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The Radically Virtual Marketing Program – Spring 2020

Business Finance

Links to Sections: Program SessionsProgram Steps
Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, Step 4, Step 5

Program Administration

Preparation Work, Program Dates, Zoom link, Slack Group, Coaching Sessions, Recordings, Reading List, and Participants

Preparation Work

Preparation Work Document

Program Dates

2nd and 4th Wednesdays
April 8, 22, May 13, 27, June 10, 24
July 8, 22, August 12, 26, Sept 9,23

1st and 3rd Wednesdays
October 7, 21, Nov 4, 18, Dec 2, 16

Zoom link

All sessions will be conducted by Zoom video at the link below. Please join the session a few minutes before we start.

https://zoom.us/j/2121681264

Slack Group

We’ll be using a Slack Platform to communicate with each other in the group. I have invited you all to join. If you did not get the invite, please let me know.

Link to Slack Group – action-plan-marketing.slack.com

Individual Coaching Sessions

For those in the $500 per month program, in addition to the group sessions and feedback by email you get two individual marketing coaching sessions with me every month. Set up your coaching sessions via this link:

https://bookme.name/actionplan

A La Carte Coaching Sessions

If you are in the $150 per month program, you get the two group sessions per month plus feedback by email. If you would like to set up an individual session with me, use the link to pay for that session. Individual sessions are $200.

Pay for an individual Marketing Coaching Session

Then book a coaching session: https://bookme.name/actionplan

Recordings of the Sessions

All the recordings will be posted online. The links to the recordings will use this format:

http://actionplan.com/grv/grv-##.mp4 (the ## will be the number of the session. I.e., 01, 02, etc.)

If you need to miss a session, simply enter the correct URL for that session and you’ll be taken to the video online.

Reading List

These books/manuals are required reading during the program. Order or download them now.

Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty – Harvey Mackay (You can get this on Amazon for just a few dollars.)

 The InfoGuru Marketing Manual –Download this now

Next Book ??

Resources

Booking Apphttp://bookme.name

Stock Photoshttp://123RF.com

Graphic Designhttp://canva.com 

Screen Capture App – Jing – https://www.techsmith.com/jing-tool.html

Video App – Loomhttp://loom.com

Participants – Names and emails plus links to Preparation Work. Feel free to be in touch with anyone in the group.

Pat Arcady <pat@patarcady.com> – Preparation Work Document
Connie Brock <www.conniebrock.com> – Preparation Work Document
Caroline Ceniza-Levine <caroline@sixfigurestart.com> – Preparation Work Document
Nancy Cavanaugh <nancy@cavanaughinteractive.biz> – Preparation Work Document
Tom Chandler <tom@thetechmentors.com> – Preparation Work Document
Andrea Dale <andread@tothepoint.coach> – Preparation Work Document
Donna Dobrovich <donna@dfdcoaching.com> – Preparation Work Document
Kimberly Jutze <kjutze@shifting-patterns.com> – Preparation Work Document
Elmar Kruithoff <ek@focusing-center.de> – Preparation Work Document
Gay Landeta <create@gaylandeta.com.au> – Preparation Work Document
Carleton McHenry <carleton@mchenrycapital.com> – Preparation Work Document
Mary O’Neill <mary@maryoneill.com> –
Susan Prescott <susan@Optimaloutcomes.net> – Preparation Work Document
Ken Provost <ken@gctraining.ca> – Preparation Work Document
Bart Schwarz <bart@leidinggeveniseenkunst.nl> – Preparation Work Document
Jerry Wistrom <jerry@jerrywistrom.com> – Preparation Work Document

Assignment. Please be in touch with a minimum of two participants per week by phone or Zoom. Read their Preparation Work and have a connection conversation to share ideas, insights, resources, and connections with each one. Do about 30 minutes each way. See the Step 2 articles below for ideas on how to conduct these conversations. You’ll do this each week of the program until you have spoken to everyone.


Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, Step 4, Step 5

Program Sessions and Assignments

The date, primary topic, and assignment of each of the group sessions is posted below. 

Session 1. April 8, 2020 – Assignments. Recording. http://actionplan.com/grv/grv-01.mp4

1. Read Step 1, Get Your List Together, and start doing that right away.
2. Read the Content for Step 2, Reach Out and Touch Someone, and read Articles 1 through 5.
3. Read the content for Step 3, and then start to write your Executive Summary (3.1).
4. Read Intro and Step 1 in Dig Your Well Book – Pgs. 1-30
5. Connect with two people from the group each week (see assignment above).
6. Connect with a minimum of 3 people (past clients or connections) each week.
7. Set up your individual coaching meetings with me for April. https://bookme.name/actionplan

Session 2. April 22, 2020 – Assignments. Recording. http://actionplan.com/grv/grv-02.mp4

1. Video and handout on How to Get More Meetings – Step 2
2.
Read all the information in Step 3 below (A-D, including articles) on The Essence of Marketing Communication.
3. Complete a clean first draft of your Executive Summary – due by Wednesday, May 6. Post it to me in Slack.
4. Read Step Two of Dig Your Well Book – Pgs. 33-54.
5. Connect with a minimum of 3 people (past clients or connections) each week.
6. Connect with two people from the group each week (see assignment above).

Session 3. May 13, 2020 – Assignments. Recording. Pt 1 – http://actionplan.com/grv/grv-03a.mp4. Pt 2 ttp://actionplan.com/grv/grv-03b.mp4.
Handout from the session (includes 3 links to articles).

1. Ask 10 people for something you normally wouldn’t ask for. A favor, a resource, an idea, a connection, a conversation. Make your requests and report on your progress in your Monday reports.
2. Write four short articles for your business in the next two weeks and send at least one of them to people you know in your business.
3. Read Step 3 of Dig Your Well Book – Pgs. 57-99
4. Connect with a minimum of 3 people (past clients or connections) each week.
5. Connect with two people from the group each week (see assignment above).

Session 4. May 27, 2020 – Assignments. Recording. http://actionplan.com/grv/grv-04.mp4

1. Make requests of 10 people to do something for you (this can be anyone in your life).
2. Start work on a Core Issue Article. See Step 3. Marcom 3.3 below.
3. Read Step 4 of Dig Your Well Book – Pgs. 103-136
4. Connect with a minimum of 3 people (past clients or connections) each week.
5. Connect with two people from the group each week (see assignment above).

Session 5. June 10, 2020 – Assignments. Recordings. http://actionplan.com/grv/grv-05.mp4

1. Continue and complete your Core Issue Article.
2. Once a day, make a request of someone for something.
3. Write a Marketing Action Plan for one marketing strategy – Planning Form
4. No new reading assignment this week. Catch up with the “Dig Your Well” book.
5. Connect with a minimum of 3 people (past clients or connections) each week.
6. Connect with at least one person from the group each week (even if you’ve connected before).

Session 6. June 24 – 2020 – Recordings. http://actionplan.com/grv/grv-06.mp4

1. Continue and complete your Core Issue Article
2. Complete writing your Marketing Action Plan – New Planning Form
3. Connect with a minimum of 3 people  (past clients or connections) each week.
4. Connect with at least one person from the group each week (even if you’ve connected before).

Session 7. July 8 – 2020 – Recording. http://actionplan.com/grv/grv-07.mp4

Continue to work on your Marketing Action Plan.

Session 8. July 22 – 2020 – Recording. http://actionplan.com/grv/grv-08.mp4

Thinking through your outreach strategy. How the Marketing Outreach Process Works

Link to Marketing And Selling Process pdf

Session 9. August 12 – 2020 – Recording. http://actionplan.com/grv/grv-09.mp4

Develop a presentation/webinar that you can present to your prospects.

Link to 6-box Presentation on Marketing Process with Presentations

Session 10. August 26 – 2020 – Recording. http://actionplan.com/grv/grv-10.mp4

Continue to work on your presentation

Presentation Narrative. Use this document to create your presentation.

Work on improving your marketing message/audio logo and conversation about your business.

Session 11. September 9 – 2020 – Recording. http://actionplan.com/grv/grv-11.mp4

Complete a decent first draft of your presentation

Make a video of part of or the whole of your presentation and send it to Robert for feedback. (You can post it on Slack.)

Session 12. September 23, 2020 – Recording. http://actionplan.com/grv/grv-12.mp4

No Documents

Session 13. October 7, 2020 – Recording. http://actionplan.com/grv/grv-13.mp4

No Documents

Session 14. October 21, 2020 – Recording. http://actionplan.com/grv/grv-14.mp4

No Documents

Session 15. November 4, 2020 – Recording. http://actionplan.com/grv/grv-15.mp4

Loser, Struggler, Con Artist or Winner? – Honesty and Persuasiveness in Marketing

Session 16. November 18, 2020 – Recording. http://actionplan.com/grv/grv-16.mp4

No Documents

Session 17. December 2, 2020 – Recording. http://actionplan.com/grv/grv-17.mp4

No Documents

Session 18. December 14, 2020 – Recording. http://actionplan.com/grv/grv-18.mp4

No Documents


 


The Steps of the Marketing and Selling Process

Step 1 – Get Your List Together

You really can’t start the marketing process without people to contact. This document shows you how to get your list together and divide your prospective clients into three categories.

Get Your List Together

Assignment: Start assembling and organizing your list.

Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, Step 4, Step 5


Step 2 – Reach Out and Touch Someone – Developing Relationships, Making Connections

Ultimately, marketing works by building relationships. And this doesn’t happen instantly. These are the 4 Primary Steps:

1. Affiliation. These are people you have some kind of connection with. They may be in a business group with you or they belong to the same profession. You don’t really know them. But you do have a connection. So, your first job is to build some familiarity with these people.

2. Familiarity. These are people you know a little better. You see them at association meetings or perhaps on LinkedIn. You’ve talked briefly and you know what each other does superficially. But you don’t know a whole lot about each other. So you want to share information with these people.

3. Information. Now, these people have visited your website, your LinkedIn Profile and read your Executive Summary or a Report. And you also have information about them and understand what they do and who they work with. You may have exchanged a few messages on LinkedIn or spoken in person. You may have had a conversation or two with them. Now, you want them to have more of an experience of you.

4. Experience. These people have attended a webinar or presentation. They’ve received your email newsletter for some time. They feel they know you, like you and trust you. These people become the best possible prospects for your professional services. If you called them up, they’d take your call and be willing to speak with you.

You might say that marketing is a process of moving prospects from Affiliation to Experience. And this is what we’ll be doing in this program.

The foundation of marketing for self-employed professionals is connecting with and having conversations with business contacts and prospective clients. The following documents, articles, and video show you how to do this successfully.

Article 1The Amazing Fable of Bubble City

Article 2How to Get 100 Meetings

Article 3More Meetings, More Clients

Article 4What to Say, Once You Get a Meeting

Article 550 Coffees by Michael Ehrling

Article 6Making LinkedIn Connections

WebinarHow to Get More Meetings

Webinar HandoutHow to Get More Meetings

Your primary and most important marketing activity to undertake during the Radically Virtual Marketing Program is to make connections with and meet with three to five people every single week. The more conversations you have, the faster your business will move forward.

You’ll meet with past clients to catch up with them and to explore new ways you can serve them.

You’ll meet with business associates both old and new to share ideas, insights, resources, and connections.

You’ll make connections with prospective clients on LinkedIn and move the connection to an offline conversation.

You’ll develop ideas for new services and new marketing materials as a result of these conversations.

The below material goes into more depth on how to make connections and turn connections into new ideas and materials. 

Article – The Connection, Development Process

Webinar – How to Go Radically Virtual

Webinar – The Connection, Development Process

Assignment: Read all of the articles in this section and watch the videos, and then start reaching out to past clients and connections and setting up conversations.

Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, Step 4, Step 5


Step 3 – The Essence of Marketing Communication

Part A – Marketing Syntax

Marketing is 100% communication. And what you’re attempting to do is communicate the value of what you are offering in a way that your prospective client can both understand and appreciate.

I developed a marketing communication system called Marketing Syntax. Syntax means the arrangement of words and phrases. Syntax creates meaning. If you mix up the words, you may have the same words, but a different meaning.

The Syntax that tends to work the best for marketing documents, letters, presentations, videos, etc. is the following:

1. Problem, Issue or Challenge. What is bugging your client? What are they struggling with? What’s not working for them?

2. What Outcomes would they prefer? If they resolved their problem, issue or challenge, what would things be like? How would things change? What would it mean to them?

3. What service or program do you offer that moves them from the problem to the solution? This is what you are selling. You want to present a service or program that gets your clients the results they want. And you want to explain how that service works to get those results.

4. How does the service or program work? That is, what is the structure of the program or service? What happens, who does what and when. What does the program or service cost, etc.

5. How is your service unique and special? How is it different than other similar services? What are its advantages? What makes it particularly effective?

6. Who else has gotten results from your service? Where were they before they used your service and where are they now?

7. A call-to-action. What do you want your reader to do next? Make it very clear and easy what the next steps are.

The concept of Marketing Syntax is simple. But writing good marketing materials takes some time and effort. We’ll be working on developing various marketing materials during this program that adhere to good marketing syntax.

Part B – Generating New Marketing Ideas and Content

The purpose of marketing your professional services is to communicate the value of your services so that your prospective clients become interested in what you can do for them. Much of marketing comes down to writing. Here are some of the things you’ll write at one point or other in your business:

Website content, executive summaries, sales letters, newsletters

Articles, reports, e-books, books

Presentations, videos, webinars

Surveys, checklists, info-graphics

Social media posts for Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn

What exactly you write and when you write it, depends on what you are offering and ideas you generate on your own or through conversations with those in your network. But, in general, I recommend these first. Details and examples below.

1. An Executive Summary that gives an overview of your business. This can be adapted to be the home page of your website.

2. A Core Issue Article or Report that gives people a sense of what you do for your clients.

3. A Sales Letter that gives a detailed overview of a particular service you offer.

4. An Email Newsletter that is sent out to those in your network.

Before you put a lot of time into writing something, I recommend you run the first draft past me first.

Part C – Other Info on Marketing Writing

Marketing Writing: From My Dog’s Perspective

Formatting your Marketing Documents – It’s not just what you say, but how you format your documents.

Why Nobody is Reading Your Written Content

8 Ways to Unstick Your Marketing Writing

Part D – What time it takes to develop Marketing Materials

I’ll keep this simple. You want to develop all your marketing materials as quickly as possible. If you take too long, you’ll tend to get a diminishing rate of return. I.e., An article that took 8 hrs to write is rarely 4 times better than one that took 2 hrs. to write!

Emails – These are simple invite emails to clients and business associates asking to meet. Three or four lines. Five minutes tops. Seriously. If you take longer than that, you’re overthinking it. Simplicity is the key to response. You’ll be sending lots of these.

Executive Summary – This can take a few hours. Take an example and use it as a model, trying to emulate every section. Four hours or less.

Report – A report is an in-depth article. I often call this a Core Issue Article as it covers the core issues of your business. One format is a “7 to 10 Problems” or “7 to 10 Strategies” report. The 7 Challenges Every Hiring Manager Faces. The 9 Essentials to Great Leadership. These can take three to six hours to write. Sometimes more.

Sales Letter – These are a bit of a bear. They take a lot of thought and work. But you can do a first rough draft in about 90 minutes. Get clear on your format and basic plan and start writing and don’t stop until you have a first draft. It takes much more time to edit and fine-tune, format, and add graphics. The whole thing can take six to 12 hours to write.

Article for an Ezine or Blog – I’ve been writing these for a very long time. So I make it look easy. It can take from 90 minutes to 3 hours to write these. If you’re taking longer, you’re overthinking it. Write about one core idea.

Presentation or Webinar Script – Forget the slides for now. You just want to be able to give a good, coherent presentation that goes for about 60 minutes. These take me one to three hours. Fancy slides can take several hours. Do the slides after writing the presentation, not visa-versa.

Business Model or InfoGraphic – These are from tricky to impossible if you don’t have graphic skills. Often better to sketch something out, find a sample that’s similar and find someone who can create what you want in Photoshop or Canva. Lots of people can do these very reasonably.

Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, Step 4, Step 5


Marcom 3.1 – Audio Logo or Marketing Message

The Audio Logo is a way to talk about your business when someone asks what you do. This article is a good overview of that approach.

Here’s an article on the Audio Logo.

Assignment: Create an Audio Logo for your business.

Marcom 3.2 – Executive Summary

An Executive Summary is a one- to two-page document that sums up the essence of your services. This is something you provide to those in your network, and to prospective clients.

Writing Your Executive Summary

Samples of Executive Summaries:

Heart of Business Executive Summary (Suggest you start with this one.)

Jerry Wistrom Executive Summary

Susan Prescott Executive Summary

Maria Granovsky Executive Summary

Alastair Dyrburgh Executive Summary

Kevin McGourty Executive Summary

Philippa Kennealy Executive Summary

Neal Zimmerman Executive Summary

Amy Bingham Executive Summary

Assignment: Write an Executive Summary


Marcom 3.3 – Core Issue Article or Report

A Core Issue article or Report gives your prospects some valuable information and a sense of the value you can offer through your professional services.

This article gives an overview of how to write a Core Issue Article. Write a Core Issue Article

Here’s the CIA I use to get opt-ins on my website: Get More Meetings, Land More Clients

The following articles were written by some participants of my programs over the years.

Denise Barnes

Wendy Mackowski

Jim Wilson

Maria Latimore

Elliott Weir

Bonnie Artman Fox

Mark Silver

Andrew Norton

Sid Smith

Rajesh Najee

Tom Hanson

Matthew Norton

Leo Hawkins

Paul Krass

Jeff Janssen

Judith Kovacs

Anna Mathiesen

Nathan Krieger

Celine Brillet

Jami Bernard

Josie McLean

Sharon Rich

Sal Silvester

Marlena Corcoran

Larry Willeman

Mara Vizzutti

Jim Smith

Burnell/Oubridge

Lisa Collins

Assignment: Write a Core Issue Article


Marcom 3.4 – Sales Letter

A sales letter is an in-depth online letter that explains all the details of your service or program. Here is an overview of the content of a sales letter along with a few good online sales letter examples.

Sales Letter Template with Examples

Some other Sales Letter Examples (more to come)

The Recession Business Strategy

Assignment: Write a Sales Letter for one high-end service or program.


Marcom 3.5 – Email Newsletter

You want to write an email newsletter to stay in touch with the people in your network. Whether you have 25 or your list is 25,000, it’s better to be in touch with people on your list that to be out of sight, out of mind.

Step One: Sign up for a few good email newsletters and study what they do. I subscribe to all of them and they are all unique in their approach and all very good. Of course, you can unsubscribe to them at any time.

Jason LeisterThe Incomparable Expert Daily Journal

Julie WolkBusiness Guided by Nature

Amy BinghamStaffing Newsletter

Ted ProdromouLinkedIn Newsletter

Ann HandleyA Newsletter on Writing and Marketing

Anny Tardy – The Flash!

Mark Silver – Heart of Business Newsletter

Roy H. WilliamsMonday Morning Memo

Julie WolkBusiness Guided by Nature

Step Two: Write a few newsletter articles to find your style and voice. (from 250 to 750 words) You want to write something of value. Ideas and tips your clients and prospects can use. Original content and ideas from your unique perspective.

Step Three: Sign up for a newsletter service. I recommend AWeber or MailChimp. They can help you set up your newsletter template.

Step Four: Ask people you know if they would like to be on your list. Just send them an email with a sample of the newsletter. When they respond, add them to your list. (You can do this within the newsletter service or on a form on your website.)

Step Five: Start writing your newsletter on a regular basis, from weekly to monthly.

Assignment: Get your Newsletter Started.


Marcom 3.6 – Presentation, Talk, Webinar or Demonstration

You give prospective clients an experience of what you do by delivering a live presentation of some sort. 

Sample Presentation/Webinar

How to book talks and webinars for your business.

Assignment: Create a presentation for your business that could be delivered as a talk, webinar, or demonstration.


Marcom 3.7 – Business Models and InfoGraphics

A business model is a graphic representation of what your business delivers and how your business works.

InfoGraphic Metaphor for Marketing Program

How to use InfoGraphics in your marketing

Assignment: Create an infographic for your business that represents what you offer or key ideas in your business. Create a plan to utilize this infographic.


Step 4 – The Selling Process

At some point, you’ll find yourself speaking to someone who is interested in how you can help them. The process might go something like this:

1. You have a conversation with someone in your network. Perhaps they attend a presentation.

2. You send them your Executive Summary or Report.

3. They refer you to someone they think you should speak with.

4. You set up a time to speak with this person.

5. Before that conversation, you send them your Executive Summary or Report

6. You have that initial conversation to learn about their needs. They show some interest.

7. You set up a more in-depth meeting (sometimes called a Strategy Session).

8. You sent them to your Sales Letter to read before the meeting.

9. You conduct the Strategy Session. Below is the Strategy Session Script.

Conducting the Selling Conversation – Strategy Sessions 

10. You close the deal and agree to work together. In some cases, you sent a proposal.

How to write the Perfect Proposal.

Of course, it never goes exactly like this, but it’s pretty close to what happens. The more connections and conversations you have, the more prospective clients you identify and the more selling conversations you have. And the more selling conversations, the more new clients you land.

Assignment: Study the selling process and then find a partner to practice the process with.

Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, Step 4, Step 5


Step 5 – Your Marketing Mindset

You might say there are two big things that contribute to marketing success. One is learning, practicing and implementing various marketing strategies. When you master certain marketing strategies, you attract more clients. It’s as simple (and as difficult) as that.

The second thing is mastering your Mindset. And in fact, it may be more important than marketing Strategies. How you think and feel about marketing will have a great impact on the actions you take to implement your strategies. A bad marketing mindset can completely undermine your marketing success. A great marketing mindset can dramatically accelerate your success.

Ultimately there are only two marketing mindsets. The first one is fearful. The other one is fearless. Fearful seems to be our default sate. And it’s the only thing that really holds us back. And the fearless mindset is a product of taking action even when we are fearful. As Niklas Göke explains in the article below, fear can be triggered by anything and everything.

Marketing and selling triggers fear in a lot of people. Fear of reaching out, fear of being rejected, fear of making a mistake, fear of looking bad. The list is endless. But you don’t have the time to work through all your fears. They are going to pop up as soon as you think of getting out there in one way or the other. But when you take action, when you persist, when you try again, ultimately you get better at marketing. You don’t get rejected, you don’t make so many mistakes, you don’t look so bad.

You’ll also notice that as a result of taking action and moving forward one step at a time, you start to become fearless. And when that happens, your life explodes. Results. Breakthroughs. Miracles. Want to get rid of fear? Just do it! And if you’re not convinced, read the article below. 

You’re Not Lazy, Bored or Unmotivated – (An article by Niklas Göke. Read this now. It says it all!)

Below are a series of articles I wrote for The Fearless Marketer that focus on ways to shift your Marketing Mindset. I encourage you to read them all. They just may speak to you and give you some valuable insights and tools to discover the most powerful mindsets for you.

Stories You Tell Yourself About Marketing

Navigating the Rapids of Your Mind

How Wise People Deal With Disappointment

The Fearless Landing

Fearlessness is About Being, Not Doing

How to Successfully Meet the Three Biggest Marketing Challenges

How to Get Beyond Paralysis by Analysis

How to Go ALL IN on Your Marketing

Working Your Business From the Zone of Genius

For GOD’s Sake, Just Try Something New!

How to Multiply Your Creative Energy

Other Resources or Articles on Marketing Mindset

The Unstuck Process – My Book on Getting Unstuck

The Unstuck Process Worksheet – Do the process! (but read the book first!)

When Positive Thinking Doesn’t Work – from Psycho-Cybernetics.

Success Mechanisms – from Psycho-Cybernetics

Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, Step 4, Step 5

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