Category Archives: New business

August 22, 2015
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The shocking truth about being a cyber security entrepreneur

By | business start ups, Established business, Marketing, New business, Sales | No Comments
Thinking about being a cyber security entpreneur?

The shocking truth about being a cyber security entrepreneur

As you're a cyber security entrepreneur or want to be, I'm going to start off with 5 exciting facts.

  • Fact 1. The world is getting bigger and busier.
  • Fact 2. Opportunities abound.
  • Fact 3. Entrepreneurship is trending and cyber security is hotter than ever.
  • Fact 4. According to the latest statistics, by 2019, this sector is set to be worth $155.74bn.
  • Fact 5. The market is maturing. It's now threat aware and risk educated. Governments and businesses are paying attention too. For, cybercrime is costing between $300bn and $1trn in annual global losses, and it’s rising.

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January 27, 2015
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7 Smart Social Selling Tips for 2015

By | business start ups, Established business, New business, Sales, Selling, social media | No Comments

linkedin image 10

The world is getting bigger and busier. Opportunities abound. Technology is in momentum and it’s changing everything including the way we work. True performance based businesses embrace this. They always operate in a state of readiness. They see opportunities when others don’t. They take measured risks, act fast and want what’s current. They put better above cheaper, and revenues ahead of costs. And they are leading the way with social.

In 2015 smart, savvy business owners are following suit. They’re re-evaluating their sales approach and modernizing it as a result. They’re going social, inspiring their teams and incorporating it into the business.

They know that they’ve got their work cut out. Change isn’t always welcomed especially when hard graft and mindset shifts are involved.

To be successful they’re now going to have to wear many hats. For example, they’ll need to know how to sell their services, plus how to brand, market and mine data. However, when they get this right they’ll increase their opportunities by 45% and reduce their prospecting time by 75%. This obviously enables more revenue, faster, and with less cost. And, a happy sales force ensues.

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November 7, 2014
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7 Dumb Mistakes That Smart Business Owners Make With Social Media

By | business start ups, Established business, Marketing, New business, Selling | One Comment

Social media is a lot like coffee. You'll either love it, consume a lot of it and get energized over it, or you won't. Instead, you'll hate it, sweat over it and become exhausted.

Whatever it does to you, be aware. Social media, just like coffee, is big business and it's here to stay.

So if you want to keep your client base happy and attract others, you must know how to use it effectively.

This 11-page report that's entitled 7 Dumb Mistakes That Smart Business Owners Make With Social Media, has been compiled due to popular demand. Repeatedly I see the same mistakes being made when business owners pursue social media as a tool for business development. Repeatedly too, I get asked how to spot social media fakers, rectify their shoddy work and advise on implementing it strategically and intelligently.

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June 30, 2014
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3 Social Selling Myths Busted [these are making you loose sales]

By | Marketing, New business, Selling, social media | No Comments

Busting myths on social selling

Irrespective of the fact that you may or may not be practising social selling, in my world, winning sales starts by having conversations.

And, every good salesperson knows that in order to get people (or more specifically influencers and buyers) to talk to you, you've got to:

  • Look the part so you can be taken seriously and heard amongst the increasing noise.
  • Have the right story so you can convince your prospects to change and use you.
  • Have the right skills so you can deliver your story with impact and articulate value.

Furthermore, that to pull this off in the digital era you've got to have marketing and sales aligned.

For B2B companies, being able to execute your company’s growth strategies, including new product or service launches, go-to-market campaigns or even merger or acquisition deals, comes down to one thing:

Great conversations that go on between your salespeople, prospects and clients.

Ensuring your company delivers great conversations is therefore of major importance. And, in a rapidly changing technology driven environment it's based on three critical activities:

1. Building influence. You've got to get dressed for being online, and present yourself as a key person of influence. It's imperative that you become the signal and not the noise in cyberspace so you're heard or sought out by your prospects and clients.

2. Creating the right stories. Your sales messages and tools have to communicate enough value to break through your prospects’ current situation and differentiate yourself from competitors.

3. Enabling the right skills. Your stories must be delivered with power and impact. They need to create value, convince sceptical executives, and protect your profitability.

Listed below are three popular sales and marketing myths (the two these days are joined at the hip) that I’m going to bust. Unfortunately, these might have been leading you astray when it comes to developing and delivering your messaging. However, discovering the truth behind these myths and embracing their alternatives will serve to empower you AND convince your clients to say “yes” to change, and “yes” to you!

So let’s get on with it!

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February 15, 2014
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Business As usual Warning! [make this mistake & suffer poor sales]

By | business start ups, Established business, Marketing, New business, Sales, Selling | No Comments

Business as usual: Your silent threat

Business As Usual Warning by Jane FranklandEver been hit by a bus?

Probably not. I hope not in fact.

Well, I have, but only figuratively speaking (of course)!

There I was, thinking about cyber security and business risk – an industry you know I work in – and then it hit me.

Bang! And it hurt.

By now you're probably thinking whatever is she going on about. Well, I'm talking about business as usual (or BAU) and why it's potentially a huge threat to your business.

Let me explain where I'm going with this. I'm going to spell it out, and I'm going to be brief because that's my style.

When you think about business as usual what do you think of?

Yes, you got it. Business as usual.

And therein lies your clue —- u-s-u-a-l!

Let's face it who wants the usual? Screw that. No one.

In order to make a lasting impression and secure long-term clients, who pay handsomely, you have to offer MORE. It's no longer enough just to do a good job, provide good customer service and deliver on-time. Those things aren't key differentiators or unique selling propositions (USPs). No they're not. So do me a favour. Please stop kidding yourself. And for that matter, those who work for you!

I've heard business owners declare lame USPs all too often and it's a thorn in my side. It risks your business and it loses you money.

If you're going to get an edge on your competition and maximize your revenue opportunities, you have to think more creatively than this. You have to offer more. You have to offer what your prospects and clients want. And nowadays … you have to offer an experience.

So how can you offer an experience?

Well obviously you can do this every time they engage with you – whether that's on social media, in email, on the phone, at your office, in your store, at your event, on your website, at your shopping cart, and so on. Apple, Virgin and Zappos do this so well. If you study them you'll see that they've mastered the art and convey their expertise, culture, attention to detail, passion, credibility, humanity as well as their products or services at every client or customer touch point.

Because of this they're able to stand out from the crowd, wow their targets and reap the financial rewards.

David Ogilvy once said, “There isn't any significant difference between the various brands of whiskey, or cigarettes, or beer. They are all about the same. And so are the cake mixes, the detergents and the margarines… The manufacturer who dedicates his advertising to building the most sharply defined personality for his brand will get the largest share of the market at the highest profit.”

Now I want to hear from you…

Tell me how are you differentiating your product or service from your competitors? Are you operating under a business as usual threat or are you building experiences? Please share your stories and experience here, and if you've got a question, just pop it down here.

Thanks for being a sport and participating!

With love and gratitude – as always,

P.S.

Finally, if you know someone who'd LOVE the insight from this Business As Usual post, please send them a link. You’ll find solo entrepreneurs, consultants and yes, even sales and marketing managers who manage people who'll be interested to hear about this.

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P.P. S.

If you want to learn how to grow your business, then I'm promoting Marie Forleo's B-School right now, and as part of this I'm offering an exclusive bonus. The details will be revealed very soon.  Click this link if you want in on the action.

 

November 26, 2013
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10 Tips for building a blog that “sells”

By | business start ups, Established business, Marketing, New business, Sales, Selling | No Comments

How to build a business with blogging

Dean Street Society and Jane FranklandHow to build a business that pays your rent and fills your heart, without checking into the hospital for exhaustion. It sounds like mission impossible doesn't it? I'll answer that for you….

Yes!

Seriously, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about if you've ever tried to do it or are still trying to. Despite all of the challenges, I've got to tell you that it's worth the trade-offs and sacrifices you'll undoubtedly make along the way.

As you know, the other week I was lucky enough to interview the amazing abundance coach and big wave surfer, Mercedes Maidana. Give me a Hell Yeah! I hope you've watched the interview, as she shared some incredible tips to help you manifest more into your life.

This week, however, I’m excited and honoured that my friend Hilary Rushford from Dean Street Society has invited me to be a part of her Happy Hour Blog Tour, which is celebrating her new book launch The 4-Part Entrepreneur Cocktail. In her new book she tackles 4 main elements in business and blogging.

And, this is what I’ll be speaking to you about today. As one of 30 female bloggers and entrepreneurs from around the world, I’ve been asked to share my personal experiences around blogging, including both my struggles and successes.

Yay!

So this is exactly what I'll be tackling:

  • Why I started a blog and what motivated me.
  • How my blog has brought me joy and fulfilment.
  • How I've tackled the days/weeks/months when I didn’t feel like blogging.
  • What I'd encourage you to ask yourself before a) starting your blog; b) quitting your blog; c) taking it to the next level.

So here goes…

Why I started a blog?

When I started my blog a year last summer, it was purely to position myself as an authority in my niche. I'd just worked out what it was I wanted to do, having spent the past 16 years in IT, building a successful 7-figure information security consultancy. I was ready for my next challenge. I therefore wanted to build a platform that would enable me to connect with other like minded entrepreneurs who were starting out, and help them develop more business.

How my blog has developed

When I look back and see how my blog has developed I'm rather proud as I can see just how far I've come.

Interestingly, when I started blogging I was rather nervous. I actually felt like a caged animal and was afraid to “speak.” For a long time I'd written corporate copy for a very conservative, risk averse market, and I was genuinely wary of using my real voice and writing as me! I was worried about what my corporate peers may think, which was daft as they weren't the ones I was targeting. Once I opened the cage door, however, and tip-toed out, the beast was released…and it felt good. I was finally free – free to communicate on my terms. It was, and still is, incredibly empowering and a whole load of fun!

If you've followed me from the start you'll know that I began a blog with pure text, but that very quickly I added in video. I knew the benefits of doing so and despite my initial fears and hyper ventilation around being filmed, I soon found that I actually loved the medium. Furthermore, it got me more exposure. To date I've had more than 110,000 views, which is pretty good going for a newbie.

Whilst it is time consuming, I have to tell you that I've experienced the benefits. By using video I've been able to better connect with my audience, rapidly build trust and see conversions. On average it takes me about 3 hours to write and optimize a blog, but when I add in video, it doubles this.

How I've tackled the times I don't want to write

Often I'm asked what motivates me to be consistent with my blogging and it's this one thing. I don't want to let you – my audience – down. Out of all the months I've been blogging I'm happy to report that there have only been about 3 blogs that I've missed. Contrary to popular belief though, I'm not Superwoman, but I do try my best to impersonate her. She's pretty hot! 😉

Being serious for just a moment, as a single parent to 3 kids, I've got my hands full. Most of the time things get done, but every once in a while something slips.

How do I tackle the days when I don't feel inspired to write? Well that's simple….I don't write! I honour my creativity. Instead I wait for a moment or a day when I get the urge. Then I batch. Batching or chunking enables me to get more out of my time. I'll aim to write up 4 blogs in a day. That then takes care of the month's blogs. Easy peasy!

What I'd encourage you to ask yourself about blogging

Whether you're about to start, quit or take your blog to the next level ask yourself this one question….

What's your objective for your blog? Your answer will then determine your plan.

If you're like me and want to set yourself up as an authority in your niche and derive sales from a product and service, then I'd advise you to do the following:

1. State your objective. Write it down. Commit to it by telling others. This increases your chances. Ask yourself what does your blog specifically stand for; what do you want to achieve from it, and by when.

2. Make a plan. Ask yourself how often you're going to blog, whether you're going to use text, or video or a combination; who will blog – you or another or guest bloggers, will you be selling from your blog etc.

3. Determine your style of blog. Consider your voice and image. Research blogs that inspire you and consider making a blog board by using Pinterest. Remember to be yourself though – ALWAYS. When you're authentic with your voice and brand you'll stand out from the crowd. So many bloggers fail as they say the same thing as everyone else and people please, which is a total turn off. As Derek Halpern from Social Triggers says, get controversial….for what stands out gets remembered. He walks the talk!

So make your point and if your readers don't like it, consider it a good thing.

4. Build your list from day 1. Everyone advises you to have an opt-in (above the fold) and there's good reason. Quite simply, without a list you have no one to sell to! So create an e-Book, or a report, or a video series ,or some kind of offer to attract your target clients as soon as you can. Then use your autoresponder to keep in contact, add value and sell.

5. Make a list of all the blogs that you'd like to guest blog on. These are your new targets and will become as important to you as your clients and customers. Guest blogging is vital if you're serious about building a business from your blog. When you get this right it drives traffic (readers) to your blog like there's no tomorrow. So, figure out what sites you’d like to send you traffic. List your 1 dream blog that you'd love to get a link from. Then, list 5 other blogs that you'd also love to get a link from. Note, you can be ambitious and pick the biggest, but you don’t have to. Smaller sites that you think would serve your brand well will also do the job.

6. Make a list of all the guest bloggers you'd like for your blog. This can work in the same way as the point mentioned above if you chose your guest bloggers wisely. Ideally you want bloggers who have a reasonable readership so they can promote your site and send you traffic. You can check their ranking status on Alexa. Whilst this appears extremely strategic, guest bloggers have other benefits. They give you a breather from blogging, and they enable you to share valuable content, that compliments your services. This is always my favourite part – the value this adds to you.

7. Make a list of blog topics. Adopt the KISS (keep it simple stupid) rule by focusing on no more than 3. You'll then find that you have themes that stem from them. These tend to be the questions your target market asks the most. You can research these topics with your audience by asking them directly or alternatively go and do some competitive research. Sometimes you don't have to reinvent the wheel! Short cuts can be good!

8. Create and complete an editorial calendar. This enables you to get organised and to know what you need to write and by when.

9. Schedule times and dates for blogging and your blog broadcasts.  This will help you stay committed to blogging. This has worked wonders for me as it's forced me to keep on track.

10. Be vigilant. Keep an eye out for comments on your blog. Having worked so hard, you don't ever want your readers to feel neglected at any point.

What 1 piece of blogging advice I wish I'd had

Although I started to build a list pretty quickly, as everyone advises, ironically, the one thing I wish I'd done sooner was promotion. Looking back I should have started to sell from my blog much earlier. You live and learn, euh?

Now I want to hear from you…

Tell me how you stay motivated to blog and what your biggest challenges and successes have been. Share your stories and experience here and if you've got a question, just pop it down here.

Thanks for participating!

With love and gratitude – as always,

 

P.S.

Finally, if you know someone who'd LOVE the insight from this post, please send them a link. You’ll find solo entrepreneurs, consultants and yes, even sales and marketing managers who manage people who'll be interested to hear about this.

Read more
Find me on Google+

P.P.S.

If you want a few more tips or candid thoughts you can read what Michelle wrote about yesterday and catch Hayley from The Tiny Twig tomorrow, and all of the other bloggers here. I cannot rave about their work enough.

October 13, 2013
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Time management tips [this tip rules them all]

By | Established business, Mindset, New business | No Comments

The mother of all time management tips

Time Management Tips by Jane FranklandGot time? Bah! No one has enough of it. Right?

We're all too busy.

So when it comes to getting productive with our days, and getting stuff done (let alone epic shit done) we all struggle.

And, whilst there are a million time management tips for you to access over the Internet, plus a tonne of time management books to read, and course after course, and system after system for you to join and implement, there's really only one time management tip that you need to pay attention to.  And, this one simply rules them all.

Now I learnt this tip from my daughter and that's why in today's Jane Frankland TV you're going to learn the ‘mother of all time management tips'  from her. She's only 11 years old but is extremely wise.  As she gave it to me,  she begged me to allow her to do this for you! 😉

Video break

So doing one thing at a time is a good rule to adopt if you want to get more done in your day AND be happier. Now I know from experience that women struggle with this more than men do and I'm not going to get into a debate about that in this week's post. However, I'm going to give you some research to prove the effectiveness of applying it (for both men and women)!

To elaborate, research conducted by Dr Glenn Wilson, a psychiatrist at King’s College London University monitored the impact of multitasking on workers’ performances. The results showed that when test participants were interrupted by lots of emails and phone calls whilst trying to work on other things, their IQ dropped by 10 points. Alarmingly, this equals the effect of missing a whole night’s sleep and more than doubles that of smoking marijuana!

OMG!

If you're interested you can read more about it here, and whether women are better at multi-tasking than men.

Anyway, if you're struggling to get things done, remember this mother of all time management tips. If you want, you can do as I do and remind yourself of it every day. I have it as a voice memo on my iPhone and I find by listening to it once a day it keeps me focused.

[box]”Work while you work, and play while you play. That is the way to be happy each day” – Jane Frankland TWEET THIS[/box]

Here's the full poem:

“Work while you work; play while you play. That is the way to be cheerful all day.

All that you do, do with your might. Things done by halves are never done right.

One thing each time and that done well, is a very good rule as many can tell.

Moments are useless trifled away; so work while you work and play while you play.” ~M.A. Stodart

Now I want to hear from you…

Tell me your time management tips. Which one is your favourite?  Share your stories and experience here and if you've got a question, just pop it down here.

Thanks for participating!

With love and gratitude – as always,

P.S.

Finally, if you know someone who'd LOVE the insight from this post, please send them a link. You’ll find solo entrepreneurs, consultants and yes, even sales and marketing managers who manage people who'll be interested to hear about this.

Read more
Find me on Google+

P.P. S.

If you want to learn more about how to get more client, sell without selling plus more time management tips,  then my brand new program, The Daily Wins is launching this month, 18th October. Get on the list if you want in on the action.

 

September 15, 2013
0

The sales pitch everyone misses [it makes you look dumb if you’re doing it]

By | business start ups, Established business, New business, Sales, Selling | No Comments

Make the easiest sales pitch of your life

Sales Pitch: The Easiest Sales Pitch to Make by Jane Frankland

Yes, this is the sales pitch everyone misses. FAIL!

And, to make matters worse it is one prospect that’s probably your easiest sales to close. The prospect will become one of your most loyal clients and they’ll be in the relationship for the long haul. They’ll even sell for you too without you having to ask or incentivize them. And, no, it's not your mum!

Bet you’re desperate to find out who they are, aren’t you?

Ok. I’ll put you out of your misery as I can't bear to see you make this mistake. Your easiest sales pitch you're ever going to make is to your internal prospect i.e. those who work alongside you, but who aren’t involved in active business development or selling.

Think about it. Other than you, who can define the features, benefits and values of your product or service?

They may not have “sales” in their title or be paid commission, but this group should definitely be encouraged to promote your business, recognize opportunities and position the organization for growth.

And that’s why I teach all my students, who come through my sales program to view this group of prospects as ambassadors for their company. These people are your stealth sellers. They’ve the power to be an extension of your sales team and deserve the opportunity to buy into the company’s future and success.

Equally, their actions, attitudes, comments, or lack thereof have the potential to threaten a sale or lose a client.

So keep them happy, keep them motivated and train them up!

Story time

I remember the first event my business ever did. It was 2002 and my third child had just been born. She was actually 5 months old. The event was at one of the largest shows in Europe for our industry sector. Anyway, as we wanted and needed to make an impact we had the whole company actively selling. They all knew our vision and our mission as we’d (or more accurately I’d) indoctrinated them at their induction. I wanted to get their buy in from the get-go. They knew exactly how to approach prospects as I’d given them training before. They were hyped about it too and did so well. The team united and as a result the clients we brought on board from that event stayed with us for over a decade. The revenue generated accounted for millions. The team’s efforts and commitment to what we were trying to achieve were exemplary. They pulled together and made me proud.

And this is how it should work for you – even if you're a team of one! By selling yourself and your product or service to your internal client or team or even to your suppliers you’ll:

  • Increase your revenue more quickly
  • Increase your repeat business
  • Generate more leads or referrals
  • Leverage time and resources

Think about it. Who does the following?

  • Carries out the promise of the sale i.e. the deliverables?
  • Answers general inquiries?
  • Creates the product or completes the service?
  • Checks on the order status?
  • Handles complaints?
  • Delivers the products?
  • Explains the features?
  • Handles the billing questions?
  • Markets or packages the goods?
  • Collects the invoices?
  • Follows up on the procedures?

Throughout each day your consultants, and those staff in accounts, admin, human resources, operations, production, logistics and marketing all have countless interactions with your clients and prospects. Regardless of whether you own your business, run the department or sell a particular product line, you have the power to impact your own revenue growth by selling your value to the internal client.

Examine your current operating culture and assess the following:

  • Do all your employees know your vision and mission?
  • Do all your employees know exactly what you’re offering?
  • Are all your employees actively engaged in selling and promoting the product?
  • Have you defined what the organizational philosophy is that drives the employee/customer interaction?
  • Have you communicated that to everyone too?
  • Have you created an environment in which each and every connection brings value to your clients?
  • Do all your employees know what the value proposition is?
  • Do all your employees know why your market needs what you’re selling?
  • What benefits are received from your offering (savings, efficiencies etc)?
  • What makes your offering special and differentiates it from the rest?
  • Do all your employees know what opportunities look like?
  • Do you know what they do when they recognize opportunities?
  • Do all employees have the training and tools to convey your offerings (features, benefits and value)?

Figure out how you can impact each and every person in your organization. Do this at an individual and department level. Make the effort to include all staff as having a stake in the sales results and business success really helps to increase sales. If you’re a solo entrepreneur, and a team of one, think about your suppliers – those you outsource to. Treat them as an extension to your team. Get them buzzing about what you do.

Now I want to hear from you…

Tell me your stories. Have you ever tried to do a sales pitch to your internal team or even to one of your suppliers? If you've done or still do it, do you offer any rewards or incentives? Share your stories and experience here.

Thanks for participating!

With love and gratitude – as always,

P.S.

Finally, if you know someone who'd LOVE the insight from this post, please send them a link. You’ll find solo entrepreneurs, consultants and yes, even sales and marketing managers who manage people who'll be interested to hear about this.

Read more
Find me on Google+

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