More than a Few Words
1,038 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 days ago - ★★★★★ - 88 ratingsA marketing podcast for business owners. The brief conversations of this marketing podcast are filled with practical tips from business owners and marketing professionals from around the world.
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Episodes
#829 The Marketing Flywheel with Josh Ramsey
March 23, 2023 10:14 - 12 minutes - 11.5 MBWhat is the marketing flywheel? A real flywheel, that builds energy, as you push it slowly over time it gets faster and faster and faster. A marketing flywheel will do that as well. With consistent action, the marketing flywheel will deliver more and more results. Out guest, Josh Ramsey explains there are three parts to the marketing flywheel that work together to accelerate your business. Building memories so customers think of you when they are ready to buy Maximizing availability so...
#828 - What’s In Your Sales Plan
March 19, 2023 10:18 - 1 minute - 1.44 MBIt would be wonderful if you just hung a sign out, opened your doors and customers came. Unfortunately, for most of us that's not how it works. You don't accidentally bump into business on a regular basis. If you want a sustainable business you need to have a sustainable process for your sales. That process includes a standard procedure to generate leads and then screen and identify who's a good prospect and who's not. You need to have a process for stepping people through a sales co...
#827 Smart PPC for Small Businesses
March 16, 2023 10:22 - 11 minutes - 10.3 MBMaybe you think your business is too small to take advantage of PPC. Our guest, Ameet Khabra doesn't think that is true. You can use this powerful tool as long as remember that Google is not doing something out of the goodness of their heart. Google is not a charity, it is a business. Everything they do to improve search and analytics is ultimately designed to increase their advertising sales. So use the tools, look at their suggestions, but always remember their goals are not always a...
#826 Contingency Planning
March 12, 2023 10:10 - 2 minutes - 2.19 MBI am an optimist. I believe things will work out. However, when it comes to my business I also know that things can go wrong, and planning is not being negative, it is being prepared. Accidents happen. Even minor mishaps can be major catastrophes for small business owners. Every year, thousands of companies are unprepared for the interruption caused by a minor fire, flood, and burglary or computer meltdown. Creating, and implementing a Business Continuity Plan as part of your overall busin...
#825 Emotion Driven Marketing
March 09, 2023 11:00 - 10 minutes - 8.44 MBIn this episode we chatted with Jan Cavelle about connecting your emotions to your marketing, and more importantly, connecting to your customer's emotions. How do you do that? Jan suggests you start by being consistent about the picture of yourself you are putting forward in public, both in person and on social media. This helps people frame a firm picture of who you are allowing them to connect to you and your brand. More than a Few Words is a marketing conversation for business owne...
#824 From Our Archive - The Elevator Pitch
March 07, 2023 11:12 - 16 minutes - 13.5 MBFrom our archive: You have only a few moments to make that great first impression and you won’t stand out by sounding like everyone else. You need to find a way to be first, best or different. And if you choose different, make sure your point of difference is actually relevant to your customer. Beyond that first impression, our guest Mike Verret explains that your words will have an effect on others, so choose them carefully. Mike solves problems that plague small businesses by gi...
#823 Capacity
March 05, 2023 11:45 - 1 minute - 1.42 MBI spent the early part of my career in manufacturing. One of the most important lessons I learned was that of capacity. When you know how much you can produce you can set realistic targets for your our sales team, making sure they don't sell more than you could produce. At the same time you don't want them selling so far below your capacity you are sitting around twiddling your thumbs. Understanding your capacity is gives you tremendous control over your pricing. If you're bumping up aga...
#822 Influencer Marketing
March 02, 2023 11:00 - 11 minutes - 9.65 MBInfluencers, people who have a following comprised of people who pay attention to who they are and what they do can help you deliver your message. In this episode, Madison Masterson explains how those people can impact your marketing, even if you have a small business. You may not be able to afford a celebrity for your brad, but that doesn't mean you can't find someone who has influence with your audience to tell your story. About Madison At the age of twenty five, Madison Masterson has...
#821 Man Vs Machine
February 26, 2023 11:14 - 1 minute - 1.26 MBWith all of the emphasis on A.I. driven content, search and advertising, the question is how will human beings survive. Like any good sci-fi, the answer lies in human innovation. It is in our ability to think outside the box and not follow the rules that is the essence of a smart content marketing strategy. Sure you can do what everyone else is doing or you can create innovative, independent. and individualized content to help you survive the rise of the machine.
#820 ABC’s of Sales
February 23, 2023 11:07 - 10 minutes - 10 MBStacey Hall wants to shift your paradigm on the role of the salesperson. She believes traditional, old school techniques of always closing and working to overcome objections just aren't the best approach for the majority of salespeople and their customers. Instead, she has developed a new approach she calls the ABC's of selling : Alignment, Belief and Consistency. About Stacey Stacey has coached thousands of entrepreneurs on how to attract sales, satisfaction, and success. She is a ...
#819 The Rise of A.I.
February 19, 2023 10:09 - 1 minute - 1.56 MBI a sci-fi geek. As a kid I discovered Isaac Asimov's stories of good robots who were driven by a code driving them to helpful an supportive of human beings and dystopian sci-fi with the rise of evil machines that take over the world. As I'm evaluating the emergence of A.I. in content creation, advertising and search I'm trying to decide are we in the era of Isaac Asimov's good robots or there dystopian terminator? Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum it is clear, A.I will dramatic...
#818 Business Personalities
February 16, 2023 11:00 - 11 minutes - 10.5 MBI have often been told that I have a strong personality and it kind of came through in my business but I never really thought about the fact that all businesses have personality. Guest Naomi Garza talks about the importance of including ourselves in our business strategy. So many business schools teach us to get to know our ideal customers and competitors but none that I've seen start the process of looking at ourselves first - how can our businesses thrive based on what works for US as we...
#817 Storming the Castle
February 14, 2023 13:14 - 12 minutes - 8.34 MBFrom our archive - Originally broadcast on 2/14/2020 enjoy this encore conversation with Matt Nettleton. Sometimes, as a sales person heads out to make cold calls, it feels like they are trying to storm a castle. They prepare to battle their way in the door. My coach, sales professional Matt Nettleton says it doesn't have to be that way. Armed with a series of strategic questions, and a willingness to really listen to the answers, a sales person can actually encourage prospects to lower...
#816 Match Your Products to Customer Needs
February 12, 2023 11:31 - 1 minute - 1.88 MBAs you start working on the product portion of your overall business plan do not start with the features. Go back to your customer research. What is most important to your customers? Focus on the elements of your product or service that line up with those needs. Demonstrate how the features that you are selecting for your product or service help you achieve something customers are going to buy because it solves their problem This can be everything from the physical product, to the warr...
#815 Building Relationships on LinkedIn
February 07, 2023 11:22 - 11 minutes - 9.63 MBWhen it comes down to closing, people buy from people. So before you can make a sale, you almost always need a relationship. In B2B sales one of the best places to build that relationship is on LinkedIn. Relationship pro, Janice Porter shares some of her favorite relationship building strategies. She believes LinkedIn is underutilized by many sales professionals, who miss the opportunity to make quality connections by interacting authentically on the platform. Janice is a returnin...
#814 Your Customer is More than Numbers
February 05, 2023 11:03 - 1 minute - 1.89 MBOne of the things that I love and hate about marketing is the research which allows you to describe your ideal client in very quantitative terms like age, income and level of education. I love this because if gives you a starting point for your marketing. The thing I don't love is that it puts people in very narrow boxes. Too often we lose sight of the fact that our target customers are more than just numbers. Beyond the demographic segments there is a psychological element. It is these p...
#813 Simple Video Tips
February 02, 2023 11:00 - 11 minutes - 9.74 MBWe are living in a video world. Our guest Chris Weiher thinks video should be in the tool kit of every small business. The mistake he thinks many business owners make is thinking they need to commit to video forever, and forever is intimidating. Instead, he says start small and learn as you go.
#812 Help Your Competitors
January 29, 2023 11:09 - 3 minutes - 2.81 MBI am sure you think this headline is a mistake, that I meant to say something else, but I really mean this. If you want to build a successful business in a vibrant marketplace, you will grow faster if you help your competitors. Before you decide I am completely crazy, consider the following: You don’t know everything. Hanging around with other business owners in the same industry gives you a chance to learn a few things in exchange for sharing a few tips of your own. Improve the quality a...
#811 Give Google Information About Your Business
January 26, 2023 11:01 - 11 minutes - 10.2 MBGoogle wants you to succeed and in this conversation with Stormy Knight, we talk about what they're doing to help you do just that. Remember that Google's main product is great search results. While they have some of the most comprehensive data bases in the world, they may not have the detailed information about your business. Your Google My Business Profile helps fill in some of the blanks that makes it easy for Google to present your company when people are looking for a business like y...
#810 Match Your Marketing To Your Goals
January 24, 2023 11:05 - 11 minutes - 10.5 MBHow do you decide which marketing tactics to try? Megan Prejzner says you should start with business goals in mind. Boil it all down to the ones which are going to move your business goals forward and forward the fastest. Don't be overwhelmed by choices and then wind up doing nothing because of analysis paralysis. Look at your business, get clear on what you are trying to achieve and select the one tactic which can be the most efficient in moving you toward your end goal
#809 Three Types of Competitors
January 22, 2023 11:23 - 1 minute - 1.53 MBEven new, completely innovative products have competition. Long before your product comes into the market, customers have found ways to solve their problems. Understanding who your real competitors are is critical to your business success. As you analyze your competitors, it can be helpful to think about the three levels of competition. Level One. These companies solve the customer’s problem with products or services that are very similar to yours. While you may have enhanced features or sl...
#808 Brand Elements
January 19, 2023 11:00 - 11 minutes - 10.3 MBWhile you don't want to change your brand frequently, guest Amanda Guerassio suggests there are signs you are ready for a refresh. If you designed your logo yourself when you started your business, and the branding suite just isn't as professional as you would like Your business has changed direction or target and the design suite no longer reflects you company The brand relied on "trendy" colors, fonts or styles that were cool when the brand was launched but is somewhat dated now.
#807 Sales Starts with a Real Conversation
January 17, 2023 11:02 - 12 minutes - 11.3 MBI know you think you are a business owner not a salesperson but everybody really is a salesperson. In this conversation with Tracey Beavers we explored ways you can create sales without "selling" She suggests you start by being yourself. The reason no one likes to think of themselves as a salesperson because there are so many bad salespeople out there. They're aggressive, spammy, weird. and annoying. They make us uncomfortable and we don't want to feel that way. She says take the word sal...
#806 Do The Research
January 15, 2023 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.75 MBToo often inventors and entrepreneurs fall in love with their idea. Just because it can be built, does not mean it should be. Before you launch your business, you need to answer a really important questions. Does anyone really want your product? That’s where research comes in helping you determine how many individuals or businesses have a need for your product or service and, more important, how many are likely to buy? History is full of well-designed, extremely innovative products that w...
#805 Start Up Technology
January 12, 2023 11:00 - 12 minutes - 8.69 MBMany small business owners startup a business or launch a product with little or no budget. I asked successful founder, Jason Hubbard about some of the mistakes businesses make when they jump into the game. He told me the biggest mistake people make jumping in is underestimating how long it will take to get to a place where it is actually a sustainable business. The underestimate how long that's going to take, how much runway they will need and the amount of blood sweat and tears that go...
#804 Secure Your Business
January 10, 2023 11:00 - 11 minutes - 9.69 MBSmall business owners, particularly solo entrepreneurs often forget that their personal and business on-line security are tightly intertwined. Guest Josh Summers says that a focus on security begins by separating yourself from your business. For example many people will register their company with their home address. Unfortunately, that address becomes part of the public record, for years and years. Changing it down the road can be costly and time consuming. He advocates for separati...
#803 Business Plan Myths
January 08, 2023 11:20 - 1 minute - 1.7 MBIf you're a smart traveler you know can't head out on a long road trip without some kind of map or directions. Without that there's a chance you'll get lost, drive in the wrong direction, show up late or never actually arrive. When it comes to driving your business your map is your business plan. Now I know lots of business owners put off writing a formal plan because they think it's going to be difficult, time consuming and unproductive. Well none of that is true. Your plan can be a simp...
#802 Mentorship
January 05, 2023 11:00 - 11 minutes - 10.1 MBIn this episode we talk about mentors, how to find one and how to be one. Why? Because even if we think that we're running our business' completely on our own it helps to have people to turn to for advice and information. Guest, and today my guest Kate Chernis Bradley, Founder & CEO of Lately shared some of the lessons learned from her mentors over the years. For example, when giving feedback, remember your goals isn't to ruin someone's day. So think about the outcome you want from the conv...
#801Favorites of 2022
January 03, 2023 11:02 - 10 minutes - 8.57 MBBefore we roll in 2023, I thought it would be fun to go back and revisit some of my favorite podcast interviews from last year. With more than 125 to choose from, this was no small feat. But I think you're really going to like the episodes I've pulled together. There’s a conversation I had with Laura Templeton about networking conversations. As you know, I love a good networking event. I love a chance to get out and talk to people. But I know that not everybody loves that process or even kn...
#800 Happy Anniversary More than a Few Words
January 01, 2023 11:00 - 3 minutes - 3.52 MB“Welcome to More than a Few Words, a marketing conversation for business owners. This is your host Lorraine Ball. “ I have a version of that phrase hundreds of times over the last thirteen years. Yes, today is actually the thirteenth year anniversary of this podcast. As I get ready to embark on another year of podcasting, I thought it would be fun to share a few things I’ve learned along the way that are relevant for podcasters, and really any marketing professional. Your name matters. Wh...
#799 Generate New Sales From Old Clients
December 29, 2022 11:10 - 10 minutes - 9.07 MBWhat is the fastest least expensive way to get clients? Guest, Gall Doby suggests there is one strategy that people often ignore, and it's right in front of them. Looking for new sales? Start with your current clients. Almost every single client ( assuming you are doing a good job) will be willing to do business with you in a different way. Maybe it is an add-on to their project, a few more things and they hadn't originally considered or an entirely different project. It's so much easi...
#798 Getting Lost
December 25, 2022 11:59 - 1 minute - 1.36 MBMy favorite day on my most recent vacation was the day we got lost. We had an idea of what we wanted to do but we made a wrong turn. Instead of worrying about it we simply embraced the chaos. We stumbled upon a great art exhibit and a delicious restaurant. The lesson from that day came back to my business with me. I have very specific goals and clear outline of what I want to do on a regular basis but I decided to embrace a little chaos. I spent some time exploring lots of new things I h...
#797 Authenticity Matters
December 22, 2022 11:30 - 10 minutes - 9.31 MBIn this episode, I chat with Sasha Willis about authenticity and why it is so important to be authentic in all of your content and branding. Sasha advocates for showing up as yourself because people really tune into that. It is especially true when it comes to business interactions. People want to feel they know who they are working with and who they're paying their money to. Sasha Willis is the boss lady behind By Sasha, host of the Strategy for Creatives: Business Minus the Bullshit...
#796 You’ve Got Mail
December 18, 2022 11:27 - 1 minute - 1.7 MBYou've Got Mail! Do you remember when those three little words used to make you smile? It's hard to believe it's been more than 25 years since we first logged onto the internet via a very slow dial-up modem to hear those words. And, as in any long-term relationship our feelings about email have changed over time We have gone from early love as we looked forward to an update in our inbox to the dull routine of daily interactions. Regardless of the change in our feelings, we've hung in ther...
#795 Tips to Train Your Brain
December 15, 2022 11:02 - 10 minutes - 9.65 MBWhy should you make a to do list before you go to sleep? It is a way of training your brain . Guest Elizabeth Louis, says when you do that you're getting it into you unconscious brain so you wake up the next morning knowing exactly what you need to do and where you need to go. You start the day in the flow. Typically when you're when you're not able to sleep at night it is because you're struggling with the fear of the unknown. If you make a list of three to five you need to do the next...
#794 A Little Cappuccino Goes a Long Way
December 11, 2022 11:39 - 2 minutes - 1.9 MBI am a serious coffee drinker. A typical morning starts with two full mugs of coffee, after which I'm ready to face the world. So when I was in Italy a few weeks ago I was worried that the little cup of cappuccino they put in front of me wouldn't be enough. Funny thing, it was. The rich full flavor satisfied my coffee taste requirement and that expresso packed a powerful punch. So as I sipped my little cup of cappuccino it occurred to me there was an important lesson in that cup. It was ...
#793 Finding Your Ideal Client
December 08, 2022 01:17 - 12 minutes - 11.1 MBWhen it comes to finding your ideal client Jonny Cooper thinks of the process like a three legged stool. You need all three pieces. Without one of the three, the stool falls over. The first one is to identify a type of person for whom we can solve a big expensive problem. This should be someone who's suffering with something really important to them, a life changing challenge we can solve for them. Next, your ideal client needs to be visible, with identifiable characteristics. It's no...
#792 The Long Game
December 04, 2022 10:50 - 1 minute - 1.53 MBWhen it comes to content marketing you need to be playing the long game. It is unrealistic to think you're going to throw a blog post out there today and get results tomorrow. But, if you invest in consistently creating good quality content it will pay off eventually. You're not going to double your traffic overnight but those blog posts will build value over time. You will see content you wrote a week or maybe even a month ago, start to be found in niches and continue to drive traffic f...
#791 Life Cycle Marketing
December 01, 2022 11:12 - 12 minutes - 10.2 MBYour customers go through many steps and phases as you work with them, so your marketing needs to reflect where they are in their customer journey. Guest, Ellen McDowell shares tips on how to segment your customers into three groups and create marketing messages for those looking to get to know you, those ready to take the next step and those who have completed their journey, If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to check out other's with Ellen: The One Philosophy - Part One an...
#790 Invite me In
November 27, 2022 11:15 - 1 minute - 1.65 MBWhen I was a kid and the doorbell rang I would jump up and fling the door open in the hopes of entertaining a neighbor, friend or unexpected guest. But things have changed. We're a lot more cautious these days about who we invite into our homes and into our businesses. This creates real challenges for companies, particularly in the home service industry. How do you overcome this reluctance? The trick is to look for ways to make customers feel like they know you. To do this, you could add p...
#789 Empathy and Action
November 24, 2022 11:44 - 10 minutes - 8.44 MBSince we were in middle school there's always been someone who said something negative about us. You'd think after all this time we'd learn how to respond but the truth is when you get a negative review or a negative social media comment it still hurts. This week, guest David Oates shares some tips on how to deal with negative reviews and comments. It all begins with empathy and action. It is important to acknowledge the person writing the review is unhappy and open a dialogue, offline, ...
#788 The Follow Up Process
November 20, 2022 11:00 - 1 minute - 2.16 MBWhen the phone rings, there's always that moment of excitement. This could be a customer! I've been through enough sales training so I feel comfortable moving prospects through that conversation. But at some point, the phone call ends. So what do you do to continue that conversation? While it will depend on how the conversation went, it's always helpful to have some resources ready to send as a follow up. What should you send? Regardless of the business you're in, think about what people n...
#787 MEGA Position
November 17, 2022 10:49 - 10 minutes - 10.3 MBThis week we are talking about positioning. I know that sounds like some techie, marketing thing that you need an MBA to figure out but it really isn't. Your position is simply what you want people to think about you when you're not in the room and to have that conversation. My guest, Reuben Swartz shared his simply acronym MEGA as a way to think about your position statement in four simple pieces M- Magnetic - The key thing to remember is a magnet has two poles of equal strength. People ...
#786 Lessons from Improv
November 13, 2022 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.88 MBA friend of mine who is an improvisational artist, and a marketer told me there were many things he learned when studying improvisational comedy that he could apply to marketing. The first is the rule of the Yes. And…. In an improvisational interaction, anytime someone says anything, you immediately say yes. This behavior allows you to build on the ideas of others. That’s actually how the internet works. If you’re looking for content ideas, find something someone else has written, and apply...
#785 Copywriting Style Guide
November 10, 2022 11:02 - 10 minutes - 9.51 MBIn this episode Lorraine chat's with Maddie Osman about style guides. But the conversation is not about colors and fonts. Your brand is more than just colors and fonts, it is also about the words you choose. Your style guide sets tone for your brand. Your word choice can be inclusive or exclusive, depending on the objectives of your content. Standardizing your word style will also help you save time as you create and edit content.
#784 New Tech - Finding What is Right for You
November 06, 2022 11:19 - 2 minutes - 2.27 MBIt seems like every day there is some new tool or trend. So how do you decide which new technology, software tools and digital trends deserve attention and resources and which don’t? Over the years, I have developed a simply strategy to figure out which new technology and tools are right for me. Explore The first part of the strategy is staying ahead of the curve by reading, reading, reading. There’s no single expert in the field so I have several websites I check on a regular basis. Ev...
#783 Measure Your Email Results
November 03, 2022 10:07 - 12 minutes - 10.8 MBI know you think we've talked about email a lot but we're going to dive into one of the most overlooked parts of your email marketing, the metrics Guest, Emily Maguire shares lessons learned over a decade sending successful email campaigns generating millions of dollars in revenue. She suggests that falling in love with open rates is a mistake. It doesn't matter how many people open your email, it only matters what they do next. You can game the system to change your open rates, or use c...
#782 Google Wants You to Do Better
October 30, 2022 09:57 - 1 minute - 1.65 MBI hate to say I told you so. Well, actually I like saying it because I enjoy being right. So I am very much enjoying the most recent announcement by Google that they are going to put even more emphasis on the quality of content on your website. They're going to penalize people with low quality, irrelevant and duplicate content. So if you're purchasing content from a third party and that content is published on multiple sites with little or no change before it gets to your site you are put...
#781 Time to Pivot
October 27, 2022 10:07 - 11 minutes - 9.25 MBWhat do you do when external factors turn your entire business model upside down? That's what happened to MeetUp.com at the beginning of their pandemic, as their entire in person meeting model collapsed. Founder, David Siegel explains how going back to their mission of bringing people together allowed them to successfully pivot, survive and actually thrive in the new economy. David Siegel is CEO of Meetup overseeing its global business, which has 52 million members, hosts 15,000 events da...
#780 Protect Your Assets
October 23, 2022 10:30 - 1 minute - 1.64 MBYou need to protect the marketing assets of your business. I got a call the other day from a client I hadn't worked with in 18 years. He wanted know if I still had the original art files for his business now. As strange as that sounds, in the old days I would have had that information but I sold my agency two years ago. The new owners don't have quite the file system I did so it took quite a while for them to find the artwork. Is that my fault? No, it's his! He should have known better aft...