The Wisdom Of Robin Robins… What Every Business Owner And Consultant Can Learn From The Top IT Marketing Consultant, Coach And Advisor
November 18, 2009 by admin
The other day, my friend and colleague, Robin Robins, posted an excellent article on her blog. Robin is the top advisor, consultant and coach to IT professionals, and if you’re in that business, you should definitely check out everything she has to offer. That said the points she makes in her article apply to every kind of business.
Here is an excerpt of what she wrote. You can see the entire article here, as well as other articles and information that can help you regardless of what kind of business you’re in.
Following, is the section of her article that I thought was especially applicable to you, and the comments I posted in response…
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As a LEADER of your company, you are always influencing and persuading; whether it be a new prospect to become a client or an employee to step up and do his job better. Problem is (as many of you already know) most small IT business owners are terrible communicators. They lack clarify of vision and passion about what they do. They fail to clarify their company vision not only to employees, but also vendors, clients and to themselves. They are unclear on what they are REALLY delivering to clients and therefore think they are selling outsourced computer services.
Not so.
If you think that’s what you’re really selling, I promise you’re missing the boat. So here’s a quick exercise worthy of a few hours of work:
1. Develop a “Twitter Post” sentence about what you do. It should have passion and EMOTION. Here’s another hint: It shouldn’t be about fixing computers…it should be about what you are REALLY delivering to your clients (peace of mind, simplification of problems, hope, convenience, etc.)
2. Once you have that, then outline 3 things that make you different. Ideally these should be short word clips.
Here’s an example:
“We are ‘success facilitators’ for small business owners; we erase problems so they can focus all their time and energy on what they’re really passionate about.”
What makes us different are three things:
1. We fix things fast.
2. We fix things right.
3. We guarantee the results.
Now, it’s your turn…
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So, here’s what I wrote in response…
Robin,
You hit the nail on the head with this post. One of the best articles on briefly and concisely explaining what you do so people quickly and thoroughly “get it.”
People don’t know what you do. They want to know what they get from what you do… and your example tells them exactly that you…
1. Help me achieve success
2. Erase me problems
3. Let me enjoy my passion
4. Are different… that you don’t operate like everyone else. Others may say they’re different, but the fact that you say it, separates you from themyou explain how by…
5. Are getting me back to that passion fast
6. Are eradicating the problem so it doesn’t require a call-back
7. Are putting me at ease that the decision I have made to use your services is the right choice and that the money I spend in solving my problem will produce the results I want
How does it get any better than that? Seven customer-focused benefits in two sentences, 3 bullet points and just 45 words.
This is SO much better than the typical USP formula that is commonly taught to answer the question, “What do you do?”… “You know how most computer technicians [insert what they do]? Well, what we do is [insert what you do that is different].”
The example you’ve given gets right to the point and gives seven reasons I should consider you as a service provider. All seven apply to me and my situation. If you gave me one reason, for example, and it didn’t apply, you’d be out of the running. But with seven reasons, at least one of them will fit.
What you’ve shared in this post is exactly why I’m coming to your workshop in Los Angeles this Thursday… and I’m not even in the IT business. I just know that even with 43 years in the marketing, sales and business development business, that I’m going to go home with some very real, very practical, and very readily implementable ideas that I can use in my own consulting business.
If anyone is serious about their IT business, and doesn’t attend, they’re missing out on a HUGE opportunity to learn from one of the real experts in their world. I can’t wait to see you there!
Martin Howey
Founder and CEO
TopLine Business Solutions
Thanks Martin for sharing both Robin’s and your own insights. As a consultant, this is a great yet simple methodology to follow that will definitely make you stand out above your competition to both clients and prospects. More importantly, it causes you to become more clear about your offering which sometimes can be challenging as most of us tend to use too many words. Choosing short but sweet (and impactful) words are the way to go.
Thanks again for sharing.
Nick
@nicktako
Thanks for your comment, NIck. Very much appreciated. As I write this response to you, I am sitting in the Lobby of the hotel where Robin spent the day with a room full of IT professionals who are learning how to improve their businesses. I’m not in the IT business, and don’t know that much about it. But I flew from Phoenix to Los Angeles, spent two nights in a hotel, and paid to attend Robin’s seminar just to learn what she knows and has spend years learning.
I’ll now take this information back, customize it to my own business, then share it with our consultants so they, too, can improve their businesses. My take is, is someone has spent, say, 10 years learning and perfecting something, then they put it all together in a one, two, three, or four-day seminar… or if they put it in a home study course and share it with others, it would be crazy for me not to take advantage of it. I mean, if I can get 10 years of trial-and-error, and trial-and-success experience in a couple of days and for a fraction of the cost, I’d be cheating myself and my clients to not avail myself of it.
For you to be reading this blog (and others that may or may not be perfectly matched to what you do) is a smart investment of your time, and both you and the people you serve will benefit from it. Thanks for reading and for sharing your comments, Nick. And best wishes for a great end of the year for your business!
Martin Howey
Founder and CEO
TopLine Business Solutions