The Wax Blog

How much time should you spend on a weekly basis doing marketing and promotion tasks? It will vary of course but there are some rules I’ve learned working with a broad swath of companies and industries over the past couple decades including B2B, B2C, online and retail.Feel free to poke holes in my theories here…but tell us all WHY so we can learn from your successes. (more…)

Wax Marketing mug to the first 5 who ID this photo

I got so many questions about my last post “7 Steps to Bigger Marketing Muscle in 2010″ I thought I’d give you some detail on each one of the steps.  Measurement seems to be really tricky for people – but it’s actually pretty simple. Once you have some basic measurements in place and you feel a need to go deeper, visit KD Paine’s measurement blog – she’s the real guru. I’d love to hear specific examples of how people are measuring their own results, so comment away! Here’s my quick and dirty take – (more…)

I got a message on LinkedIn today that pretty much shows what you should never, ever do on LinkedIn – or on any social media. Before you read it consider this:

1. I have over 500 contacts on LinkedIn -( if you want to link to me click here but let me know it’s cuz you read the blog)

2. I’m an active member of many groups on LinkedIn

2. I have never met this guy

We can learn more from these kinds of posts than any tip post I might do. Add a comment and tell me why YOU think this is bad – would you buy from this guy’s company (or him?) How much damage do you think he’s done, assuming he spammed this everywhere?

Here’s the email text…of course I’ve deleted his name and company.

Dear Bonnie:
I’m LinkedIn! Are You? I took the plunge and joined LinkedIn. I’m not certain if you already have a profile on LinkedIn, or if you are even using LinkedIn, but if you are, I’d like to take this opportunity and add you to my professional network.

If you’re not already using LinkedIn, what are you waiting for? Relationships Matter! Your professional relationships are key to your professional success. LinkedIn strengthens and extends your existing network of trusted contacts.

LinkedIn is an online network of more than 25 million experienced professionals from around the world, representing 150 industries.

Thanks for your consideration!

Thank You,

We were all sad to find out  America’s favorite pitchman, Billy Mays, had passed away suddenly last month. From a sales perspective ( face it marketers, PR gurus, social media experts – you are ALL in sales) we can learn a lot from Billy Mays. Why of all people was HE so popular? I don’t think it was the products in particular, although I admit I’ve never tried Oxiclean. And TV pitchmen aren’t usually our favorite celebrities. Look how much fun they make of Suzanne Somers on The Soup – her incessant hawking just makes me like her less.

I watched a bunch of Billy Mays videos on YouTube – there’s even a Billy Mays gangsta remix – to find out what made him so loveable as the quintessential salesman. Here’s a short list I’ve come up with – these are all things we can incorporate every day as we either promote our own products, or work to promote others.

• Billy Mays was full of unstoppable ENERGY.  Some people believe we all “vibrate” at different levels. If you hang out with high energy people, their zeal will tend to rub off on you.  Every time we see Billy he is pumped up and ready to sell. I wonder what life would be like if we took a moment to gather at least a tenth of that energy before we sent a tweet, made a phone call, or wrote that important email? Billy brought our spirits up because he was irrepressible.  After watching a half an hour of his work, I could definitely feel my mood lifting.

• Billy Mays was no bull*&$. I know that sounds weird, given he was selling stuff on TV, but when you really listen to what he says in his pitches it’s all about what the product can do for YOU. Adjectives are used sparingly and Billy doesn’t spend much time on the aesthetics of the product (like our friends on QVC – think about how much they love to admire the cosmetic bottles, rather than the actual cosmetics!) When Billy sells, he’s got a short list of powerful features and he shows you over and over the problems they’ll solve for you.  No one has any time to spare these days – why are we all trying to frame our products or services with flowery introductions and clever taglines. Say it like it is! Say it like Billy Mays would.

• Despite the fact he was always selling someone else’s product, Billy Mays had a strong personal brand. He delivered messages in his own unique style and he never wavered from that style, although I would bet you $100 many marketers tried to change him.  His own brand became a kind of credibility stamp for any product. Imagine as a publicist, marketer or social media expert, how  a strong personal brand could become part of the package a client would pay for? I would love to have a newsman say – “if Bonnie is pitching this, it must have merit” I would be thrilled to hear that even just a couple of times. (Hopefully people are saying it but don’t want my head to get fat.)

• We liked Billy Mays. He was one of those guys that always made you smile even if you didn’t care how white your shirts were. It got me thinking about what my own “likeability factor” was. How do you determine that? I actually found The Likeability Factor a great book that discusses what the “l-factor” is and how to improve yours. I’ll bet Billy’s was off the charts.

We’re always trying to find the science behind more sales for our products or services. That’s important but really, it’s the BASICS that we tend to forget about. Billy Mays knew those basic rules and he lived and sold by them. I’m always saddened to see a great salesman pass on. Thank you Billy, for reminding us what really matters. My condolences to your friends and family . I’m sure you were not only a great salesman, but a great man. You see, I liked you too.

Taking a nice long break from work (including lots of driving time through Nebraska) gave me a fresh perspective and I realized I needed to spend some time talking about sales. Marketing and PR often look down their noses at this “redheaded stepchild” in the promotion family but face it – if you can’t close a deal all the beautiful collateral and wonderful media plugs in the world aren’t going to help you. Even if your product is consumer-based, you still have to be able to sell – whether it’s getting the next book advance, attracting valuable new partners or even selling your company! I carried a bag for years and it’s given me a set of skills that have been invaluable in every job I’ve ever done, from the boardroom to the green room.

A tough economy means you better be a good salesperson or you’re screwed.  In spite of new media good sales manners haven’t changed. I got a book in the mail recently, Making it Happen in Sales by Henry Thomas.  After getting past the mundane title I found some great basic stuff that everyone should remember anytime they’re dealing with clients. I reviewed this list before  my next three meetings with potential clients  and closed every deal. Sales may not be the most glamorous task but it’s the one that gets the job done – so listen up people!

• Listen to your client  75% of the time AT LEAST. In  Making it Happen in Sales Henry says “Based on my years of selling, I believe their (his prospects) silent voices sound something like this ‘Don’t try to sell me. Listen to me, value me, understand me, and let me know that you want to help me.’” Ask a lot of questions, listen to your client and understand their sense of urgency. BE QUIET when they respond.
• Observe their body language. Literally mirror what they’re doing. If they cross their legs, cross yours. Lean in and see if they lean in. The more “in sync” you are physically the more they are relating to your message. It’s not a trick, it’s a way to gauge if your client is really interested. (And believe me, too many people are so involved with what they have to offer  they miss this completely)
• FOCUS. Don’t you dare look at your phone if it buzzes. That tells the client “hey there might be something more important than you out there”. Stay in the moment and turn off all the gadgets. Sometimes I’m waiting for a reporter to call about a story and it might be urgent…if that’s the case I let my client know before we start.
• Don’t judge – it’s too easy to criticize a client’s website or marketing campaign in order to show them all the holes you can fill. It’s also too easy to tell the client all the things they need help with (hear that life coaches???) so that you can show how valuable you can be. It’s so disheartening to have someone do that…instead compliment them on all the things they’ve done well and wait until the END to present what you can do on top of that!
• THEN communicate. Mr. Thomas and I agree that only once you understand the situation should you start to sell. Make notes as you go and tailor your short pitch exactly to their situation.

Of course, I lose deals sometimes when clients expect me to come in with all the razzle dazzle marketing hoo ha. But then I get the call three months later when the hoo ha has revealed itself as boo ya and my competition has exhibited they have NOTHING of substance to offer. Once again I meet with the client, I listen, I tell them what I can do and I get the gig long term. Happens to me constantly.

For an excellent primer/reminder on sales, order Henry’s book – it’s a quick read and will give you some great pointers.  I’m going to continue to blog about sales for a while now. I’m on the hunt for good sales blogs and sites so if you know of any shoot me a comment and I’ll include in the next post. For a list of books about sales here’s a link to Amazon’s recommendations