgreens has been able to:

• Create customer loyalty - having an auto-refill service ensures customers will be coming back to Walgreens, not flipping between various pharmacies.
• Improve customer satisfaction - They’ve taken the task of calling in a refill off my plate - what a convenient time-saver for me!
• Increase revenue -Just this small adjustment of shortening the fill cycle by having patients come in every month like clockwork means more money for Walgreens. Not only are patients coming in more frequently, but they’ll probably pick up a few items while they’re there too.
• Reduce employee stress and administrative burden - I’m sure I’m not the only one whose occasional lack of planning has become Walgreen’ rush job. By creating this auto-refill option, employees can forecast purchasing, and fill schedules.

So if this idea was so brilliant, so obvious, why didn’t they think of it before?

I suspect Walgreens has had the idea for a long time but they didn’t have the systems in place to implement the idea.  If your business isn’t booming with business right now, I encourage you to take a hard look at all of your business systems.  Accounting. Sales.  Marketing.  Operations.  Sometimes minor tweaks can provide major benefits.  

My challenge for you today is to ask yourself, “What changes can you make today that will provide on-going benefits for many years to come?”  If you can’t think of anything on your own, ask your customers.  When I do customer interviews for my clients, we often uncover those “D’OH!” strategies.  Of course we should be offering service X!  Of course we should be highlighting product Y!  It’s amazing what you can uncover.

VARs, Systems Integrators, Solutions Providers, IT Consultants, and their Channel Partners should enjoy a good laugh watching this video.  

It’s Friday.  You deserve it!

When I grow up, I want to be a CRN Channel Champion…

How many times has this happened to you? 

You discover an urgent need with one of your customers or prospects.  They have budget.  They’re raring to go.  They are a qualified lead in every way - EXCEPT the product or service isn’t something you can deliver.  You either don’t have the training, you don’t love doing it, or it’s just not part of your business model.  What do you do? 

Sometimes, you can refer that client to someone you already know and trust.  Of course, you have a go-to business network that you can usually rely on.  However sometimes, you don’t have anyone in your Rolodex who is a perfect fit….but you want to be helpful.  You may gain future business from this client - and it’s just nice to be nice, right?

I’m encouraged to see lots of good online matching programs popping up to fill this void.

For any industry, check out Referral Key, which allows you to easily expand your circle of trust to give an receive qualified lead referrals.

If you are a Microsoft Partner, check out  Microsoft Matchmaker.  Microsoft Platform Partners will get paid $250 for every Microsoft Dynamics lead they enter into the system.   Use the link above to register for the free introductory webinar they’re hosting on April 30, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. PT. 

For dental industry referrals, look into DDS Weblink, a program that allows you to make sure your patient recieves the proper care and follow up. 

Know of any other programs that fit this niche?  Post a comment with a link to the referral lead service.  We all know that referrals are the BEST source of business.  The more you give, the more you’ll get!

Businesses are constantly trying to balance marketing hype with reality.  Of course, you want your marketing materials to grab your prospect’s attention, but you also want to set some expectations — because after all, you have to deliver on your promise, right?!  

Request a copy of our marketing kit!

Head on over to HP’s Small Business Marketing Guide to see the article I wrote on creating incredible, credible marketing materials.   I gave readers seven practical tips for creating do-it-yourself marketing materials.  Enjoy!