Promote It!By Mary Lee Gannon of StartingOverNow.com and Gannon EnterprisesA Two Way DialogueYou’ve developed a valuable product or service but the people who need it don’t know about it. What now?

Are you prepared to change the way you think about promotions?Our habits develop naturally and start with: 1) VALUES which create 2) ATTITUDES which create 3) BEHAVIORS.To CHANGEfor the purpose of better results we must start with what seems unnatural:1) New BEHAVIORS which lead to2) New ATTITUDES which lead to3) New VALUES.Just Act!Don’t worry about how it feels.

To CHANGEfor the purpose of better results we must start with what seems unnatural:

1) New BEHAVIORS which lead to

2) New ATTITUDES which lead to

3) New VALUES.

Make a First Impression that Rocks! People draw an opinion within the first few seconds of meeting you. These three elements weigh into whether or not they will like you: Words = 7%Tone of Voice = 38%Body Language = 55%93% of a person’s opinion of you has nothing to do with what you say!

What is Important About Relationships?People will forget what you say and what you do, but they will never forget the way you make them feel.

Five Steps to Remember People’s Names 1. Stay externally focused on the person speaking – no self talk. It distracts the memory.2. Sight – Picture the name of the person written on their forehead in your favorite color of magic marker.3. Sound – Say the name over in your mind and then out loud. “It’s very nice to meet you, Jason.” Use the name three times in a conversation.4. Touch – Move your finger in little micro-muscle movements as if you were actually writing the person’s name or in your mind’s eye, see and feel yourself writing the person’s name.5. After you leave a meeting, write down the names of the people you want to remember with a distinguishing note about each.

Market, Advertising and Public RelationsMarketing = a myriad of creative promotional campaigns: Print advertising, promotional products, brochures, business cards are all integrated into a marketing program with goals.Advertising = paying for space in a newspaper or magazine, or buying time on a radio station, television station or web site.Public Relations = getting your products or services mentioned in the media. You cannot control the timing, message or placement. But it is free.Publicity is gaining notoriety for free. It’s that simple. Advertising is a marketing campaign where you pay for notoriety. Publicity is the front cover of TIME. Advertising is the back cover of TIME.

Freelancing a Simple Way to Promote a New Service5 Steps to Begin Freelancing 1. Create a portfolio with a binder and sheet protectors. 2. Build a contact list of companies that would need someone with your talents. 3. Send your potential clients a “pitch letter.” 4. Follow up with a phone call in two weeks and ask for a 30 minute appointment. 5. Familiarize yourself with freelance web sites that bring together freelances and project managers. One of the best sources for freelance work is a corporation for whom you have already done work.

Signs That You Do Not Have a Niche1. You have multiple business cards or wonder if you should.2. You’ve purposefully chosen a general business name that doesn’t say what you do so you can use it for all the different things you do.3. You often feel conflicted about which aspect of what you do you should mention when you introduce yourself.4. People don’t seem to take your business seriously.5. People are often confused about or can’t describe what you do.6. Clients seem satisfied with your work but rarely refer other businesses to you.7. In describing what you do, you often say, “I do a lot of things” or ask “What do you need done?”8. People have trouble explaining to others what you do or frequently comment that they never can keep up with all the things you’re doing.9. Your business cards and brochures include a list of things that other people are doing as full-time businesses. You have trouble summarizing what you do in a simple sentence.

Ways to Carve Out Your NicheDo you solve a problem…….?Where You Work: National, local, regional, neighborhood, down town, school district, statewide, on client’s site, via internet modem or fax.With Whom You Work: Small business, Fortune 500 companies, major corporations, accounting industry, hospitals, children, adults, elderly, men, women, smokers, overeaters, joggers, dog lovers, brides, widows, single parents, two career couples.Your Industry: Health, construction, law, real estate, banking, insurance, medicine, sports, entertainment, tourism, restaurants, unemployed, non-profits, banks, beauty salons.When You Work: At all hours, overnight, fast turnaround.The Problem You Address: Collections, employee turnover, on call staffing issues, weekends, evenings, for life events (births, marriages, divorce or death), special occasions like conferences and parties, those short on time, sales challenges.

15 Ways to Make Your Service Newsworthy1. Take a poll or conduct a survey.2. Issue a proclamation or hold a celebration.3. Announce novel observations and discoveries.4. Report unusual or human interest stories.5. Hold a contest.6. Sponsor an award.7. Host or sponsor a special event.8. Give a valuable but unusual donation.9. Introduce a novel twist.10. Create a commemorative month or day.11. Involve a celebrity.12. Take on a cause.13. Establish a seal of approval.14. Compile a list of hot tips or fascination facts.15. Form an organization.

Your BrandSuccess boils down to your ability to influence people to take action. ”Brand” is how people see you – what you are known as in that process. You may have a brand or not. It may be a good brand or not. Either way, you do not determine your brand. The consumer does. You are the influencer.Brand is the difference between a luxury car and a Mercedes Benz. Brand is the difference between a designer’s handbag and a Hermes Birkin. Brand is the difference between a cup of coffee and a cup of Starbucks.

Today a living brand is a pattern of behavior. Brands now grow organically.1) Offer Continual Value – Aim to enhance your usefulness. Stop selling products. Start selling services. What is the consumer asking? 2) Be Innovative – Push the boundaries and add ancillary products. Amazon is a good example of this. Embrace failure. Be audacious. An idea is innovative when it scares the hell out of you. 3) Offer a Premium Experience Where the Consumer Can Be Entertained. Apple computers are infinitely popular because of consistent performance. Apple sales people are dressed like you might be – in a T-shirt but one that states their values.

Today a living brand is a pattern of behavior. Brands now grow organically.4) Create a Sense of Community –The consumer has evolved from the “served” to the “creator.” Today the consumer is a performer who wants to buzz about something important. Ask for help or feedback on Twitter. Use Delicious to see tags used by others. 5) Change Your Model – Car dealers know that consumers’ schedules are busy so now some will ride you to work if your car is in their shop. 6) Prioritize the Environment – Examine your eco-system and show consumers that you care about their environment and their future.

A BrandAsk yourself: “Our ____________(brand name) is the only ______________ (product category) that _________________ (uniqueness).”

Your Look – Your Brand – Your StoryThe most effective packaging of your service will follow the rules of human nature: 1) It catches the eye of the consumer 2) The consumer asks, “What is it?” 3) The consumer wonders, “Why should Icare?” 4) The consumer wants to be persuaded 5) The consumer needs proofFind your voice and begin to tell your story. Link your story to the story of your clients so they return again and again to hear you tell it. Leverage the existing community of consumers involved with your products and services to promote their experience with you.

Press Releases Let the Media Know About Your Niche!A Good Press Release…Is written in third person (with the exception of quotes) and seeks to demonstrate to an editor or reporter the sharp newsworthiness of a particular person, event, service or product so that they will feature a story about it in their publication or on the Internet. Separates real news about your company from promotional puffery. Offers a reporter a really good story that can be told only by you and is not an advertisement for w new product or service.Is sent to reporters whose work you have followed and identified as the appropriate party to receive the release.Is between 350 and 500 words.Contains only things that are documented and sustained.States who is issuing the release with appropriate contact information.

Social Networking Conversation BuzzTwitter.com, LinkedIn.com and ZoomInfo.com are three very good professional networking sites. Message boards, chat rooms, surveys, and feedback pages on your owns web site get people talking about you!Facebook has also become popular with professionals.Ping.fm allows you to post once and update all of your social networking sites simultaneously.Del.icio.us.com is a site where users store their favorite online links and resources - a social bookmarking service – so that they may be retrieved no matter what computer you are using. The favorites of all users are collated to show trends. Bloggers can add links to their posts enabling del.icio.us users to post that link to their list of bookmarks - this can promote your links as they are getting exposure in the del.icio.us 'recently bookmarked' list.

Networking It’s Who Knows YOU!1. What do you want to be known as? What is your personal brand? 2. Pay a compliment. Who doesn’t want to hear something good about themselves? 3. Ask a question. The good thing about a question is that it leaves the conversation in the other person’s control and takes the angst off of you. 4. Say something funny - if you are funny. 5. Offer to do something for them. 6. Send them something unexpected that relates to something you talked about during a brief encounter7. Ask questions and listen. 8. End graciously so that you may move on to the nest person you would like to meet.You are not building a network of contacts. You are building a circle of friends.

Referrals and TestimonialsIt’s a Relationship BusinessWho Cares Enough to Help You? People you have helped.Ask for referrals.Put up a sign that says “We appreciate referrals.”Tell your customers about all of your services – not just what they are using.Recognize good customers.Remind them of your uniqueness – let them brand you.Talk to your customers and let them talk with each other in focus groups or via your web site.

In Their Words…“Understand that you need to sell you and your ideas in order to advance your career, gain more respect, and increase your success, influence and income.” ~Jay Abraham, author of ‘Getting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got.’“No matter what your product is, you are ultimately in the education business. Your customers need to be constantly educated about the many advantages of doing business with you, trained to use your products more effectively, and taught how to make never-ending improvement in their lives.” ~Robert G Allen, author of ‘The One Minute Millionaire.’“If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other about that. Word of mouth is very powerful.” ~Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.

Qualities of Success!Successful people have two things in common:1) They are fearless not reckless.2) They ask questions or figure it out.Mary Lee Gannon, CAEwww.StartingOverNow.comGannon EnterprisesMaryLee@StartingOverNow.com