Scarcity as Strategy

I have attended a number of networking groups for small business owners over the past year. Many of the organizers of these groups create scarcity by not allowing duplication...that is, you can't ever be the second web developer, plumber, real estate agent, in these groups. I like this idea because it forces you to truly define what you do that is different.

For example, I went to a meeting a week ago and there were three coaches attending...each one was unique.

The other thing that many of these groups have done is to ban the ever-present financial advisor. There are so many of these people preying on these networking groups, that they have been banned. Not only are there too many of these folks, they don't participate in the mutual referrals that are the cornerstone of these groups.

This is what Seth Godin is writing about in a recent blog post from FOUR years ago.

The Scarcity Shortage

I believe these ideas are more appropriate today than they were four years ago.

Talk to yourself

Jerry Smith is a personal coach, and I read his blog when he does it!

Here is his latest post:Excuses, excuses

It made me think of another crossover between sports training and "training" for running your business.

There is an idea in training that if you know you are going to have to miss a day of training, then you should drop your hardest day that week. The idea is that you should not skip a recovery day, as those are the days that your body must have in order to grow stronger.

This, of course, runs counter to what most people would do.

To take this idea into the business realm, give yourself time to recover. Often you CAN push through a little fatigue and go to that networking group. However, if you are honestly out of energy, instead of dropping your recovery time, drop your "hard day." Then the next time that "hard day" comes around, realize it ahead of time, schedule it better, and execute.

By the way, Jerry, do you still want me to cover for you this Wednesday at that networking group?

Cow dung and Web 2.0

I have had several marketing / sales conversations recently where I am trying to describe the Web 2.0 direction that we are all heading.

When you are working with people who know that term: "Web 2.0" - then the conversation starts at a different point.

But, the backstory of the conversation is always in the same direction...."what should I do?"

Web 2.0 is more thought and more work.

When a marketing company is used to sending out BRC cards and then hoping they bought the right list, or offered the right incentive, or used the right color...then getting them to actually think about content and authenticity, to actually ASK about that content, and to then convince others that possibly getting ripped apart by their customers is a GOOD thing is a challenge.

A challenge...but it is right.

Look - Web 2.0 means asking better questions...of yourself...of your partners...of your customers...of your upset customers in particular.

That is the mindset...now, what are the tools. There are literally hundreds of companies out there that have the Web 2.0 concept of true, authentic, rough-around-the-edges interaction built in to their DNA.

Here is a site that lists many of them....it is astounding how many of these companies / websites there are.

Web 2.0 List on Sacred Cow Dung

Network Marketing...How Is Your Elevator Speech?

I had the pleasure of attending a well run, established referral group meeting yesterday.

Great lunch guys..thanks.

This is a group of people that are as varied as you can imagine, and this is a group that does not allow direct overlap of business descriptions in its membership.

I was struck by the friendliness and genuine desire to help others in order to help yourself attitude that is a huge part of this group's motto.

I was also struck by how the membership described what they did, and it got me thinking about the dreaded elevator speech.

We work with small and medium sized companies to help them put together marketing plans, website plans, sales plans, printed collateral, interactive plans.

I promise you that if I ever get to work with you, the first thing I will ask you to do is to describe your company and what you do.

Commonly, people start with their name, their company, and they tell me exactly what they do.

Occasionally, there is a silly lead in teaser...and then a repeat of the above.

What many people don't get is that the elevator pitch is NEVER about what you do...

It should always be about your customers, the kinds of things they deal with, their struggles, their challenges...

Too many people think of the 30 seconds or less description of what you do as a "pitch" or a "speech" or a "presentation"...

In reality it will only be memorable by being engaging.

Engage the person who is asking you "so, what do you do?"

Get them to ask you another question.

Get them to ask you to tell them more, "Oh, how do you do that?"

It has become such second nature to describe what you do from your own point of view...

When really what you should be doing is engaging people by describing what your customers say you do.

Got any questions?