Consulting Growth

Want to stay in touch with your clients, build your and your firm's reputation, and have people tell you when they're ready to work with you? A newsletter is a great way to do it. 

That's exactly what Michael Katz does: email marketing and email newsletters for small professional services firms. He's an email expert, having sent his first email newsletter in 1999. 

In this episode of Consulting Growth, Michael talks about how his approach to email marketing, including:

• How to build an email marketing program at your firm
• Where your first list of contacts comes from, and why you're ready to launch your newsletter now
• How to generate content ideas for a full year
• Steps you can take to outsource your newsletter, without trading off quality
• How often you should send, and how you can extend the life of your email newsletter far beyond the inbox

You can visit Michael Katz's website or sign up for his newsletter here.

Leadership, like personalities, comes in different shapes and sizes. Introversion or extroversion is not about how shy or social you are; it is about how you derive your energy.
 
Introverted leaders who struggle with communication, succeed when they understand the underlying needs and benefits for those they lead.
 
Today, our guest is Tom Yorton of Shyne Advisors. Tom works with introverted leaders in order to help them develop the skills to become better leaders and become their true selves in the process.
 
In this episode, we'll be talking about:
-What does it mean to use the conventions of media and entertainment to reach our audiences more effectively
-Other ways on how can an introvert leader communicate more effectively and more interesting
-How can you make yourself memorable through communication
 
Technological advances continue to accelerate and are driving change in business. Most introverts embrace new technology as an ally and use it to advance their leadership position over peers and competitors.
 
Introverts tend to be naturally quiet.  That can make them good listeners and allow other people’s voices into the conversation.  But people need a word from you from time to time; in order to communicate, other introvert leaders use the conventions of media and entertainment to reach our audiences.
 
Good communication is never perfect, and nobody expects you to be perfect. Also, the best leader is not an introvert or an extrovert. The best leader is someone who can inspire, motivate, and enable others to act. Introverts can be great leaders, as long as they use their natural abilities wisely and use strategies to overcome the challenges inherent in their personality preference.
 
Mentioned in this episode:
 
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Shyne Advisors
[email protected]

A brand’s purpose should be the center of attention in order to gain success. A brand with a strong purpose not only helps the overall good of society but also helps customers know what they stand for through purpose-driven brand actions. In a world in which consumers can quickly find out if a brand is acting on their promise, it is crucial for brands to be transparent, create connections and a strong relevance with their consumers.

Today, our guest is Betsy Henning - Marketing Director of AHA Marketing Agency. AHA is a strategy and creative agency that combines "conventional" marketing with deep knowledge of corporate responsibility to help purpose-driven brands connect more deeply with their audiences and accelerate their success. They also helped clients like Johnson & Johnson, Charles Schwab, and many others, narrow down and hone their purpose.

In this episode, we'll be talking about:

1. What it was like to get buy-in and its obstacle
2. Creating expectations and how does that relate to your brand
3. Why account management is the key in a project based agency
4. Qualities of an account manager who can develop business on a regular basis

Your audience care about how you can help them. Think about your brand and how you want people to feel when they interact with it. Make sure to infuse everything you do with intention and get your audience excited about working with you.

There’s no substitute for competence. As an agency specializing in brand purpose, account managers are responsible to communicate with clients regarding their goals, plans, and challenges. Account managers are industry experts who can help clients with their brand purpose.

With literally thousands of brands launching every day, it’s challenging for brands to have a unique point of difference. Particularly when it comes to the functional attributes of a product. Sure, consumers consider quality, perceived value, price, and packaging when looking at new products, but often they are looking for something that will make a meaningful impact on their lives. In other words, often they are looking for a brand with purpose. A brand with a purpose delivers genuine value to consumers by standing for something consumers care about.

Mentioned in this episode:

Get over yourself: Debunking 3 communication myths

Drawdown by Paul Hawken

Johnson & Johnson

Charles Schwab

[email protected]

There is an increasing body of evidence that diverse teams of varying racial and ethnic makeup produce better results. They perform better financially, gain a competitive edge when recruiting top talent, experience less employee turnover, and offer greater benefits for those they serve.

Today, our guest is Elena Christopoulos. A very busy consultant who builds project teams and bring diversity to her team. She also applied diversity in her political career. And she believed strongly in promoting diversity.

In this episode, we'll be talking about:

• What impact does diversity have on your bottom-line
• What does diversity mean
• Pointers for people who are developing ad-hoc teams in order to develop the team and then create cohesion and collaboration on the team quickly

To succeed in building a diverse team you need to make it a key, long-term priority for management, and something that the organization as a whole explicitly strives for.

We see diversity as something that is complex and holistic, a concept that’s constantly evolving. A diverse team brings together different skills, personalities, and perspectives, resulting in fresh ideas and smarter problem-solving. A diverse team looks like the real world and is more aligned with an increasingly diverse and global customer base.

The key is determining how to harness the power of diverse thought. It can make the difference between a team being barely capable of working together and one that can strengthen your business.

Mentioned in this episode:

Project Drawdown

Slack

LinkedIn

ElenaChristopoulos.com

One of the most powerful ways to establish authority is through thought leadership. It is all about sharing ideas, insights and valuable information to your target audience with the goal of solving their problem and improve lives.

Being a respected expert is essential in new customer acquisition and retention. Acting as a visionary expert makes it possible to build a reputation within a certain field and forges a relationship of trust.

In this episode, we'll be talking about:

• How to nurture authority in other people
• Difference of point of view and writing
• How to apply thought leadership in your business
• Benefits of an established authority

Thought leadership content can’t just be “pretty good.” When you create something engineered for thought leadership, it needs to say something — it needs to highlight your authority. By communicating through thought leadership you become part of the conversation, early in the consumer journey. You allow your audience to get to know you.

Thought leaders seize every opportunity to showcase expertise and knowledge along the way. By doing so, consumers use their product and services.

A leader is steadfast in beliefs, consistent in messaging, and diligent in creating and sharing content. In other words, they must be committed. Consistency is a key component to establishing a reputation as an authority and building the trust that comes with that reputation.

Mentioned in this episode:

Modern Sales Ep063: How to Build Authority

Thought Leadership Marketing for the Subject Matter Expert

The Business of Authority Podcast

A personal brand is one of the most powerful ways to differentiate you and your company from the competition. Developing a personal brand in the digital age requires a whole lot of time, strategy, and patience.

My guest today is Kurt Schmidt of The Foundry, who prides himself on being an inspirational leader who solves problems in a way that builds culture and delivers diverse breakthroughs.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why you should invest in personal branding
• Why companies should build products in the first place
• Why traditional management doesn't work anymore

By establishing a personal brand it can exhibit the skills and qualities that someone has, defining what makes them important or unique. In a competitive world, it is essential that individuals are able to find an edge on their competition.

Personal branding helps you be yourself and do what you love. The beauty of it is finding out who you are and learning from the journey that it took to get you there.

Personal branding has reshaped the traditional management landscape, it's important to define your leadership style and embody a keen awareness of what you are doing. Leadership without authority is to get others to willingly cooperate and engage, rather than following instructions because you're the boss.

Mentioned in this episode:

The Foundry

The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact

SchmidtList

Slack

Leads can be acquired in many different ways, from referrals through customers, white papers, social media and more. Deploying a survey with customized questions will help you be sure that you're only talking to the most qualified people, who are most likely to buy.

My guest today is Tom Miller, founder of Email for Experts. He will share his way of qualifying leads using surveys.

In this episode, we'll be talking about:

1. How conducting a survey can help you qualify leads
2. How to set up your survey funnel
3. Reactivate previously lost leads
4. How to convert website visitors to sales leads

Lead qualification is the act of evaluating each sales lead and allocating limited resources to those which have the highest probability of converting to a customer. Or, put another way, chase the good leads hard and put the others on the back burner.

Attracting the right leads is key to start with. Lead qualification with the help of qualification form and website tracking lets you know who is most interested and ready to purchase your product or service.

Lead qualification isn't particularly difficult, but it is extremely important. When you aren't qualifying leads, you are wasting time and money. But more importantly, if you aren't qualifying leads efficiently, you are also wasting time and money.

Mentioned in this episode:

Email for Experts

I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi

Hubspot

The Medium is the Message by Marshall McLuhan

SBstandard.com

One of the main reasons we go to conferences is to make new relationships. Understanding how to network at a conference, and going in with the right strategy, can be a turning point for your business or career.

My guest today is Andy Storch, from Advantage Performance Group. He reveals his strategy to network efficiently at conferences.

In this episode, we'll be talking about:

1. How to prepare for a conference
2. What to do during the conference
3. How to follow-up properly
4. Why investing in conferences important

A valuable network can open doors for new opportunities that might help you connect with experts to broaden your knowledge or people you might wanna do business with. Building and maintaining a healthy network is one of the most important things that you can do as a professional.

Discovering innovative products and services for your business is necessary to stay competitive in today’s fast-paced world. Plus, these vendors who sell to your industry fully grasp what is happening inside your competition. Invest time with the sponsors at the event and turn them into your friends and allies.

Even if it’s intimidating, gather up the courage to talk to the speakers that made an impact on you. You can also participate by asking questions and go out of your way to introduce yourself. Take advantage of your time, try to be out there and meet people. You may find yourself sitting next to your next customer or mentor. Perhaps the next partnership is one that you hadn’t even considered, and being approached by the right people could be the best thing you never expected.

Mentioned in this episode:

The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes

Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod

LinkedIn

We've covered in previous episodes how to build your authority in your market and what efforts are needed to do so. Here's something you can add to that list: marketing events. Getting your business's name out there can be challenging, but if you have an event organized that's intriguing to guests before they even arrive, you're on the right track, my friends.

My guest today is Erin Joy, owner and founder of Black Dress Circle in St. Louis, Missouri. In the past 8 years, Erin's business has taken off due to her successful and well-planned marketing events. She shares how live events have been the cornerstone of her business-building efforts, and what you can do to market your business.

In this episode, we'll be talking about:

1. The benefit of hosting events
2. Why Black Dress Circle is exclusive to women
3. The biggest thing people get stuck on in growing their network

Hosting marketing events may not be at the top of your list of ideas to build your authority, but Erin highly recommends it. In her experience, she notes the value in her ability to control the brand, look and feel, conversation, and guests of her events. She also mentions the benefit of creating the content and choosing invitees who were of a “stellar” caliber.

While you don't have to follow in her exact footsteps, Erin's business is focused solely on women entrepreneurs and business owners. Why? Women tend to be more relational. In BPC, they can talk about the intersection of business and psychology and the balance of raising families as a business owner. BPC gives women a space to relate to others personally and professionally while connecting the women to build a strong network.

What is it that gets business owners "stuck"? The biggest thing is stopping. People get stopped in their goal or vision because they're either not as strategic as they need to be and are unaware they're lacking strategy, or they choose to believe networking functions are ineffective. Here's the simple truth: it's not about going to the events, it's about everything that happens after. Making connections, learning from other professionals in your market, and expanding your network will not only help you devise a business strategy that's effective, but it will also connect you to others in your market who can positively influence you and your business.

Mentioned in this episode:

Black Dress Circle

Midwest Women Business Owner's Group

[email protected]