How To Field Others’ Pitches

Creative Business Ideas, Publicity

Outfielder Catching
Photo by Saquan Stimpson

I learned some lessons about putting out a call for sources for my new Business With Passion TV series.

Have someone review your request. You know who you’re looking for, but it’s easy to not be 100% clear in your request. Have others read you request and note all ambiguities.

Create a special email address. Instead of using your normal email address, create a special address just for this purpose. It’ll make sorting your normal emails simpler.

Respond to every pitch. Having pitched my own business a number of times only to hear…nothing, I was determined that everyone that took the time to pitch me at least received a polite email response.

Use an autoresponder. Had I used a special email address (see above), I could have set it up so that emails to that address received an automated reply confirming their pitch. That would’ve saved me a bunch of time responding to every pitch.

Categorize the pitches. I used my email program to organize the pitches into five categories: Yes, Probably, Maybe, Probably Not, and Definitely Not. If you’re unsure about a pitch’s category, bump it up to the higher category. You can always downgrade the pitch, but you’ll be focusing on the pitches in top-down order.

Prepare an overview. Although you have an image of how you’ll use your sources, your potential sources don’t.Create a single page overview of your project with specific dates/needs. It’ll ensure that everyone is working together.

Pre-screen. Some people look great on paper (e-mail), and some look great in-person. Make sure that your sources match your needs. If you’re going to be doing an audio or video interview, pre-screen the potential guests (by phone). Although there are no guarantees, you will have a better idea of how they will be.

How To Pitch Your Business

Creative Business Ideas, Publicity

Photo by flyfshrmn98

I recently put out a call for sources for my new Business With Passion TV series on “If I Can Help a Reporter Out…“. Because I received a wide range of responses, I thought I’d share some advice for how to pitch yourself (or your client) well:

Read the request. Although my subject was “Passionate Guests for Local Biz TV Show (TV – San Rafael, CA)”, a couple of people thought I was looking for guests for a radio interview.

Don’t underwhelm me. A number of people wrote saying, “I’d be a great guest – check out my website to see more”. I don’t mind digging for information, but only after it’s clear it’s worth my time.

Don’t overwhelm me. One person sent me 20MB worth of high-resolution head shots of their client. Besides taking a while to download, it wasn’t helpful to evaluate their pitch.

Tell me why you’d be great. Ideally, you’ve been on other media (and have clips to share). If not, tell me a story to get my interest piqued. This is tricky, because you need to balance personal information with professional accomplishments. As a producer, I am looking for an interesting person with a story. As a reporter, I am looking for solid credentials.

Don’t sell me your services. Some people sent me their advertisements, complete with price sheets. I’m looking for a guest, not a salesperson.

Don’t pitch me your story idea. A couple of people had their own agendas to push. I might be interested in listening to them after we’ve explored my needs first.

Proofread your pitch. Especially double-check your contact information (including your website’s URL). Spell checking is available in most email programs as well.

Don’t tell me that someone is “perfect”. Unless you know everything about the show, the target audience, the format, etc. you can’t know if there’s a fit. Also please don’t say, “I guarantee your time will not be wasted.”

Look professional. About half of my responses were from public relations firms who were representing their clients. The read the request and pitched a single client of theirs (usually) in a single paragraph/bio. They provided links to their client’s media pages and any current/relevant information. As a result, it made for easy work.

Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo From Maslow

Book Reviews, Videos

Buy Peak Book

I read this book a few months after presenting my webinar (Can You Take The Crisis and Turn It Into Gold?) and was struck by how the the same ideas that I applied to marketing to consumers (based on Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs) is also relevant within a company, for the customer experience, and for business investors.

Chip has taken Maslow’s pyramid (physiological -> safety -> social/belonging -> esteem -> self-actualization) and simplified it into three need levels: survival -> success -> transformation.

Employees have 3 categories of needs (“relationship truths”): money (creates base motivation), recognition (creates loyalty), and meaning (creates inspiration).

Customers have 3 needs: meets expectation (creates satisfaction), meets desires (creates commitment), and meets unrecognized needs (creates evangelism).

Investors‘ 3 needs are: transactional alignment (creates trust), relationship alignment (creates confidence), and legacy (creates pride of ownership).

Chip’s premise is that most businesses are focusing only on the lowest needs of each group, thinking of basic business survival. But where the opportunity for real growth is in the upper needs of each group.

As a bonus: here’s an interview with Chip about his book:

Can You Take The Crisis and Turn It Into Gold?

Creative Business Ideas

(The following is a presentation I made as part of the webinar: Marketing in an Economic Meltdown)

A crisis, according Miriam-Webster’s Dictionary, is “an emotionally significant event in a person’s life”. The crisis is producing fear of the unknown for consumers and their natural response is to reduce their spending.

Because marketing is about knowing what your prospects need, first focus on the emotions behind their decision-making to better connect what you’re offering with what they’re looking for.

As a brief background, psychologist Abraham Maslow wrote the paper “A theory of human motivation”, where he presented the following hierarchy of human needs. From the bottom, they are: physiological, safety, love, esteem, and finally self-actualization.

He claimed that you couldn’t focus on higher desires unless those underneath it were satisfied. For example, if you were starving it would be hard for you to focus on your self-esteem; you’d be mostly thinking about eating. People may be interested in the higher desires, but unless the lower ones are satisfied, they’re not going to act on them.

So what does this mean for your business? Your marketing message needs to be focused on (or aligned with) safety to resonate with your prospective clients in times of financial crisis.

So here are 5 ways to resonate “safety” to turn the crisis into a marketing opportunity for your business:

1) Needs vs. Wants

First, position your offering as a need, not a want. Needs are “gotta-haves” while wants are “nice-to-haves”. In times of crisis, people are more focused on needs not wants. If you’re not already in the business of selling needs, you’ll want to highlight your offerings as a need or in conjunction with one.

The following are some of the industries that are seen as needs especially during a financial crisis:

  • Debt Consolidators
  • Outplacement firms
  • Accountants
  • Pharmaceutical companies
  • Healthcare Providers
  • Insurance Brokers
  • Lawyers

2) Small vs. Big Luxuries

Until recently, most consumers have been used to a general feeling of economic success. During a crisis, people still desire luxuries, although big-ticket purchases will be reduced.

So, modify your marketing message to focus on the “small luxury” feeling. For example:

  • If you are Restaurant owner, instead of the esteem-benefit message “Too busy to cook?”, focus on a community-benefit message such as “Relax, rejuvenate, be with friends.”
  • If you own a Travel agency, instead of the self-actualization-benefit message “See the world!”, focus on a discount-benefit message such as: “See your country as never before.”

Also in times of crisis: movie rentals, alcohol, tobacco, ice cream, and local community activities are more popular small luxuries. Where possible, fusion market with these industries or offer these luxuries as desirable premiums.

3) Reframe

Your marketing message needs to target safety instead of a desire higher on the pyramid. Improve your case studies and testimonials to increase confidence in your offering, for example:

  • If you own a retail Jewelry store, instead of the love-benefit message “Show how much you care”, reframe to the financial-safety message “Diamonds are a lifetime investment”.
  • For Seminar providers, instead of the self-actualization-benefit message “Learn something new”, reframe to the employment-safety message “Invest in your future”.
  • For Consulting firms, instead of “Outsource your work to our experts”, reframe the message to be “Reduce your overhead without risk”

4) Divide & Conquer

In times of change, smaller organizations have the benefit of flexibility. Give your separate divisions autonomy to re-approach the market with an entrepreneurial spirit. According to Inc. Magazine’s case studies, the best time to launch a startup is during a recession. One of Method’s founders (a $100M home cleaning products company) says, “starting a business in a recession is like vacationing in the off-season”. GE, HP, Microsoft, and Disney all started during a recession.

To find gold in your industry, resegment your existing client list and retarget your message to them. Be willing to highlight specific products or services in new ways and risk breaking the status quo.

5) Measure

Finally, if you’re not measuring your marketing actions and results, start today. Don’t start a marketing effort without clear metrics and a plan to regularly re-evaluate the results based on impartial data.

In summary, a crisis focuses people’s attention on safety. Creatively show your prospects how your company helps them feel safer and your business will thrive.

I Want A Flashy, Feminine, Upbeat Website

eMarketing, Starting Out

I am working on a web site for my Positive Motivation speaking… Positively Female. I have found a couple sites I like but want something very flashy, feminine, upbeat, colorful, and of course motivational. I am looking for something personal without a corporate feel.

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Jay’s Answer: The best websites are the ones that both reflect your values and successfully attract traffic (and ideally sales/conversions).

Top traffic doesn’t arrive because of the look of the site, it comes because of the content of the site. Therefore, first focus on the value of the browsing experience. Who should find your site? Why would they want to hire you? What problems would they have? What would they need to feel comfortable hiring you? How can you show them what you can do for them without them contacting you?

Once you get your copy, then focus on your image. The images/colors/layout should reflect your target market. Corporate sites tend to look very different from micro-business’. I wouldn’t go with “flashy” or “over the top” unless your target market responds well to it.

Given you’re starting up, don’t spend a lot of $ on a flashy website until you’ve clearly done your marketing strategy homework.

How Does A Chamber Of Commerce Market Itself?

Clubs + Associations

A local Chamber of Commerce is always mentioned as a way for small business owners to network and receive other useful resources to assist them in their businesses. So, how does a chamber market itself?

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Jay’s Answer: In my region, Chambers act as basically political organizations and not networking/support organizations. If you have a brick-and-mortar business and you’re having problems with “City Hall”, a Chamber can be your best friend. The “networking” that occurs is generally a sales-fest, where everyone is looking to sell their product/services and few are genuinely trying to help one another. A great Chamber, in my opinion, would ask each (prospective) member what business problems they are having, and act as the conduit to helping solve the problem (whether that be creating a support group, finding mentors, bringing in experts, making introductions, etc.) and ensuring on an on-going basis that all members are still getting their needs met.

A Slogan That Highlights the Benefits of Saving Energy?

Names + Taglines

I need a slogan that highlights the benefits of saving Energy (electricity). We are targeting members of staff of a financial institution, age range 18- 55 years, slogan to be used perhaps on flyer brochure etc. We just need to sensitize them on thebenefits for the company when energy is saved.

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Jay’s Answer: You have a couple of basic options.

If you focus on saving money, company leadership will be happier, but it won’t necessarily trickle down to the rest of the organization.

If you focus on helping the “planet”, company leadership won’t benefit, staff will only get altruistic benefit.

Therefore, to make the message “stick” it needs to be made personal. For example, will saving energy mean higher year-end bonuses? Fewer people laid off? Perquisites for other things? Also, will saving energy mean that people will be more or less comfortable in their workplace (fresh air/natural light vs. filtered air/artificial light).

Here are some ideas for you to play with:

  • The Lower Our Energy Bill, The Higher Our Profits
  • Save Energy. Work Smarter. Everyone Benefits.
  • Saving Energy Makes Good Cents

What’s A Catchy Name For My Party Planning Business?

Names + Taglines

I am looking for a catchy name or phrase for my party planning business. I started my own Party Planning business. I do weddings, baby showers, birthday parties, holiday parties, anniversary parties, etc. I kind of wanted something that went good with Liz or my nick name Busy Lizzie. I want something catchy but yet professional.

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Jay’s Answer:

  • Liz Party! (a play off: Let’s Party)
  • Lizzie Does Parties
  • A-Liz Parties (a play off: A-List Parties)
  • Lizzie’s Whizzy Parties (alliteration)

How Can I Get The Word Out On My New B2B eBook?

eMarketing, Publicity

I just wrote a new B2B ebook which I am making available for free. It is on marketing with case studies and can be downloaded at http://dynamic-copywriting.net/Plotthinkenspdf.pdf.

How can I get the word out, get blog reviews, get it forwarded along and generally create buzz?

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Jay’s Answer:
1) Having a URL for your website such as “http://dynamiccopywriting.blogspot.com/” doesn’t instill professional confidence. If you own dynamiccopywriting.com, make your site live there.

2) Having a blog for your site alone won’t build (online) confidence. You also need some pages of who you are, how you work, who your clients have been, examples of your work, etc.

3) Creating buzz isn’t a formula. The key is that what you offer has to be truly outrageous or remarkable to make it “water cooler conversation”.

4) Online, create a social bookmark (http://www.socialmarker.com/) to allow people to easily “thumbs-up” your site. Then, find people that truly like your offering and ask them to mark your site. That’ll drive traffic today, but won’t create an ongoing stream of buzz.

5) Find blogs that deal with business stories, case studies, etc. and offer both your wisdom and a link to your free ebook (where appropriate).

6) Finally, identify businesses that in your professional opinion, could really use your services. Find the right contact person in that organization, and send them a letter indicating that their website appears to needing white papers, etc. and that’s your expertise. Mention the ebook as part of your expertise.

What Is A Good Tagline For An Industrial Service Company?

Names + Taglines

It’s extremely difficult to find a tagline for these guys. The name of the company is “tankserv” – It’s located in Austria, but we are looking for an international (English) tagline. Since we’re not native in English, it’s twice as hard…

The target audience will be technical procurement people of large corporations like oil companies.

#1 promise is that tankserv’s services will extend the lifetime of tanks. #2 promise is less hassle during projects as tankserv renders a vast variety of services and the customer gets something like one-stop-shopping. Some words and phrases that already came to my mind: Extend lifetime; Extend Lifespan; Repair-Refill-Regain; Longevity; Revive; Life-cycle; Durability; We Think Tank (funny and the tankserv-people like it – but it’s not related to the promise and not entirely new to the industry).

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Jay’s Answer:

  • Tanks, But No (New) Tanks
  • A Tank-less Job
  • Better Contain Your Expenses
  • A Lifetime Of Better Storage
  • The Smarter Storage (of) Solution(s)
  • Hold Onto Your Tanks Longer
  • Increasing Tank Wellness
  • The Fix Is In
  • Reduce Tank Downtime. Increase Longevity.
  • Fix Your Money Pit.