Time for a Check-Up

Originally published by: Stacia Skinner, Mar 4, 2015, on: cts-solutions.info

How often do you truly examine your own sales abilities?  Maybe not often enough. So, take out your pens…it’s time for a simple quiz:

simple-quiz

No matter how many YES or NO answers you had, it never hurts to review the facts..

1. Knowing your Average Sales Cycle. This is critical.  Yes, there will be sales that take longer than average, but knowing what is average for you helps to see when you are losing momentum. The longer a sale takes outside of your “average” sales cycle, the less likely it is to happen.

Action step: Identify three prospects you have been working on longer than “average.” Get creative and figure out ways to engage them back into a conversation. (i.e. Have them talk to a happy customer or meet an executive from your company. Have your manager do a thank you or apology call.)

2.  Mastering Voicemail. The number one reason your voicemail does not get returned is because your voicemail sounds like a SALES CALL.  Whether you are calling prospects or customers, create intrigue, curiosity, and keep it short, sweet, and to the point!

Action step: Want to really increase your return calls from voicemail?  Call us at 847-577-4115 and leave a sample voicemail message. We would love to give you feedback and help you increase your results! 

3.  Hearing the “No.”  Change your mindset about this. We are in the business of hearing “No.”  If you are not hearing enough “No” responses each day, whether you are in the sales process or prospecting, you’re not going to get to the “Yes” you are looking for. Knowing how many “No” responses it takes to get to “Yes” will help you gain success.

Action Step: Track your ratios for two weeks. On average, how many calls does it take to get one appointment? On average, how many sales calls does it take to close a sale? This will help you determine your activity targets and typically how many “No’” responses it takes to get a “Yes!” 

4.  Being Calendar Conscious. Exactly how many people’s work calendars does your name appear on?  This should be a mutually agreed upon date and time on both of your calendars. This question can be a reality check.

Sales professionals are addicted to a terrible drug called HOPIUM.  We “hope” they are in the market for our products or services. We “hope” they like the quote we emailed. Prospects can say they’re interested, but when they put YOUR name in their calendars in the next two weeks, you know you have engaged potential buyers.  Interest is demonstrated by action. Always ask for a “Next Step.” No date…no time…no dollars.

Action Step:  Take an honest look at your pipeline.  If you simply have a plan to “follow up,” take it a step further and ask the prospect for a specific date and time to talk so you can avoid HOPIUM!

5.  Reaching the Decision Maker: Our goal is to get to the decision maker and not get stopped by a gatekeeper or executive assistant. The more direct and confident you are, the more likely you will get through. Acknowledge the gatekeeper/executive assistant but don’t get caught up in long dialog with him or her. Be specific with what you want, which is to have a conversation with the decision maker! You stay in control of the conversation.

Action step: Pre-call plan before you get on the phone. Think of what your response will be when you connect with that gatekeeper or executive assistant. Be prepared with a reference name or company name and ask for the decision maker with confidence. “I would like to talk to the CEO of your company. Could you put me through please?”

Good selling out there and feel free to contact Creative Training Solutions if we can help you in any way!

ETIQUETTE CORNER:
Name Tag Etiquette

name-tag-etiquetteIf you’re at a work event or tradeshow and find yourself pinning on, sticking on, or hanging a name tag over your head, here’s how to do it right:

  1. A stick-on or pin-on name tag should be worn about four inches below your shoulder, on your right side. This way it will be visible to people when shaking hands during an introduction.
  2. When viewing someone’s name tag, glance at it.  Don’t stare at if for a long period of time.
  3. “Mr.” or “Mrs.” or “Ms.” should not be written on a tag but it is permissible to include “Dr.”
  4. At business events (not at the evening party) it is a good idea to add your title under your name. And if the event includes people from many companies, add your company name, too.
  5. If you are writing out your own tag, print it and write your name legibly.

Enjoy the opportunity to expand your network!

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10 Ways to Track your Hotel Competition

Originally published by: Junvi Ola, Feb 17, 2017, on: blog.cvent.com

10 Ways To Track Your Hotel Competition

To maximize your hotel’s success, you need to know who you’re up against. More specifically, you should be regularly keeping tabs on:

  • Who your competition set includes.
  • What they are doing.
  • How well they are succeeding.

Consistently monitoring your hotel competition set can alert you to trends in the industry, offers that successfully increase group bookings at hotels, ways to boost revenue, and campaigns that don’t work. Overall, information gathered from your competition can help you point your team’s energy and hotel marketing efforts in the right direction. Smart hotel marketers take a proactive approach to looking and listening for key insights into their competition. Here are nine ways you can keep close tabs on your competition.

Sign Up For Their Emails

Subscribe to all of your competition’s email newsletters – bonus points if you can find one they send to planners. You’ll find out how they’re using emails to stay top-of-mind with their guests and how they’re driving direct bookings. Plus, you’ll see any of their specials, promotions, and news. Pay close attention to their calls to action as well.

Network With Them

Taking part in local Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (SMAI) industry mixers is a great way to get the scoop on what’s working for your competition and what’s challenging them. I’m a board member of the San Diego chapter and have gleaned so much of my industry knowledge from those face-to-face events. Be sure to do more listening than talking.

Use Cvent’s Comp Set Reports

Cvent’s competitive set reports help you gauge the effectiveness and efficiency of your sales process by looking at a few of your competitors (don’t worry, they’re kept anonymous). These are based on data, so there’s no guess work. This will help you understand the benchmarks you should reach for in terms of RFP pace, turn downs, etc. Interested in one? Talk to your Cvent sales rep for more information.

Unveil SEO Tactics

Are you confused about why the hotel down the street is showing up higher in search results? There are several keyword tools online to find out. The simplest way to find out what SEO your competition is employing is to View Page Source (right-click on the competitor’s homepage, then click on ‘View Page Source’). Looking inside the <head> tag shows you that hotel’s title tag, meta description tag, and keywords for that one page. These are what they’re trying to rank for in search engines. Other keyword tools include SPYFU and Google Keyword Tool. Use this intel to boost your own SEO campaign.

Find Out What Groups They’re Booking

Like the rate monitoring programs mentioned earlier, regularly checking reader board services provides insight into your competition set all in one place. Reader board services such as Readers or Newmarket Meeting Intelligence can provide data specific to group sales activity, so you’ll know what groups are booking in your area and how often.

Subscribe to STR Reports

See which specific properties are within your competition set and how you measure against them in an STR report. Rating factors in an STR report can also tell you where to focus your future hotel marketing efforts. An STR report is updated regularly, so keeping an eye on it can fill you in on new competitors in your competition set and their performance.

Read Their Website & Blogs

Explore your competitors’ hotel websites each month and their blogs weekly. Know exactly what they’re offering and compare that to your own property. If you find an amenity that has become their unique selling point, don’t simply copy them (though start offering what they are). Think of something else that will make you standout. Look at their packages and how they work to market your destination. If the hotel has a blog, see which posts get the most traction and use that to inspire your hotel’s content marketing efforts.

Set Up Google Alerts

Let Google Alerts help you keep tabs on what everyone in your competition set is doing. Set alerts to go off whenever competitors post press releases, get media coverage, and run promotional campaigns. You can learn what kind of hotel marketing content garners attention and what falls flat.

Follow Them on Social Media

Likewise, watching competitors’ social media channels is important. Check out when and what they post. The responses their content receives can provide valuable data into what kind of content your hotel should be posting on its own channels and when.

Learn more about Competitive Data here.

 

Written by Junvi Ola.

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When it comes to creating content, question it!

Originally published by: Rebecca Frisch, Feb 21, 2017, on: hinpigmedia.com

This week, we are pleased to present guest blogger and Thin Pig friend, Rebecca Frisch. An award-winning journalist with a diverse career spanning broadcast news, public relations and digital as well as social media, Rebecca is recognized for her ability to both shape and parse brands. Rebecca currently leads social medial and public relations for the Pacific Northwest’s largest casino, Muckleshoot Casino. Connect with her on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/beccafrisch.

WHICH IS RIGHT?

A.     The internet is an amazing fount of information for content marketing and strategy.

B.     The internet can be an intimidating maze of content marketing advice.

While the inclination is to state “A,” we’ve likely all had moments where we have mentally penciled in a “C” option for “all of the above.”

“Oh, that’s interesting. But, wait, that’s good, too.”

CONTENT, CONTENT MARKETING EVERYWHERE

A seemingly harmless Google of the phrase “content marketing” can send browsers down a rabbit warren of opinions thought leadership. “Content Marketing Made Simple.” “Seven Creative Ways to Revamp Your Content Marketing.” “How to Ace Content Marketing.” The headlines, and the Google returns, go on and on. And, while knowledge is power, what if you’re new(ish) to the field, a team of one (or few), wear multiple hats and have a content calendar that seems to be judging you?

First, breathe. No, really, take in a deep breath. Relax those shoulders. Didn’t know they were so tense, right? Now, the suggestion: just ask, “And, then?”

“Wait,” you think. “Did I just read advice inspired by the stoner classic, ‘Dude, Where’s My Car?’” Yes. Yes, you did. A bit for levity, but more importantly for the reminder that maybe we’re not diving deep enough (or at all) into the content (read: information; see also: data) that’s right in front of us.

DON’T BE CONTENT WITH CONTENT

Google alerts and content creation tools can help find related content, but what happens when you need to tell your brand’s story and the info is slim? Creating new posts can be as simple as asking yourself what more you can do with the news or objectives you already available. Granted, that’s easy to write. But, it’s not as hard to do in actuality as you might think. Let’s visualize it together.

Scenario 1: You’re in charge of social media for a hotel. Execs send you pics and ask you to work your magic. You post about the great news. “The renovation is over and new rooms are available for booking!” Done and done, right? Nope. That should just be the start.

Instead of stopping there, ask if you can reach out to the design team and, once given the okay, let your curiosity loose. Was there anything unique about the project or materials? Is the design meant to evoke a certain feeling or be reminiscent of a locale? Was there a challenge that was overcome? What happened to the old furnishings? Once you ask, you may discover there was a special effort made to introduce increased energy or water efficiency, that a local artist is responsible for the artwork over the beds, or that the old furnishings were donated to low-income families.

Now, keep going! Were the toiletries made just for your brand? Is it an exclusive, new scent? Are they all-organic? Is your brand the only hotel in the area to offer them?

Also, monitor third-party review sites which will likely start filling up with renovation reviews. They could provide interesting ideas of their own and could even be strong enough to stand alone. See where we’re going here?

Scenario 2: You’re in charge of content for a restaurant. Execs send you details on a new special along with a pic. You post about this delicious, limited time offering. On to the next, yes? No. Once again, pondering “what else” and taking the initiative to ask a few thoughtful questions could yield unexpected, but welcome new ways to re-frame the narrative. Perhaps, you discover the recipe is the idea of a waitress or a guest. Or, that everything on the plate is locally sourced. Or, that it’s one guy’s sole job to smoke all that yummy brisket, day in and out.

BOTTOM LINE: “QUESTION” YOUR CONTENT

While information (or data) is a great foundation for content strategy, it’s questions that will give it life. Our jobs aren’t just to tell our brand’s stories, but to reveal them, too. As Dr. Seuss once wrote, “Think and wonder. Wonder and think.” And, if we may be so bold as to add a third line, “Ask and repeat.” Don’t wait for information to come to you. Question your content. Allow it to lead you somewhere unexpected. It will pay off, for you and your brand. Also, don’t forget. Once you have all this wondrous new content? Remix, reuse and reshare! (See what we did there?)

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Five reasons you must use Linked In Mobile in your business

Originally published by: Viveka von Rosen, Feb 1, 2017, on: www.linkedin.com

LinkedIn’s mobile apps have come a long long way! There are many new mobile apps for LinkedIn, but this article will focus specifically on the main LinkedIn app. Now that more than 50% of LinkedIn’s users spend more time on mobile than the browser, it’s time for you to jump on board too! So if you have not used your iPhone, Android or Google LinkedIn App in a while (or at all), its time to check it out again. To download LinkedIn’s mobile apps, go to https://mobile.linkedin.com. Or go to your app store.

The great thing about LinkedIn Mobile is that it is perfect for those “standing around” times. Remember being bored in the old days. Yeah – there’s no reason for that anymore. Sure, you should stop and smell the roses occasionally, but once you are done with that, get on your phone and start making use of LinkedIn mobile! You can be making new connections and engaging with prospects while standing on the crowded subway car or waiting in line for your latte 🙂

The five ways I most utilize my LinkedIn App:

1.    Quick edits to my profile when on the move

2.    Instantly Adjust Privacy settings

3.    Stay updated on my industry and my connections

4.    Grow your network on the spot

5.    Better contact engagement

Let’s take a look at how you can use LinkedIn mobile when you are in the liminal zone.

ONE: Quick Profile Editing

First of all– LinkedIn’s updated mobile app makes it much easier to customize your LinkedIn profile than ever before.

When you open the profile section (Me) of your LinkedIn mobile app, you can easily edit your info by click in the “pen” icon. Keep it updated! I love how easy it is to do now – because there’s nothing worse than meeting someone at a conference, inviting them to connect and then realizing you have your old job listed and a bunch of spelling mistakes. Now it’s no problem to duck into an empty room, whip out your phone and make the necessary changes! I’m rarely sitting in front of my computer when I have the inspiration to add new content or skills to my profile – so it’s great that I can quickly update many of the sections on the move!

You can easily edit your:

  •  Profile photo
  • Name
  • Current Position
  • Education
  • Zip code
  • City
  • Summary
  •  Skills
  • Recommendations
  • Accomplishments
  •  Contact info

What else are you going to do when standing in the Returns line a Sam’s Club? The LinkedIn Mobile app means I can adjust my profile on the go!

TWO: Instantly Adjust Security Settings

I was on a plane when I was notified of LinkedIn’s last security breach. Fortunately, the new mobile app allows you to adjust your security settings too. It’s a feature we probably don’t think about very much, but when you really need it, you really need it! I was able to pop into my security settings and quickly change my password in less than a minute. While I was there, I also noticed that I had some active sessions from unrecognizable IP addresses. I was able to shut those down too. And all in the time between sitting in my seat and getting the dirty look from the flight attendant since I hadn’t powered down my phone!

In case you don’t have anything better to do, you can also now access the Help Center, Privacy Policy, User Agreements from Settings as well.

THREE: Stay Updated

LinkedIn’s timeline (previously known as Pulse) is a great place to get industry specific news– and then share that news with your network. Just find an article and then click on the “share” button, immediately curating helpful, useful content and positioning yourself as a thought leader in your community.

LinkedIn also bought and integrated Slideshare into its platform – so if you want even beefier content to share with your network, make sure to download that app as well!

FOUR: Engage with your Network

It is so darn easy to engage with your network on the new LinkedIn app. Once you do a quick search and pull up a profile, you can send a connection a message, check their activity, see who you have in common, read their posts and even quickly endorse their skills. If you scroll down to the bottom of a 1st level’s profile, you can even email, call, IM or tweet them right from your phone. Engaging with a contact’s activity a few times a week can build your top of mind awareness with them and that can easily lead to connections and conversations.

Additionally, the Mobile inbox is much easier to use. I tend to use my mobile app more than my browser when private messaging my connections.

FIVE: Better Connecting

If you find someone in your network you have not yet connected to, it’s much easier to connect with them on the mobile app. Just hit the Connect button sign or if you are on their profile. Of course it’s always better to customize an invite – no worries – you can do that too! Once you find a person you want to connect to, simply click on the three little dots (…) on the top right side of their profile. From there it is easy to customize your invitation to connect.

Not only that, but if you have customized invitations from contacts on LinkedIn, it’s much easier to see, read, respond and accept those contacts on the mobile app.

Wrapping Up

We are a society in transport, no longer comfortable to stand and be still. And while its still very important to occasionally stop and chillax, there are sometimes better things you can be doing than watching the Walmart People walk by. So get on your LinkedIn mobile app and get to business! Hey, if you are not going to engage by actually talking to people on the subway, you might as well be connecting with them on LinkedIn.

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Your Business Videos Don’t Belong on You Tube

Originally published by: Shawn McGaff, Jan 17, 2017, on: thinpigmedia.com

I admit that the title of this post is not entirely true. The most accurate version would be, “There is a strong possibility that you are misusing YouTube with your business videos and not realizing your full potential,” but our editors said that title is terrible so we shortened it. But the essence remains true: if you are using YouTube just because it is a free place to upload and host your videos, they don’t belong there.

For those of you that can’t be bothered to read the whole post, the short version is this: If you are trying to get the most reach with your videos, use YouTube as you would any social network. If you are trying to communicate with your customers or drive conversions, use a tool like Wistia or Vimeo.

YouTube is primarily a Social & Search Network

A screen shot of one of Casey Neistat’s videos on the YouTube platform

Businesses overlook this simple fact again and again and again. YouTube thrives on people subscribing to channels and being notified via email of new uploads to those channels. This drives the users back to the platform with obscene frequency. These subscriber and engagement stats then feed into their search algorithm which is the second largest on the internet and full of people looking for how-to’s, reviews, inspiration, guides and entertainment. Once a user has watched a video, they receive an array of other recommended videos based on views and engagement which feeds back into the platform. YouTube is a closed platform just like Facebook. Their goal is to keep you on the site for as long as possible and they do an excellent job of it with the average viewing session lasting more than 40 minutes.

The only way for you to tap into this incredible reach of YouTube is to garner many subscribers to your channels. You can accomplish this organically like any social network or pay for eyeballs with YouTube’s powerful advertising platform. If you don’t have subscribers and good engagement with your videos, YouTube will not be serving your video in its search results. And if you aren’t appearing in the search results, you’re not going to be getting new subscribers unless you are actively promoting your channel yourself by being featured in other channels or reviewed by other publications.

Simply put, if you are just uploading videos to YouTube and sharing a link, you aren’t getting any of this reach.

What is wrong with just uploading videos to embed on my site?

The biggest reason to avoid embedding YouTube videos on your business site is the simple fact that YouTube wants, above all else, to drive eyeballs to its platform. All YouTube videos are designed to drive people back to YouTube.com and to engage them with the platform. Not your videos. This is potentially a huge hole in your website designed to suck potential customers away from you and onto a platform where any of your competitors can exist.

On top of that, you cannot customize your video player to match with your brand. The colors, the buttons, the naming is all designed for the YouTube brand and quite frankly, the YouTube video player is kind of ugly.

Beyond visuals, the analytics platform is sub par. It is certainly always improving but it still has a ways to go. One of the biggest problems is that it is only based on a subset of your data so you could be missing out on many important opportunities to garner more conversions.

So… what are the other options?

Our own video hosted on the Wistia platform

If you are trying to communicate with your customers or trying to convert people into clients, then you should be using a service such as Wistia or Vimeo which are designed specifically for these purposes.

Wistia is a great example because it doesn’t have any sort of network associated with it. It is *only* designed for you to upload videos and then embed them on your website. Vimeo also has some great features but it does still have a social network associated with it. Their network is far smaller though and you don’t need to be a part of it like YouTube.

Either of these tools allow you to make customizations and have much better analytics. Wistia especially has powerful lead conversion features built right in and a fantastic API for you to build on even more features.

An example of some of the analytics on the Wistia platform

Closing thoughts

YouTube is an extraordinarily powerful social network and there are a great many people who have built entire businesses on the back of it. The key is to understand what the platform truly is so you can use it properly. If you don’t, you are severely limiting yourself and your campaigns will not perform at their highest levels.

Before uploading your next video, ask yourself, “Am I trying to maximize reach by building an audience or am I trying to engage customers?” If you answer that, you’ll know what to do with your videos.

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