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3 Ways Consultants and Coaches Can Get on TV: And Double or Triple Their Business

Susan Harrow | April 15, 2013 | 2 Comments

Many people see getting on TV as the holy grail to getting publicity. Oprah was the leader in making careers overnight. Other shows don’t necessarily have the same instant influence that Oprah had, but a four-minute segment on a major morning talk or news show can still have that magic formula effect.

You would want to understand the culture of the company. You would want to know what kind of products or services had been successful for them and the way they like those things packaged.

While getting on TV can be a powerful way for coaches and consultants to increase their sales and grow their consulting businesses on the spot it can also be something of a dud if not done correctly. Here are three ways to get on TV and them make your appearance count.

1. Write a segment not a pitch.

When I work with my clients I write up a segment – exactly what you would see if you watched the show – that caters to the hosts strengths and personality. I’ve watched the shows so I have a sense of the subject matter they like to cover and the format they prefer. I’ve read up on as much as I can to best angle my segment to the preferences of the hosts and show. CONTINUE READING »

4 Common Business Blogging Mistakes

Kamal Bekkari | April 11, 2013 | Leave a comment

Click here to ReTweet: 4 Common Business Blogging Mistakes

By now, most business owners have gotten the message that social media is an important part of promoting their business online and connecting with their target demographic. They’ve also developed an understanding of how important a company blog really is when it comes to facilitating this process.

Hubspot reported in March 2012 that only 43% of ‘less than monthly’ business bloggers convert customers from their blog

However, many businesses and consultants start a company blog without a clear picture in mind of how to go about making the most of it. WordPress (http://en.wordpress.com/stats) estimates that over 1.65 million new blog articles are posted every day…how are you going to stand out from the crowd? Here are some of the most commonly made business blogging mistakes today, as well as some tips on how you can make sure they don’t happen to you.

1. Inconsistency

Blogs at their best are living entities that are frequently updated with up to the minute information, interesting resources, or entertaining banter. Frequent and consistent updates help you build an audience of dedicated readers who could soon become customers. Hubspot reported in March 2012 that only 43% of ‘less than monthly’ business bloggers convert customers from their blog. Sounds pretty good, right? In contrast, if you are blogging multiple times a day, you will have an estimated 92% conversion rate. (http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid /31550/20-Fresh-Stats-About-the-State-of-Inbound-Marketing-in-2012.aspx) CONTINUE READING »

Marketing for Consultants: Survey Results [Infographic]

Michael Zipursky | April 9, 2013 | 38 Comments

We asked over 10,000 consultants how they market their services, what is and isn’t working for them, and other juicy details about their consulting business. Here are the results from our survey and we welcome you to share this with others.

“New Data on Marketing Consulting Services” – Click to Tweet

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Consultant Questions: Part 2

Michael Zipursky | April 7, 2013 | 2 Comments

Consultant Questions: Part 2 (25:56)

This is the second round of answers to your questions about starting, running and growing a successful consulting business.

Questions covered include increasing consulting fees, delivering more value on client projects, creating an online presence and more.

Business Blogging Tips To Grow Your Consulting Blog To 20,000 Visitors A Month

Michael Zipursky | April 4, 2013 | Leave a comment

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Michael Zipursky: Hi everyone. It’s Michael Zipursky. Today, I’m very happy to have Tom Treanor with us. Tom is the founder of Right Mix Marketing, a website and a business that focuses on online marketing, SEO, business blogging and media. Prior to Right Mix Marketing, Tom worked for Hewlett-Packard in leadership roles and marketing operations at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Booz Allen Hamilton as a strategy consultant, and at Sony Electronics in product marketing. I invited Tom today to share with us his story and what he’s done to build a successful business. Tom, welcome.

Tom Treanor: Thank you, Michael. Glad to be here.

Michael Zipursky: Yes. So Tom, to start, can you share some details on the work that you’re doing now and some of your accomplishments so we can get a better sense for you and your work.

Tom Treanor: Sure. About three years ago, I decided to leave HP, the corporate world, and to start off on my own business, basically helping at that time companies with search engine optimization and have since expanded that into basically three things which is search engine optimization, content marketing and social media marketing. The reason I left was I realized that things had dramatically changed in the world of business and by doing the corporate jobs I was doing, I really wasn’t learning what I needed to be learning and I wasn’t going to be on the cutting edge of these industries. So, I decided to launch my own business and kind of take my future into my own hands, so to speak. Yes, since then, I’ve worked with a lot of amazing clients. I have written a search engine optimization workbook and I’ve created digital products where I’ve taught people how to market their businesses and I’ve had some great successes come from that. I’ve taught social media marketing at San Francisco State University. Yes, just generally have done some amazing things that I would never have expected. I’ve also recently been speaking a lot more, both online as well as in person, and have written for blogs like Copyblogger and Problogger and some other big blogs. CONTINUE READING »

How To Get Your Consulting Business In The Media

Michael Zipursky | April 1, 2013 | 3 Comments

Click to Retweet “How To Get Your Consulting Business In The Media”

Most businesses reach a point where they realize they too can benefit from getting featured in the media.

One problem many people find is that the word ‘publicity‘ in and of itself sounds daunting. As if only large companies can benefit from it.

One of the biggest mistake people make when trying to get publicity is casting too wide of a net.

Here’s the thing, regardless of whether you’re an independent consultant, run a small consultancy team of 5 or have hundreds of employees – you can benefit from getting into the media.

The second challenge with publicity is that it doesn’t happen instantly. That’s right, you can’t simply push a button and make money from it…despite what some people may say. However, there are specific strategies you can use to speedy up the process and get into the media more quickly. I’ll share these with you below:

Have a Clear Target

One of the biggest mistake people make when trying to get publicity is casting too wide of a net.

As you start developing your publicity strategy, you should have a clear picture of exactly who you are targeting. CONTINUE READING »

Consultant Questions Q&A

Michael Zipursky | March 28, 2013 | Leave a comment

Last week I sent an email to readers of our newsletter (the Consultants Toolkit) list with the opportunity for anyone to ask me a question about being a consultant and the consulting business.

I was impressed with the response and I’d like to thank everyone that got involved.

Below you’ll find a recording I put together that includes my answers to the questions received.

I couldn’t get to all of the questions in this recording, so look for another post soon with my replies to the remaining questions.

Consultant Q&A (27:11)

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The Power of Extreme Trust: Book Review

Michael Zipursky | March 28, 2013 | Leave a comment

Extreme Trust, a new book by Don Peppers and Martha Rogers takes ‘Trust’ to a whole new level.

Most of us know that honesty and integrity are good qualities to have. The missed opportunity however, is that most business owners don’t know that building trust with their marketplace and customers is actually a competitive advantage.

Sure, it’s easy to say that you’re trustworthy and to believe that the people around you, do in fact trust you…yet, what we think and what is actually the case are often two completely different things. CONTINUE READING »

Is B2Me the Future of Marketing?

Michael Zipursky | March 25, 2013 | Leave a comment

Everyone talks about B2B and B2C.

Are your consulting clients businesses? Or do you market to individuals?

Depending on your answer, your marketing approach will often differ.

If they sell to a fraction of their list the money still comes rolling in.

And if we’re talking about marketing, there are many similarities in how you will market to both B2B and B2C markets.

In both cases, a website or blog are likely used. Email newsletters are almost certainly part of the mix.

Your message can now reach a large group of people or businesses.

That’s the easy part.

And in many cases getting your message out there can be effective.

In fact, some online marketers that have huge lists (hundreds of thousands or millions of people on them) don’t need a high-converting offer. If they sell to a fraction of their list the money still comes rolling in. CONTINUE READING »

3 Types of Employees Your Business Would Be Better Off Without

Kamal Bekkari | March 21, 2013 | Leave a comment

Many business owners have heard the expression “your business is only as strong as its weakest link.” This is truer than many people ever could imagine.

We’re all already aware of the many ways adding even one or two real go-getters and terrific idea people can supercharge the forward growth of a company. It’s high time we begin to understand that bad apples can be just as detrimental as good ones can be beneficial. Did you know that 84% of managers don’t know how to accurately measure their team members? (Human Resources Employee Engagement Statistics by Peter Lynch) Once you understand it, act upon it.

The employee who just can’t do it is actually creating more work for everyone else in the long run and can cause real resentment among the other members of your team.

Let’s take a look at three of the most destructive kinds of employee and examine what you can do to keep them from derailing the momentum of your business.

1. The One Who Just Doesn’t Care

Every workplace has one — or maybe even several — of these toxic employees hanging around gumming up the works. They’re the type of person that may cause you to wonder what they’re even doing there. Their heart is definitely not in what they do and they appear to feel no sense of personal investment in the company. They don’t even go through the motions of trying to make it appear as if they care. They just kind of show up and go through the motions. If you think other team members are unaware or unaffected by this type of employee, then think again. A recent Gallup poll showed that 18% of disengaged employees actually undermine their colleagues’ success.

(http://www.teamquestsystems.com/our-unique-process/facts-stats/) CONTINUE READING »

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