How To Interrupt Your Training To Get Testimonials, And Use Those ‘Interruptions’ As Teaching Moments

This morning I was helping one of our consultants in Australia with a presentation he’ll be making to some business owners on how to grow their businesses.

Part of our discussion had to do with what’s called, “Social Proof”… getting others to talk about their experience in doing business with you. It’s much more credible than you telling others how great you are.

It’s not so much what YOU say you can do for someone; it’s not even what someone else says you CAN do for them. What really counts… in fact, the ONLY thing that really matters, is what someone else says you HAVE DONE for them.

Good testimonials… the ones you can take to the bank… are “after-the-fact” comments. The “Heres what it can do for me,” comment isn’t nearly as strong as “Here’s what it did for me.” So it’s important to capture “done for me” comments as close to the moment as possible.

Here’s what I wrote to the consultant, using our own TopLine Consultant’s Training as an example:     Read more

Jeremiah’s Deposit Slip… Half of His First Month’s Retainer Fee. Not a Bad Start!

Yesterday, I shared a video from Jeremiah Cundiff that he sent to me at 4:21 in the morning, that explained how he landed a consulting deal with a client for a substantial amount of money.

Later in the day, Jeremiah called me and asked if he could take me to lunch and discuss what had happened. We ended up spending a couple of hours together as he detailed the exact step-by-step process he went through to land this client, and even showed me the deposit slip from his Wells Fargo account for a deposit of $4,000 to pay for the last two weeks of this month.

Turns out that this client is paying Jeremiah $8,000 per month (that’s $96,000 annually), PLUS a percentage of the results Jeremiah produces for him… and the projections for that are HUGE. To top it off, Jeremiah also negotiated for the exclusive rights for this client’s business for the entire state of Utah. So Jeremiah has just “bought” an entire business opportunity in a very lucrative market for no out of pocket cost!

Towards the end of our discussion over lunch, I asked Jeremiah to sum up what he did so others could emulate his success. Read more

“I Hit The 6-Figure Income Mark In Just 60 Days With The TopLine System!”

I just got an email and video from Jeremiah Cundiff this morning. Jeremiah completed his TopLine Business Solutions training on October 15th. He had to wrap up a couple of loose ends before hitting the consulting business full time, but he didn’t let that time go to waste.

Jeremiah followed what we teach to the letter. He personalized the book that I ghost-wrote for our consultants to use, changed the cover, added a few comments of his own, and had it printed. Then he had me interview him with the questions we provide, and he ended up with a great marketing tool that does all the selling for him.

He also personalized a few of the 18 Executive Summaries that he got in training, created a Competitive Intelligence Report, and put a “Shock and Awe” box together to present to his prospects.

Once Jeremiah got his marketing pieces together and his other projects wrapped up, it took him right at 60 days to hit the 6-figure mark. Every time I talk to him, he is on another planet.

The key is not talking… it’s doing. Jeremiah is one of those who doesn’t try to figure out a better way, try to out-smart the system, or look for shortcuts. Why should he? The TopLine Business Solutions system has been proven over and over again by nearly 1,000 people in 34 countries around the world. If something works, and you pay money to learn it, why in the world would you try… or even think about trying… to change it? Makes no sense.

Jeremiah would be a perfect model for Nike. Ask him what his secret is, and he’ll quickly tell you… “Just Do It!” Funny thing… that’s the common secret behind all our successful consultants.

Thanks, Vince… You’ve Allowed Me To Clarify Some Things

A couple of months ago, one of the people who attended our new consultant’s workshop posted the following comment to one of the blog articles I had written.
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Martin,

I can’t say it enough, I took your course a year ago or more now and up until now, I’ve done nothing as I got caught up in the “other” career that paid the bills. Now I’m jumping headlong into this as my “new” career and every time I read your articles, the more sense it makes! I am going to focus on 3-specific niches and stick with them and get very, very good at them.

Your information is by and large well above that of other products out there, believe you me!

Thanks again,

Steve
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One of the readers of my blog article and the comment Steve made – a man named Vince – wrote the following:

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The Wisdom Of Robin Robins… What Every Business Owner And Consultant Can Learn From The Top IT Marketing Consultant, Coach And Advisor

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.

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A Weekend With Adam Urbanski… Where Some Of My Best Ideas Come From

I just spent the weekend at Adam Urbanski’s Attract Clients Like Crazy 4-day bootcamp. The session was really aimed at new or intermediate people interested in starting or improving their existing Info Marketing businesses.

So why, after 43 years in this business and teaching similar kinds of things to 962 consultants in 32 countries, did I take 4 days out of my life and spend money out of my own pocket to attend?

Simple. Very Simple.

Because I ALWAYS learn from others. It’s been said that “School is never out for the pro,” and these 4 days went a long way in proving it. Throughout the program, several people asked me for my thoughts and advice, and when I gave my thoughts and told them how to use what Adam had just taught them, typical comments were, “Why are you here? You could be teaching this yourself!”

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How Creative Are You? How Small Business Marketing Consultant, Jack Kaser, Turned A Doctor’s Appointment Into An Income Opportunity

Jack Kaser, a small business marketing consultant and graduate of the TopLine Business Solutions consulting course, did something unusual. He took a chance and turned a doctor’s appointment into a marketing opportunity.

Jack is an amazing man. Always learning, always testing, always implementing. But more importantly, he relies on systems, strategies and solutions that have been proven over and over again to get results. Then he adds his own twists and tweaks to fit his style and preference.

To begin with, Jack had to have some type of marketing tool or presentation piece created. In his case, he had what we call a “You-In-The-Box”… an audio interview about you, who you are, what you do, and how it can benefit the listener. When you attend the TopLine Business Solutions Marketing and Business Development Consultant’s Training Workshop, we give you an entire script… the questions and the answers that make up the interview.

Of course, you are free to tailor the questions and/or answers to whatever you’d like them to be, but most of our consultants use the exact format we give them. We do the interview with you, record it, edit it to clean up all the um’s and ah’s, and put music at the beginning and the end to make it very profesional.

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What’s Going On Behind Your Back? Do You Know What Your Clients Are Saying About You?

This morning I got an incredible gift. It was both unexpected and unsolicited, but very much appreciated!

Brian Kaskavalciyan, one of our TopLine Business Solutions consultants, sent me an email along with a video to update me on his progress since completing his training.

Brian works with all kinds of businesses, but recently started targeting the home improvement contractor market… you know, the guys who remodel kitchens and bathrooms, and close in patios and add rooms to a home. His direct quote says, “Things are going great with our business. We now have dozens of members and are growing very quickly!”

The interesting thing is, Brian got these members to pay him a monthly fee (quite substantial, I might add), for services he’s providing, all with no paid advertising or out of pocket cost. Now with a pretty hefty monthly income (this is in addition to his other consulting activities), he has the funds to go after his target market and really make an impact. And of course, the testimonials he’ll be getting from those members will help him “sell” his services that much easier.

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Who Do You Learn From? Where Do You Get Your Ideas And Inspiration?

For the past two weeks I’ve been in San Diego and Los Angeles, either speaking at events or attending seminars and workshops to increase my knowledge, improve the effectiveness of my business, and to get the latest tools, techniques and strategies that can help our consultants be better, more effective, and more successful in their own consultanting practices, and in helping their clients do the same.

Lisa Sasevich put on a tremendous 3-day program in San Diego that I gained a lot of great ideas from. I attended as a “regular” participant and paid full price to be there just like everyone else. I didn’t talk to anyone about who I am or what I do… it wasn’t a self-promotion event for me. I kept very low-key and was there to learn what I could. The result? I walked away with over 30 pages of notes of some of the best strategies on marketing and promotion that I’ve heard in a long time.

After Lisa’s event, I drove to Los Angeles to meet some of my friends at the SANG (Speakers and Authors Networking Group) Convention. This is an assembly of the top speakers, authors and trainers in the business. A couple of times a year we all get together to learn from each other… what’s working, what’s not, and what we can do to become better at what we do so we can continue to provide increased value to our clients.

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My Two-Week “Vacation”… How the TopLine Consultants Training Program Gets Better and Better

This past week I’ve been in San Diego attending a special conference hosted by Lisa Sasevich, one of the nation’s top business and marketing presenters. It’s been a remarkable several days, and I’m coming away with more than 30 pages of notes on what I can do to make our TopLine Business Solutions Consultants Training Program better.

Several times a year I attend what I consider to be the top training experiences available to help me be better at what I do, to make our trainings better and more relevant, and to help our consultants be on the cutting edge of what’s working in our ever-changing marketplace.

I’m very selective of what I attend and with whom I invest my money. And even though I’ve been around this business for a LONG time (more than 43 years), I continue to seek out the latest information about what’s working. And yes, I pay full price and take time away from my business and my family to attend these programs just like everyone else does. 

I don’t ask for favors or financial considerations because I know the tie-in to how much I invest in my learning and development and how much I will value the information and the results I’ll get from applying it. 

Right now as I type this message, it’s 9:19 pm on Monday night in Los Angeles. I’ve been gone for a week attending Lisa’s program in San Diego, and now I’m here in L.A. to meet with some of the top speakers, authors and trainers at the SANG (Speakers And Authors Networking Group) Convention. 

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