Churning Out Content is the New Advertizing

I do not like to write – I like to have written. Gloria Steinem

Advertizing might be headed to its grave. This will be a slow march, yes. Sprigs of advertizing will always, I believe, fuzz the framework of things like news, playbills, and sidewalks.

The first sweet sound of advertizing’s demise was advertorials. Then came advertainment. The premise of these tools is to meld content with a sales pitch. While the combination seems logical, it may too become a dead and buried format.

Content — as in information, entertainment, or any other produced media — may lead the way for businesses to get customers. This is already in place. Anytime a business blog is written (ahem, like this one) it’s a form of content creation that’s not advertizing, and yet seeks to attract customers or clients. (So enroll with me already!)

Content is Facebook posts, Tweets, and website pages. It’s articles and PR. It’s whitepapers, opinion pieces, and lectures. Content is value. Value for the consumer.

When the consumer reciprocates by interacting with the business and making a purchase, the content has served its purpose. Advertizing traditionally doesn’t provide value. It invades where the customer is seeking value, interrupts the exchange, and attempts to divert focus to a different action. Content is sought after.

Moreso, content might not have brand ownership. This is scary for businesses. It like an investment bank throwing money out of the window hoping the right growth products will pick it up, use it, and return it with the interest. And, the bank hopes no one else picks up any of it. Is this vacuum ever achievable? No.

So content won’t replace advertizing over night. Or even over a year. We’ll see a phase shift. As technologies develop to better deliver, sort, and track content we may grow to despise it more than advertizing.

Wouldn’t that be something?

Matthew Iscoe

The 5 Faults of Leadership – #4 Thin Skin

Sun Tzu probably liked to see the opposition fall victim to this leadership fault. His point in decrying delicate, thin-skinned leaders is not to be confused with a leader’s responsibility to have feelings. Being a robot or a tree or an iron curtain isn’t a successful leadership trait.

However, Tzu is highlighting how honor can be manipulated to trap the leader. Imagine a taunt: “Your army isn’t brave enough to cross this river to fight us!” Bravery is at the heart of the matter, and the sensitive leader, not wanting his pride to be punctured by inaction, loses half his army in the swift current.

It’s easy to insult the sensitive person into action, and therefore easy to trap them. It’s part of “hard sales” these days: You wouldn’t let the Jones family see you driving that car would you? You’re not so insensitive a parent that you won’t volunteer every weekend at the PTA fundraiser, right?

The thin-skinned leader is quickly put in a place of shame. Why? Mainly because this leader measures his or her value based upon what others say, think, and feel. They try to keep everyone happy because “judgements” are a source of fear. This is different from Sun Tzu’s second fault. Overly sensitive leaders will make too many actions for the sake of appearance, if not pandering.

Honor is an important characteristic – in leadership or not. But when ego, reputation, and personal feeling control the reigns of honor, it becomes a fault of leadership.

Matthew Iscoe

Some Basic Marketing Concepts in a Marriage Proposal

I came by this video on YouTube. Below the video is the narrator transcript.

Marketing Concepts
1. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say: I am very rich. Marry me! – That’s Direct Marketing
2. You’re at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl. One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says: He’s very rich. Marry him. – That’s Advertising
3. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and get her telephone number. The next day, you call and say: Hi, I’m very rich. Marry me. – That’s Telemarketing
4. You’re at a party and see gorgeous girl. You get up and straighten your tie, you walk up to her and pour her a drink, you open the door of the car for her, pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her ride and then say: By the way, I’m rich. Will you marry me? – That’s Public Relations
5. You’re at a party and see a gorgeous girl. She walks up to you and says: You are very rich! Can you marry me? – That’s Brand Recognition
6. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say: I am very rich. Marry me! She gives you a nice hard slap on your face. – That’s Customer Feedback
7. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say: I am very rich. Marry me! And she introduces you to her husband. – That’s demand and supply gap
8. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and before you say anything, another person comes and tells her: I’m rich. Will you marry me? And she goes with him - That’s competition eating into your market share
9. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and before you say: I’m rich, Marry me! Your wife arrives. – That’s restriction for entering new markets

A Structure for Any Presentation – Part 2

Here’s what we’ll cover in Part II:

Setting the Time-Table: 1 Paragraph
Presentation Body: 3 Paragraphs
Closing: 2 Paragraphs

The elements I shared in Part I are “off the map” meaning that they are not included in your time-table. The time-table is an agenda for the remainder of your presentation. It should include the major themes yet to come. It should also include, as the name implies, how long these sections should last. Having this information provides your prospects with an understanding of “where they are” in the bigger picture. The time frame should be written last, once you know how all the elements fit together.

Did you know that a recent poll of sales people found that over 50% do not prepare for sales presentations? What does that mean? Well, it means that the sales person is hearing the presentation for the first time, right along with the prospect! This is, of course, disturbing, but might also explain a lack of sales success. Don’t you think you should prepare?

Here are my three pillars of preparation: 1) Visualize the whole presentation — from parking your car outside the prospect’s office, to walking back to your car after the presentation is over, prospect’s signature in hand. 2) Test out all of your gear. This can mean making back-ups of your PowerPoint, doing a run-through with your web conferencing software, and assembling and disassembling your product demonstration. 3) Learn about your prospect. You have to dig around to discover what’s important to your prospect so you can directly address those things.

The body of your presentation is going to vary in length depending on what you’re selling, who you’re selling it to, and what platform/environment you’re in. But go look at your dinner fork. How many prongs does it have? Likely 3 to 6. This is the same number of points you’ll be making in your presentation. Any more and you’ll go from giving a  ”sales presentation” to a ”documentary.”

So, in Part I and Part II we defined all the components for a successful presentation structure. Once you gain attention and say who you are, your credibility demonstration and your intention statement follow. Provide a time-table prior to the body of your presentation, which should be limited in the number of points it makes. Answer any questions, then don’t be afraid to re-establish an attention grabber before restating your intention.

This structure works so well, it’s banned in North Korea! You’re more than welcome to go there and try to prove me wrong! Teasing aside, this presentation structure has empowered you to change what is not working in your sales efforts. Connect with me now so I can help you further develop your business.

Matthew Iscoe

A Structure for Any Presentation – Part 1

(You can buy this t-shirt from Viktor Viktoria)

What’s that skinny girl up there saying to all of us? Nothing that we don’t all feel and recognise as true. In the world of presentations, attention = importance. Having someone’s attention and giving someone attention (the see-saw of communication) is the vital first component of any presentation.

As a marketing consultant who travels nationally to reach businesses big and small, I can share my knowledge of what it takes to have a winning presentation — no matter what the product.

Getting attention doesn’t have to come from an image. Quotes, stories, or weird factoids always seem to do the trick. Just pick the right one for your audience. You don’t tell your mom the same stories you tell your drinking buddies; same thing goes with your presentation stories. And attention grabbing isn’t just something you do to open. Plopping quotes in and out will help keep people engaged.

The next (quick) step is to insert your elevator bio. Who are you? What do you do? Who do you work for/with? How do you help? This can be four sentences, if not one.

—–Most attention spans last less than 10 seconds! Your presentation structure matters.—–

Afterward, you have to demonstrate a proof. What you are proving — rapidly — is your intention statement (see below). This proof can come in the form of a shocking statistic, a concise testimonial, or a credible backer such as a big wig from a big company.

My intention for you, by providing this presentation structure, is that you’ll understand where you may be falling short in your current efforts. When you see this challenge, contact me so that together we can expore better options for you and your business.

Make sure not to skip your intention statement, which is frankly and without irony saying exactly what YOU want from the presentation. Don’t wait until the end to spring it upon your listeners. (You’ll remind them later, of course.) First, say what you want them to learn. Second, say what you want them to do with this knowledge. Be clear, respectful, and confident.

Read Part II

Matthew Iscoe

When To Walk Out

I’m sitting in a prospects office. She has paperwork everywhere. The window is open because her A/C is broken. It’s hot; the phone is ringing; an employee knocks at the door and comes right in.

This is the standard chaos that typically befalls a sales presentation (or an interview.)

Then she asks the question. It’s the insincere question that every decision maker flings out when they’re trying to prove that there’s more control to the situation than is apparent. (Usually, there isn’t.) The question is, “Why don’t you just go ahead with your presentation? I can listen while I’m signing these papers.”

Now the power has shifted to you. Before using it, try to understand what’s just happened. The prospect has acknowledged she doesn’t have time for you and that you’re not the most important thing in the room. She admitted that she won’t be listening to what you have to say. Lastly, she’s asking for you to provide an excuse to get away from all the mess.

Did you not pick up on the last point? When she started the question with “why don’t you” she has camouflaged your opportunity to walk out. Knowing you don’t have control, it’s time to make your exit.

Even if you haven’t said a word up to that point, it’d be best to escape. Now, doing so politely is important. So is making sure you have a new time to meet. Preferably, it should be away from her office, the distractions, and the noise.

Matthew Iscoe

The Growth of Social Media Infographic

Source: The Growth of Social Media: An Infographic