Self-Promotion

The Only Story That’s Important…

The Only Story That’s Important…

Garth Beyer

is the one we tell ourselves about ourselves.

Maybe your story is listening to others’ stories and writing about them. Maybe your story is becoming the greatest marketer of your age. Maybe your story is to be part of the major baseball league in any shape or form. What are you telling yourself?

We know depth and frequency works in advertising, we use it when telling stories all the time. Why not apply the same concept to ourselves?

I’m writing staff bios for the agency I work at. The bios are for upper-management people who’ve made it clear they’ll be sticking around (why waste time writing a bio for someone who isn’t?).

I’m currently low on the totem pole, but I’m writing my bio too. Why? Because it’s the story I’m telling myself about myself. Garth Beyer, Public Relations & Social Media Strategy Director. It looks and feels uncomfortable, but it’s where I want to be. Why tell myself anything different?

Last bit on this: those who a marketer tells a story to can easily hit the power off button, turn down the volume, change the station, exit the site, and basically ignore their promotion, their advertising, their story.

Unlike them, you have no choice but to listen to the story you’re telling yourself about yourself.

 

Stay Positive & I Hope It’s A Good One

How To Guarantee Your Product Will Be A Hit

How To Guarantee Your Product Will Be A Hit

Garth Beyer

Inventor At Work / Product Hit Guarantee

In the old days (I’m referring to just a few years ago) we would create a project or service and then try to sell it. We would develop a product and try to convince people they had the problem our product was the solution for.

Now we have to create a remarkable product or service that solves an existing problem.

The first step in any marketing or creation plan (after seeking out an existing problem, of course) is to not just write why our product is the remarkable solution, but show that it is.

In the past we could stay in our dark rooms, write a book, give it to a publisher, and then rely on the publisher to market the book and hope it hits the NYT bestseller list.

In the past we could dream up an awesome product at our desks, contact manufacturers in China, have them build it, send it to us and then hope people would buy it.

Now the publisher doesn’t do the marketing. Now few go knocking on doors.

We can’t stay in our quiet dark room anymore.

Now books gets sold before their written. Now we have a preorder list of 1,200 before we build the product.

The way to guarantee your product will be a hit once it reaches the market is to guarantee your product will be a hit before you build it. You do that by building a tribe of believers, of backers, of supporters.

Instead of putting a book out there and hoping people bite, you can blog about the book before it’s written, create a network centered around the message of your book, then you get a book proposal based on the feedback and impact you already have. You are able to show it will be a bestseller.

Kickstarter works because people have a tribe of supporters that will pay to have them build their inventions because one of their perks is that they will get weekly updates, exclusive promos, and special thank-yous. Not to mention, they simply believe in the maker, the artist, (you?). But those artists have worked hard for their trust, not just hard on the product.

We’re no longer in an age when we can rely on others to sell what we create. Sure, create for the sake of creating, because it’s fun, because there’s no better opportunity we have in life. But if you are looking to make an income off your creation,  doesn’t it make sense to guarantee your product will be a hit before you create it?

 

Stay Positive & We Have The Tools, Now Use’m

Photo credit

Slap In The Face Elevator Speech

Garth Beyer

For everyone who does not know, an Elevator Speech is like taking an entire encyclopedia book set and turning it into a one page slap in the face. I call it a slap in the face race because those who can summarize themselves or their business to get their listener to act the quickest, wins. The typical elevator speech summarizes

1 everything you do*

2 everything you are made of*

3 everything the listener should consider

4 everything you envision*

5 everything you achieved*

5.5 every reason the person you’re talking to should quit whatever job they have and come work for you

*Note: I always remind people that an elevator speech should encompass both your business and yourself because the listener may love your business but not like you and vise-verse. It is not only about getting someone to fall in love with your business — winning them over and having them fall in love with your purpose is just as important.

How To Start Writing An Elevator Speech

Molly Gordon advises you to jot down words and phrases that stand out most to you and promote yourself and your business. She then has you pick two of the words or phrases and reflect upon them to create part of your elevator speech. Almost the same as breaking down an encyclopedia isn’t it? Just as you, if I were given enough time to use a thesaurus to find words that made my blog sound as if it were rated #1 in all countries of the world, I could. Unlike Molly, I don’t want you to choose two out of the hundred words you think of. I want you to choose two words that encompass the hundred words you wrote down and the thousand you didn’t. Once you have accomplished this, you have the basis of your elevator speech. Now you can do the same for the 5.5 variables of an elevator speech that I provided above. Make a list for each variable and then finding two words or phrases that encompass everything on your list, do not use the best two achievements. Why not? Because you can gloat about specifics after your elevator speech is up.

How To Get Off The Elevator… With Your Investor

Personally, I do not have an elevator speech, not because I hate time limits and restrictions. I think having time restrictions on everything in life allows you to live it to the fullest (Pareto Principle). I do not have one because I do not see an elevator speech as being a pitch to sell an idea. I do not see it as a challenge which the only reward is getting a chance to have a longer conversation at a later time. The true point of an elevator speech is to get your listeners to forget about the thirty seconds. What I bring to the table with every new idea is the goal of forgetting the time limit. Every meeting I go to, especially the ones with a time limit of 15 min, 30 min, or an hour, I make it a goal to be there longer. Whether I am with there along with the other members, or just the boss — I am there after the meeting “ends”.

At one job interview I had, I was told that I had 30 minutes because they were meeting others to interview as well. Before the day of the interview, I told myself that I was going to be there for 45 minutes. I told other people as well because I know the power in telling people that you are going to do something. (Fear of disappointing the ones you love is a strong motivator) The next day I checked my phone for the time as I left the Coffee shop where the interview was held… 45 minutes exactly. I promoted myself and connected with the employer enough to get them to forget about the time limit. Success

Why Bother Having An Elevator Speech

If it does not make sense to you yet, an elevator speech is “one of the most effective methods available to reach new buyers and clients with a winning message”, says Bloomberg BusinessWeek. You might be thinking how you are going to work hard for everything in life and there are no easy rides to success like an elevator. I was once told that the elevator in life is always broken — I was going to have to take the stairs. How true is that? We will always have to work for our success, hence the “stairs to success” or “steps to success”. Although I look up to the one who told me that, I have to argue that the elevator is always there but someone is always on it already. You can’t argue that you wont get your chance to take the elevator at a hotel no matter how many people are using it. Your time will come. I am positive that each and every one of us gets at least one chance to use the elevator..

Will you be ready to go on?

Stay Positive and Prepared

Garth E. Beyer