Do you use the Magic Matrix?

More years ago than I care to remember I met Peter Thomson and spent lots of time in his development programmes.  One of things that he taught me that was very simple (but rarely used) is the Magic Matrix.

This is a way to identify new business from existing customers and it is, literally, a matrix.

Here’s how it works:

Write all your products and/or services down the left-hand column and the names of all your customers across the columns at the top from left to right.

Put a tick in the box where the customer knows about the product or service.

That’s it!

Anywhere there is no tick is an opportunity to educate existing clients about other things you can offer them.

It sounds obvious, but there are two issues:

Without a bit of thought, many organisations ‘forget’ some of the services they offer.  In fact, some companies don’t even count things they could charge for – like advice based on their expertise (one corporate’s senior team spent a whole day brainstorming all their offerings and not one person in the time was aware of ALL the things they did!)

Many people assume that their clients know about the range of offerings and are surprised when a client resources a service or product elsewhere – because they didn’t know it was available for their trusted supplier.  Don’t assume; educate.

It’s also a great excuse to call clients that you’ve done work with previously and haven’t spoken to for a while – “I was just thinking about you and thought I’d give you a call – how’s business?”

When they’ve had their say you might find that something that you offer could actually help them.  Even if there’s no ‘hook’ to hang it on, you can always say “As it’s a while since we spoke I wondered if you knew that we are helping people with X”.

Even if they don’t ‘bite’ right away, you’ve planted the seed.

How else can you educate your clients – and others?

Write blogs, articles for LinkedIn or the publications your ideal clients read on specific offerings.  Aim to educate rather than sell – but ensure that the reader is in no doubt that you’re an expert in this area.

Why work hard making cold calls when you can talk to people who already know you and gather business as you go?

Have you got a book in you?

I’m not talking an epic novel here – but, if you’re an expert in something, you’ve almost certainly got a book in your head.  The challenge is turning it into a powerful marketing tool.

I’ve written a lot about writing, publishing and marketing business books, but before you read about the mechanics, first you need to decide that writing a book is something you want to do.

Why write a book?

There are plenty of reasons that people write non-fiction books:

• To give to potential clients as a way to establish reciprocity
• To position yourself as an expert in your field
• To reach a bigger audience than you can service otherwise
• To share your knowledge to many people
• To support presentations you deliver either as a trainer or speaker
• Because it’s nice to be able to tell people you’re an author!

My advice is that, before you jump in and start getting your thoughts down, think carefully about the whole process.  Read the blogs I’ve written about writing, publishing and marketing a book and you’ll realise that writing it is the easy bit.  It’s a big commitment of both time and money, but it definitely has big benefits if you plan it properly and follow through with the action to support your plan.

OK – warning over – now what’s stopping you?

Many business owners hesitate and have lots of excuses – let’s look at some of the most common ones:

‘My English isn’t good’

This is where a good editor comes in.  It doesn’t matter how good your English is if you have a good editor and also a proof-reader.  In fact, there are people who will transcribe your book from audio files – correcting as they go.  This isn’t a good excuse!

‘I don’t have anything new to say’

It’s not about having something new to say; it’s about your spin on things.  We all have our area of expertise and have learned some useful tips and techniques along the way.  What makes your book unique is YOU.  That’s another excuse blown out of the water.

‘Nobody will read it’

If you think nobody will be interested in what you have to say then you’ve got the wrong message.  If you have a business then you have an audience.  People who are potential clients or want to do what you do are both valid audiences.  They’re looking for knowledge to help them improve their skills in the area in which you’re expert. Poof – there goes another excuse.

‘I don’t have time’

This isn’t really this issue – for most people ‘I haven’t got time’ means ‘I don’t want to badly enough’.  If you really think this is an issue – and see working on the book taking a back seat to everything else then maybe you shouldn’t be writing one at the moment.  Commitment drives delivery.

‘A publisher won’t be interested in it’

How do you know that?  If you haven’t done any research then there’s no way that you could know one way or the other.  Actually, it doesn’t matter if a traditional publishing house is interested or not.  All the best people self-publish these days – and there are plenty of independent publishing companies who will publish your book.  Besides you can always create it as an ebook only and sell it directly from your own website.

‘I can’t afford it’

If you’re going to self-publish you WILL need the budget to support it.  However, it takes time to write and publish a book so do your sums and spread the cost over a few months.  Whether you get your money back when the book is launched depends on how good your marketing campaign is.

If you think you might have a book in you and want some advice and guidance – book a one-hour strategy session and let’s get you on the starting blocks.

How about a little bribe?

Most business people will recoil at the idea of being offered a bribe.  Of course, you hear about corrupt business practices, but the majority of business people are ethical and honest.  So why would I suggest that you offer a bribe to potential customers?

It’s all about reciprocity.

If you give me something of value at no cost, I have good feelings about you and your business.  This means that, psychologically, there is a built-in wish to return the favour.

Also – in order for me to get this free item, I’m usually willing to part with my name and email address.  In the world of internet marketing this is known as an ethical bribe.

There is nothing underhand about this – you have almost certainly signed up for something (probably many somethings) somewhere yourself.  The range of ethical bribes include:

• A pdf download ‘report’ or ‘white paper’ and may be anything from 1-10 pages long.
• A checklist
• A ‘how to’ document
• A tips sheet on a specific subject
• A free webinar or video tutorial
• All or part of an ebook (also sometimes called a ‘report’ or ‘white paper’ – but ebooks tend to be more than just a few pages.)
• A free book (sometimes you pay for the postage and packing, but not for the book)

These are all items of perceived value and, providing the title is interesting enough, many people are happy to part with their contact info to get the item.  After all, they all know that they will be able to unsubscribe later.

What makes a good subject for your ethical bribe

This is an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge – but don’t go overboard.  Typically a good place to start would be with:

• A checklist – people like to check they’re on the right track and see this as a quick way to identify where they need to fill in the gaps.
• A ‘how to’ document – everyone wants to know the secrets of your expertise.  Don’t be shy – give a few away and most of the recipients will try it themselves, but without your expertise, discover it’s not as easy as it appears.  However, they know now exactly who to ask for help!
• A tips sheet on a specific subject – we all like helpful tips and it’s a great way to engage people in how to deliver best practice.
• A document that reveals ‘The three biggest mistakes business owners make on ...’ or ‘The five things every business owner should avoid when ...’  Everyone wants to know they’re not making any of these critical errors so it’s a good ‘carrot’ to offer.

If you’re planning a webinar or video tutorial these are equally good ideas to work with, but also results-focused subjects are often well-received – e.g. ‘how to get over 100 leads in 5 days’.

If you’ve explored the internet much you’ll almost certainly have come across marketers who offer an ethical bribe so you’ll have some idea of what people respond to.

What expertise could you package to build your marketing list?

‘... and the winner is ...’

If you’re aiming to raise your profile there’s nothing like entering your local business awards.  Even if you don’t win your name gets known by more people.  Clearly, it would be better to actually win, but there are never any guarantees.

Entering awards usually involves providing information in written form – at least in the first stages.  When you get short-listed it sometimes involves a visit from one or more of the judges, but your written submission has to be good enough to get their attention first – and this is where many people go wrong.

I’ve worked with many clients on their awards presentations and, I’m proud to say, my success record is pretty high.  Almost all have been short-listed and more than half have won.  So what’s the secret?

The first – and most important – thing is to read the brief properly.

The second is to deliver what you’ve been asked for.  It’s a bit like exam questions – answer the question that’s been asked (not the one you would have liked them to ask!)  If they ask you to explain why you started your business (in 200 word), don’t wax lyrical about aspirations and dreams for the future and run on to 300 words plus.  This may seem obvious – but it’s something many potential winners ignore – and shoot down any chance of even getting on that short-list.

Most awards provide a form or online submission structure and specify the questions or subject areas and a maximum number of words.  This is not a ‘guide’; it’s what they want.

How to stay focused

Plan before you start writing.

If you’re a sole practitioner then sit down with a sheet of paper for each section or question and write bullet points of anything relevant that will support your case.

If you have a team, get them involved and have a brainstorming session (or the more PC ‘thought-shower’).

When you’ve got everything relevant down take each subject/question and go through what you’ve got down and be ruthless – ask yourself ‘how does this make us worthy of this award?’  If you can’t come up with a strong reason for a particular piece of information, dump it.

Remember that a successful business is one that makes their customers very happy!  How does each piece of information please your customers?  In other words – What’s in it for me?  While you are not writing marketing copy, it is important that the judges can see you are customer focused.

When you’ve got all this clear in your mind you can start writing.  I suggest you just get it down, leave it for a couple of days, then go back to it and edit it into shape (or get a professional to do it for you – but I would say that!).

Check the word count and STICK TO the maximum given.