The Navigator

I found this article in an ezine I get and thought you might enjoy it:

Many business owners regard competitors with resentment, fear, envy and disdain. It’s like every time we look at them, we’re reminded of how they’re taking money out of our pockets.

As you know, one of my main values here at Enlightened Marketing is abundance – the belief  that there is plenty for everyone. Especially when we each do exactly what we’re supposed to be doing: delivering value from the center of our gifts.

Another term for the center of your gifts is your “brand.” Effective brand messages tell the world who your products and services are for, and why you’re the best choice for them.

Repeat: why you’re the best CHOICE.

That means the person considering your brand is doing so relative to the other options available.  Some people call those options competitors, and I do too sometimes.

But most of the time, I like to call them Alternatives.

Regarding those other options as competitors evokes scarcity mentality in me.  It makes me feel they’re out to get me … that there can only be one winner … that there’s not enough for us all and I better get my share!

However, when I call my competitors Alternatives, I feel expanded again. I feel like people who resonate with me will call me for my services, and those who don’t won’t.  And I’m cool either way.

The interesting thing about brand choices is that it’s rarely about good and bad; instead, it’s about For Me and Not For Me.

It’s not that I don’t like brand Nike.  After all, they have about the most amazing slogan and logo of all time.  I just live on Planet Reebok.  Reebok is For Me; Nike is Not For Me.

In branding we call this Preference. We want our target market to prefer us to the alternatives.  To achieve that, they must believe we’re a better choice.

Here’s how I help my clients understand the Alternatives to their business and how to build preference with their intended audiences:

1.  Evaluate to Differentiate.

The entire point of branding is to identify how you’re unique.  That’s why you must study the alternatives’ value and yours enough to understand the differences. Phrase these differences as meaningful outcomes for your clients.

We provide women business owners with information that empowers them to make wise investment decisions.”  Differentiated outcomes here promise copious information, solutions tailored to the needs of businesswomen and independence in decision-making.

2.  Think expansively about alternatives.

I heard organizing expert Barbara Hemphill on a call once say her “main competition is apathy and resignation.” I always ask my clients to position their brands against the alternatives of “doing nothing” and “doing it myself.”

Think about it this way: if you don’t get the business, what happens instead?  That’s your real competition.

3.  Respect the Differences.

It’s rarely effective to elevate your brand by cutting down the alternatives.  Instead, try to understand who might choose NOT to work with you and why.

“For whom would doing nothing be a perfectly good option?” I ask my clients.  Well, people who aren’t really bothered by their current situation. When they need a change, they’ll take action.

“For whom might doing it themselves be a perfectly good option?”  Probably someone who doesn’t have the budget to hire help.  Also, someone who prioritizes personal accomplishment over expert advice.

Rather than denigrating the poor quality of a low-priced alternative, well-known hair care products advertised, “it’s expensive because I’m worth it.”

How can you highlight your advantages without trashing the competition?

4.  Support your claims.

When anyone can claim any differentiator, it’s always more effective to provide some evidence.Testimonials, case studies and market research all provide evidence that what you’re saying is true.  Removing just a little risk from your prospect who’s deciding whether to choose your brand always helps to turn preference into purchase.

In this way, we can perform a “Competitive Assessment” without negativity.  We ensure the clients who’d call you For Me will beat a path to your door, and the rest can enjoy other alternatives. 

Are you a procrastinator?  I know sometimes I can be one.   Some days it’s hard to get motivated, even when I have a lot to do.  This is something I’ve been working on for a long time and I definitely feel like it helps to have a plan to keep me on track.

So, what causes procrastination?  We get into that rut when we over-think what we need to do instead of just getting to it.  The over-thinking is often caused by a fear of failure or not allowing enough time either because they waited until the last minute or because they haven’t thought through how much time it will actually take.  It can also happen when we “don’t feel like we are in the right mood”.

The bottom line is this…whatever the reason, it can hold you back in both your personal and professional life.  So, what can you do to move through it?  Keep your eye on the prize is one way to get through it.  What are your goals?  How are you going to accomplish them?  If you think of something else that you need to do, jot it down so you can free your mind to stay focused on the task at hand.  If you find something is promising to pull you away from what you are doing, ask yourself if it will help you accomplish your goals today.

And remember, the longer you wait, just like the cartoon says, the longer it takes to finish.  Dive it now and “get ‘er done”!

Any tips you can share on how you stay focused on and accomplish your goals?  Post them here.

I have spoken at a few of our Lodestone Business Development Groups about giving services away for free.  IMHO, it’s important to be clear with yourself about why you are doing it.  Is it in exchange for rent or another service or product?  Is it part of your marketing plan?  Is it part of your community service?  In all of these situations,it’s important to have clearly defined boundaries about what you are willing to do, when you’ll do it, for whom you’ll do it and why you are doing it.   If your desire is to be able to pay your bills with your job, you have to have money coming in to do that.  In order to attract people who are willing and able to pay for your services, you need to know that there is a value to your services and conduct business accordingly.

One thing I do suggest highly is having some sort of free offer available to others to give them a taste of what you do and who you are.  This is a part of your marketing plan and well worth it to provide for people.  I love giving something away to those I connect with.  If you want to learn more about this, contact me at michele@lodestonedynamics.com or visit us at one of our upcoming Lodestone Group meetings.  In the meantime, check out this article I found talking about the very subject of giving away products and services.  Very timely!

Recently, Ning announced that they were laying off 70 staff and no longer going to provide their social networking platform as a freebie. Ning’s COO Jason Rosenthal said they would stop offering free services, forcing networks to either pay or move (http://ow.ly/1BNke). Although it is not unusual for us to hear about the need to downsize and tighten belts, it is unusual to hear about such a large social networking venue to suddenly charge you for what you become accustomed to and enjoyed having as a freebie.

Just what is the cost of providing services and products as freebies? First of all, just because you offer something for free doesn’t mean people will want it. Offering products and services at no cost can be tricky. Giving away products and services that you promote as “valuable” actually decreases in value the more you do it. Although one man’s junk is another man’s treasure, what’s the value in something that you can get anytime you want? Just how long can your business survive when you are giving away everything with everything?

How much is too much? What happens when you can no longer afford to give away your products and services? What do you do? Do you grandfather your existing clients with the freebies and only charge new clients? Do you abruptly stop providing the freebies and only provide the products and services that cost?

Providing sessions, teleclasses, products, books, etc. as freebies are all great ways to get your foot in the door but when it is done in excess and/or over time there are risks. Those risks could cost you more in the long run. The last thing you want clients and potential clients to feel is like they’ve just experienced the “bait and switch.”

3 ways to avoid the costly mistake of providing products and services for free:

1. Have a time limit. This will help let clients and potential clients know that it is only for a set period of time and that they can anticipate having to pay for those said products and services in the future. Even if you use the term “for a limited time” or “limited supply” it gives the viewer notice. They should understand that it might not be available or expect a cost at some point in the future.

2. Attach the free product or service to the purchase of a product or service. Create a win-win scenario by offering a “bonus” item to the purchase of a product or service. You get a sale, but the client gets something extra of value without you giving away the kitchen sink.

3. Use the free product or service as a platform they can upgrade from. Keep the freebie a bare bones type of thing and keep the bells and whistles as something of value that they should expect to pay for. Many technology platforms use this type of technique as seen in “basic, premium and platinum memberships” etc.

One final note, if you utilize and incorporate a product or service into your business that does not have a cost attached to it, weigh the pros and cons carefully and know that should the bill come in the mail one day, you will gladly pay it because it is an integral part of your business functionality and success.

A.Michelle Blakeley is the Founder and CEO of Simplicity, Inc.; a progressive small business development firm. She manages her clients’ business expectations and prevents information overload via Micro Business Therapy™ and Micro Business Action Plans. She is featured in Forbes.com and the Financial Post as one of 30 Women Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter, the host of Simple Truths for Women Entrepreneurson BlogTalkRadio.com and author of the NEW e-book: “Get it Right and Move Along… a collection of practical tips, tools and techniques for small business owners.”

Here is a great article on what you should and shouldn’t outsource for your social media:  http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-outsourcing-social-media/

One of my biggest challenges in being self-employed has been managing my time.  While people always seem amazed at how much I get done, I know how I work and that I can get things done more efficiently.  The only thing I miss about having a full time job is having someone else holding me accountable for getting things done (this can be a BIG help) and, ok, I also miss the conversations around the water cooler.

It is true that having someone else tell me when something needs to be complete and then checking in, can help when someone is as easily distracted as I can be.  I usually have several projects going on at a time.  Right now I actually have 29 (yes, you read that right) web pages open along with Photoshop, Outlook, Quicken, Word, oh and my printer needs ink and the reminder is up on my screen, AND last but not least, my Blackberry Desktop Manager program.   Perhaps that gives you a better understanding of my mind and how it works (yep, painful at times).

So you can imagine my delight when I received a newsletter from Marcy at Coaching Toys/The Product Mentor where she highlighted some great planning tools that are actually available at no charge!  I love this and I thought you might too.  I think my fav is the Productivity Jumpstarter so far.  Nice and easy to use!  Let me know what you think of these tools…

Here is an article I published in one of my newsletters a while back that I got so much positive feedback on, I wanted to share it again.

I am Powerful Article

There is nothing as incredible as feeling powerful and in control of your own life!  However, you are not alone if you have ever felt like you give your power away to others and you don’t know what to do about it.
Here are some signs you may be giving away your power to others:
•    You doubt yourself.
•    You try to make everyone else happy.
•    You go along with others to avoid making waves.
•    You look for approval from others instead of from within.
•    You buy into other people’s drama.
•    You allow yourself to be intimidated.
•    You have poor boundaries.
Any of this sound familiar to you?  It does to me.  I doubt myself.  I look for approval from others.  So why do I do this?  There are many reasons we give our power away.  It might be a habit.  It might be the way we were raised.  We might be afraid of confrontation.  Maybe it feels good in the moment to take care of someone.  What happens when we focus only on that one little moment in time instead of considering the long term impact?
Each time we give our power away, we sell a little bit of our soul.  Over time this adds up.  Even if it feels good in that moment, the price is quite  high.    The good news is we can learn to be powerful, to be in control of our life.   Here are some suggestions:
•    Remember to breathe.
•    Practice staying in your own energy, space, etc.
•    Learn to say “no” and mean it.
•    See yourself as a whole being, with all the right answers.
•    Use your anger wisely and stand up for yourself.  Anger isn’t always bad – just use it wisely.
•    Ask for what you want and need.
•    Realize that other people have their own path and you are not responsible for them.
•    Remember that someone else’s behavior almost never has anything to do with you.  Practice just observing it without any attachments.
When we choose to live our life from a place of strength and trust, when we are living authentically it means we have the courage to show up as our true self.  It doesn’t mean being rude or inconsiderate.  It does mean speaking our truth and believing in who we are at our very core.

Today I choose to be my authentic self.  Today I will not apologize for that.  Today I choose to be powerful and it feels really great!

Today I hope you’ll choose to be your authentic self.  Today I hope you will not apologize for it.  Today I hope you will choose to be powerful and it will feel really great!