Studies have shown that superstar salespeople spend 60% of their time focused on building rapport with a prospect, way more than the average sales person. What better way to gain their trust than to release a natural “feel-good” chemical and make them laugh! I happened to be searching LinkedIn last week and I came across a fantastic LinkedIn group called “Brilliant Ads.” I took the most hilarious ones just for you because…

1. Seeing these massively successful campaigns will give you some good creative muse for your next marketing campaign.
2. I’ve been using these pictures as a sales tool to send to my potential clients to break the ice, crack a good joke, and win some rapport through text message, facebook chat, and email. (I even put #8 in a proposal right before the pricing to soften them before the close).
3. Because I find these hilarious and I want you to enjoy them as well

How can you do something like these ads in your next campaign…

The Funniest Insurance Ad Ever. Can you create a picture and caption like this for your company?

A picture is worth a thousand words. Can you capture the perfect picture that puts your buyer in urgency, pain, or laughter? This Diamond company did all three.

Can you use the holidays to post something seasonally funny? Welcome to the scariest day of the year…

Educate your buyer about why you’re better than your competition! Even something as simple as this, highly effective! (Notice how many likes this got on LinkedIn, almost double what all the other posts received).

Can you create something that’s innovative and grabs attention? How many employees do you have in the field? Did you ever consider using their cars as billboards? #guerillamarketing

Can you come up with a creative place to put your ads where people haven’t seen them before and find it clever?

McDonalds took thinking out of the box to a new level. What out of the box thinking can you create in your marketing mediums?

HILARIOUS. This is the one I’ve been using in my emails and proposals to potential clients… “P.S. I saw this ad a couple days ago on LinkedIn and found it amusing. I think it’s a great analogy of what our work will do together… All you need is [insert what you will give them] and it changes everything. ;)”

What clever merch can you place your company information on? I’ve been keeping this stick of chapstick for years because it tastes amazing and the provider that put their information on it has been on the top of my mind years later because of it. Where can you place your information where people will continue to see it for years to come?

Who is your target market? Can you speak in their language? Jacoby&Meyer knew millennials liked emoji’s and this campaign has been a huge hit for them.

Hah. Too funny. Be clever and remember laughter is a great way to gain rapport with clients. The difference between superstar salespeople and mediocre is their ability to build a lasting relationship.

If you’re looking to spice up your marketing material, or find more compelling ways to close more sales download our chapter that changes lives from our New York Times Best Seller The Ultimate Sales Machine. Or if you’d like to speak to someone about growing your company faster, better, smarter, sign up for a 22 minute strategy call with one of our growth specialists.

Love and light,

Amanda Holmes
CEO -Chet Holmes International

P.S. Have YOU ever put together a clever campaign? Tell me about it below in the comments box!

There are many things that business owners must manage within their operations. One of the most important is finances.

There are many things that business owners must manage within their operations, the most important of which is finances. Money that flows into and out of a company needs to be carefully maintained. Even the tiniest of slip ups can cost businesses big time. Additionally, smaller enterprises don’t have the same financial resources as their larger counterparts, so taking close care of cash flow is vital for small business success.

Fortunately, there are ways that, as an owner, you can expertly manage your company’s finances. Whether it’s applying for business loans or adopting certain practices and procedures to save money, your organization’s cash flow can remain steady and grow with the right strategies.

Loans continue to grow among smaller firms
Loans are a great way for small businesses to get the money they need to keep their operations running. The recently released Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp and Pepperdine Private Capital Access Index revealed that smaller companies are increasingly applying for loans. Of the 1,251 smaller enterprises that responded, 58.4 percent applied for bank loans in the second quarter of this year, and 54 percent of that group were able to secure the financing.

More small businesses are looking to obtain loans in the coming months as well. The report revealed that approximately 28 percent of companies plan to apply for loans this quarter. These results show that many organizations are relying on financing options to propel their operations forward.

Money saving tips can do the trick
Not all businesses need loans. There are many that can keep their cash flow going without reaching out for financing. While loans are a great option for companies that need them, as an owner you can also adopt money-saving strategies to curb excess spending and keep finances in order.

There are many moving parts within a small business that typically require special software programs to run efficiently. Mashable recommends that you looking at using free or cheaper technology to get the job done. For example, using Google for email as well as calendar management can be done for free or at minimal cost. There are also customer relationship management platforms that can be downloaded for free, such as Zoho CRM and Insightly.

Additionally, the Internet is an extremely effective tool for small businesses as it gives you access to a wide range of materials to learn more about leading a small enterprise. For instance, you can search for a certified business consultant in your area to get advice on how to manage your company more efficiently.

Mashable also suggests handling marketing your business in-house whenever possible. Outsourcing this particular task can not only be expensive, but it gives you less control over your brand positioning strategy as well. Bringing it back into your company allows you to carefully manage how you are reaching potential customers.

With a little know how and determination, you can expertly oversee your small business’ finances to ensure your operations will continue to grow in the future.

Amid the uncertainty of recessions, post-recessions, tax reform, healthcare, mobile technology, off-shoring, re-shoring, local, state and federal elections… Business leaders today find themselves at the mercy of an ever-changing marketplace, shaped by evolving technology, sophisticated consumers and an unsteady economy. Compounding that relentless progression

As a research director who’s equally passionate about helping businesses grow as I am about learning and harnessing the power of information, I see business owners struggling with this every day. Very few of my clients, large or small, have a formal function set up to access the right information at the right time, even though that’s the first and easiest step. The solution does not have to be complicated, but as we all know, taking the first step is the hardest part. What I evangelize are scale-able research functions that can assist with day-to-day operations as well as inform long-view strategy. 

Here are four general areas where research makes a positive impact:

1– Connect with customers on their turf. 87% of customers are not engaged (loyal, attached, Etc.) with the companies with which they do business. And yet, engaged customers deliver a 23% premium over average customers in share of wallet, profitability, revenue and relationship growth¹.

One of the first things I establish with my clients at Empire Research Group is what they know about their customers. I ask them what they’ve heard from their long-standing customers, or to think about conversations they’ve had with their business peers. That gets the wheels turning, and it’s a great place to start compiling what you already know – or what you think you know. But imagine: instead of constantly being on the receiving end of that information, what if you could respond to that interaction with a fact that would really blow their socks off? Such a comeback is a powerful demonstration that you’re listening, you’re engaged, and you’re a partner who understands what they need.

On the other end of the scale, I hear from start-ups who are taking lots of shots in the dark as they begin to navigate their marketplace. With those clients, I help them begin to compile a repository of data and the analysis to go along with it. With hard facts in front of you, the lights will come on over the targets. You’ll have a clear line of site on the intersection where your ideas meet the market’s desires.

2 – Quit reinventing the wheel. Whatever you’re trying to do within your business, whether it’s attracting top level talent, making employees more productive, boosting sales, or improving logistics, the best practices have already been outlined somewhere. Information overload may have its downfalls, but having a treasure trove of pre-tested ideas at our fingertips is one of the benefits. Meaning don’t waste your invaluable time, energy and effort creating your own answer when the answers are not only already out there but have been proven time and time again.

3 – See the future coming with enough time to pivot and roll out preparations.

As the list of things to worry about has grown, likewise has the depth and quality of our news shrunk. 76% of small business owners name the effectiveness of government leaders as their #2 concern for 2014 (right behind health care benefits/costs at 77%)². And yet the average political sound bite is now 9 seconds³. Stack a few sound bites together, and that’s the average depth of our news segments. That’s fine for the casual viewer – not for the competitive businessperson planning for their future livelihood. Business leaders need a comprehensive, actionable analysis of the macroeconomic trends that will affect their business.

4 – Know what the competition is doing. Why wait until you’re losing business to figure out what the other guys are doing better? We’re not just talking about reverse engineering the Coca-Cola formula; a simple competitive intelligence program would monitor the public output of direct competitors as well as other companies in the wider marketplace. I’ve helped start such programs for companies, and the first (and hardest) step is figuring out which companies or press outlets to monitor. Technology helps with the rest. No matter what system is set up for collection, though, the real value isn’t so much in what is found out today, but in combining that information over time to determine patterns and likely outcomes.

Highest and Best Use

A McKinsey survey found that almost half of executives think they don’t spend enough time directing the strategic direction of their company⁴. Why? They’re stuck doing other things. For example, a survey of small business owners found they spend more than 20% of their time doing back office work like bookkeeping⁵. That means they’re lucky to be able to scan articles that cover their own industry once in awhile – asking them to carve out time to read about other industries can be a nearly impossible order. And yet, 

“Performing regular analysis is guaranteed to yield those key data points or trends that inform strategy at its deepest levels and attract and retain valuable repeat buyers.” 

Whether that research function is an outsourced consultant, a dedicated employee or a few hours sequestered on the calendar each week to review Google Alerts, the modern business owner will make harnessing that information overload into a priority that will truly allow them to work smarter, not harder.

by Allison Porch, Director of Research and Senior Project Director for Empire Research Group, a division of Chet Holmes® International™

Sources:

1 Global Customer Service Barometer, American Express and Echo, 2013
2 Small Business Owner Report, Fall 2013, Bank of America
3 The Incredible Shrinking Sound Bite, NPR, 2011
4 Making Time Management The Organization’s Priority, McKinsey Quarterly, 2013
5 Survey of Small Business Owners, ADP Research Institute, 2010

Leaders must engage their people at a different level that elicits passion and the desire to not just follow but charge up that hill on their own account, therefore out-running their competition. One of the most powerful ways of doing this is to not just spout off talking points but instead find your teachable point of view—the words, or story, that move people. When this “moves” your audience from the heart up off their feet you’ve more than engaged them inspiring them to do great things. Over several years of research around leaders moving the top companies, Noel Tichy discovered this secret sauce.

When a story is told from an authentic place. It teaches the audience through “… a cohesive set of ideas and concepts that a person is able to articulate clearly to others.” Your primary message wrapped within this story must be crafted specifically to your audience. Now maybe you are catching on to why this topic can be translated into a CMO SHORT (by the way I am also inadvertently creating my own teachable point of view). Take this leadership philosophy and apply it to your own marketing.

To make this actionable, clearly teach your audience clearly, simply and yet powerfully about the concepts and ideas that connect you to one another.

How?

You must first do the intellectual work to uncover  through a definitive process, where you deftly uncover what you provide at the core, not just features and benefits, then match it through relevant research to your market. Next, you do the creative work by “putting it into a form that makes it accessible and interesting to others.” From this research you extrapolate WOW data that is honed into highly consumable messaging that breaks through the clutter and quickly hits home reaching the center of your Best Buyer™.

Finally, lead them to the understanding of how your offering is of value to THEM answering a deeper need, fulfilling something within them that adds to their lives or eliminates a pain. Ultimately you have simultaneously solved an issue they either were aware or unaware they had. When you solve versus sell you have earned a place in their lives transforming it into something better.

If your customers buy purely, unpressed, after seeking you out directly to meet their needs, they do not go through buyer’s remorse but instead are planted firmly on the path to becoming a fanatical community member singing your praises far and wide through the hill tops. The inherent beauty of creating your own Core Story is that its very message provides clarity and cleverness that sticks to your audience allowing them to carry it further and communicate it wider. This is when real, sustainable growth happens.

Onward and upward.

By Shiloh Kelly, Chet Holmes International

As 2013 thunders into Q4 many businesses are seeing an uptick in sales as the recessionary environment cools and the real estate market rebounds. Ironically, despite recent government and political ills – private industries are humming with mergers and acquisitions up

In post recessionary times, business owners often pull back their budgets by cutting marketing first. Yet history proves over and over again this is a big mistake. Businesses that held steady or increased their marketing efforts during prior recessions saw a 200% post-recession gross increase. Add in the continuously changing business landscape and you are bound to fall behind in more ways than one. Consider technology, the onslaught of social media outlets and changing marketing trends. Businesses owners have to make one tough decision after another to decide where to put their hard earned dollars.  The unknowns and complexities often make it difficult to take action, but lack of action is often responsible for profit and growth demise.

Most successful companies have learned taking action is mandatory for business growth. In fact, 86 percent of executives agree advertising in a down economy keep a company at the front of the audience’s mind, while 48 percent of adults believe lack of advertising during a recession indicates the business must be struggling. Marketing is necessary to keep your business front and center; fresh in your consumers’ minds.

It has become obvious, pumping money into traditional marketing plans is not good enough anymore. Staying ahead of the curve, knowing the “who, what and where” is more critical than ever.

So how do you find out these critical markers of marketing especially when you have limited resources compared to big corporations?    

Market research is a great place to start. But not the type of typical market research most of you may be familiar with – endless pages of convoluted surveys, numbers and graphs you are left to decipher what they mean.

Instead we are talking about research that is highly targeted to help you figure out the who, what and where of your target market. Imagine having the inside knowledge of what makes your ideal customer happy, angry, distracted, motivated and ultimately pay attention to your brand. Large corporations with deep pockets have been using market intelligence to gain their massive market share for years. For small businesses, Googling is often the extent of intelligence gathering before running sales and marketing programs; leaving trial and error and the ‘wait and see’ methods to test the effectiveness. During times of rising advertising costs, this is an expensive cycle, both in time and money.

The answer is education-based market research that uncovers the critical factors that make your audience tick and the intelligence you need to produce hard hitting sales and marketing campaigns.  I personally have seen these expensive mistakes time and time again. Companies focus their advertising efforts on what they think the audience wants by trial and error vs. having actual knowledge of the needs and wants of their audience. Having the critical edge of audience intelligence yields higher conversions, increased ROI of marketing, a softer sell, better rapport and higher trust.

Small and medium-size businesses all over the globe can gain critical knowledge using relevant market research and education-based marketing techniques. Having targeted, disseminated and useable research can catapult your companies’ sales and marketing programs to produce more qualified leads and powerful content that moves your brand and the people it serves. The initial step of action is to get guidance on where to spend those hard earned dollars.

By Cynthia Powers, President of the Core Story™ by Empire Research Group®, a registered trademark of Chet Holmes International

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