Bullock reminds us to brand and package our intellectual capital
Recently, I had the privilege of participating in the Hook, Line and Sinker workshop coordinated and produced by Henry Snorton at the local chamber of commerce. More than a dozen business people attended this session and we discussed the various guerrilla marketing ways that you could take a little money and build your business into a profitable venture.
As you know, I often have written in this column of the strategies and tactics necessary to use to be successful as a small businessperson and having the opportunity to share that with people really interested in taking it and using it was a great blessing. Thank you Henry for inviting me.
We had a variety of interesting folks attend. We had a Christian bookstore owner, a personal services provider, a building contractor, a classified ad salesperson, an ag supply operation sales person, an insurance salesman, a representative from a hospice, a spa owner, a social marketing consultant, a mortuary director, a bridal consultant, a daycare owner and operator, a clothing designer and the manager of advertising for a newspaper.
I stressed to them and I stress in this article that you have to first want to own and operate your own business, or you want to take the job you have and become more creative in it, for guerrilla marketing to work effectively.
When you make that decision and it’s a commitment that feeds your family you get real serious real quick about making things happen that will make the business, or your job, more successful.
Test them and keep the good ones
Businesses are not hatched overnight and spring to fruition with just a little work. Rather, businesses are coddled, nurtured and slowly and gently they mature into successful and profitable ventures, especially if passionate people run them that are dedicated to providing quality goods and services and giving the customer a memorable experience.
I am pleased to say that this workshop was one, which created a viable and interactive network of not just business associates, it also created a network of friends.
Already I have heard from four people in the workshop and they have consulted with me on their plans and the actions they have already taken to improve their business operations.
I am proud of them and for them.
When you go to a workshop of any kind that you have paid good hard-earned money for you should:
Seek out ideas and thoroughly discuss them in the workshop. Get other people’s views on the ideas and challenge one another until you understand the concept and how to implement it.
Once you are clear that the idea could benefit your business adapt it to your needs. One size doesn’t fit everyone but many ideas can be mutated and tweaked to work in your business.
Then test the idea. Don’t spend a lot of time and money on redesigning it, or you will never get to the point that you will implement it. Simply, do it.
Clearly define what you want to come from the idea. Not all ideas will bring money in the door. Some will bring you recognition, some will enhance your image and others will increase your visibility.
After testing the idea several times, you can’t just do it once and expect any data to evaluate, then stop and look at the data. Did you achieve what you wanted to achieve? Did it enhance your image, increase awareness of your products or services, did it some way impact positively your bottom-line?
If it does, then keep on doing it until you begin to see diminishing returns. Recalibrate if needed as you go along. Tweak it but don’t reinvent it.
Objectively evaluate each idea aggressively. Keep the good ones and toss out the ones that don’t work.
Only one in ten
The rule of thumb for presenters of workshops to evaluate their own success is simple.
If you have 10 people attend a workshop, experience and research shows that, only one attendee ever really takes the information and does anything with it and tells you they did it.
Two people will take an idea, perhaps, and act upon it but never tell you about it, and one more will go home and think about things and tweak the idea maybe.
The other five — well they just go back to doing what they were doing and getting the same results they have always been getting.
The dog ate it
Here are some honest to goodness excuses I have heard about why people pay good money for a workshop then never use the ideas that come from it:
It would require too much work on my part
I didn’t get anything worthwhile for my business
My business is unique and G-marketing doesn’t work for me
I don’t have time to use this information
I couldn’t find a copy of the book to buy
These techniques are too simple, my business is more complicated
They won’t work nothing ever has
The dog ate my workbook!
I don’t have the time
I didn’t pay enough – the information couldn’t have been very valuable
I am pleased to report, however, that so far I have not heard these or any other excuses but then there are still attendees that have not reported in.
I have always found that I learn more from my students and others who present at workshops than I do from all the research, writing and consulting that I do preparing for the workshop.
Such was the case with the presentation made by David Bullock, a consultant from Murfreesboro, Tenn. that was invited by Henry Snorton to be a presenter.
Bulloch is in the business genre of two of my own personal and professional heroes — Robert Middleton and Howard Shenson. Bulloch is an information guru with a wealth of ideas to help you package and sell your intellectual knowledge.
His model is similar to that of Middleton in that you should brand yourself, develop and sell audio and video packages and then price and sell your intellectual capital as you develop it. And he is absolutely correct. This model has worked well for years for consultants. Most certainly it has worked for Middleton, Bullock and Shenson.
Although I have known this to be true for quite some time, now and then in life you need to be reminded, prodded and even whacked on the head to get you off the dime.
So, thanks David for whacking me on the head and stoking the fire.
My business model is taking a major right turn and significant overhaul and soon we will be announcing a new web and blog site and new products and services in the genre of your model.
Stay tuned.
Comments