Ok, could someone tell me why I received a call today from a telemarketer for muscatel wines (they didn’t even say the company’s name before they hung up on me, just blurted out the product they were hawking when I asked)?

First of all, I vaguely remember a No Call List that I am on. Over the years though I think aggressive ‘marketers’, otherwise known as cold-calling closers, have started to ignore this a bit more. Second, I don’t drink alcohol so there is no threat of being a customer in the past 90 days (unless my kids are hitting the sauce behind my back, hmmmm). And third, it was obviously a boiler room environment that the call came from with all the requisite ‘selling noise’ in the background. What is this, 1980? Maybe this economy has truly hit rock bottom as companies try techniques that were last effective (and barely at that) during the last major recession.

I have said it before and will say it again. The days of the cold call are dead and gone. Too much information and too little time have made the already intrusive practice now just plan ridiculous. I mean let’s face it. If you have a business problem do you sit around and wait for someone to call you out of the blue with the perfect solution? No. You do your research / due diligence and YOU control the process. That means you are getting the best shot at a product or service that will meet your needs and not something that you need be ‘closed’ on.

My reaction to this is even more visceral today because I have just started writing for the HubSpot blog. These people get it. They help companies large and small generate inbound requests for services. As a result, the phone call that is made by a rep of the company is expected and maybe even anticipated. You can’t do that when you call someone and interrupt their work day and then use every trick you can to ‘make them interested’ and ‘keep them on the line’ so you can eventually manipulate them into ‘buying’. Wake up you law of large numbers types. It’s over. Finished.

Oh and to the kid who I talked with on the phone trying to sell wine to the non-drinker. Once I have expressed NO interest in your product do you really think it is a good time to ask me if I knew of anyone else he could call and pester? Are you kidding me? What was your name again, Willy Loman?

Want to know how the call ended? After he hit me with the age old ‘referral request’ I simply said “Please stop selling.” His response? He hung up. I guess his hack sales manager taught him well not to waste too much time with someone who was not qualified to be called and would end up disliking you because of your lack of sales acumen.

Stop selling please. Create interest. Drive traffic to your site. Empower people with information then help them to ask for help with simple and strong calls to action. Your conversations will be a dialogue and not a monologue like this call today.

Happy selling?

Let’s just cut to the chase. The great bailout debate has no definitive answers for anyone. Some say it rewards bad behavior while others say it has to happen for us to continue. If you so desire, you can find support for either side then you can engage in spirited and ultimately pointless debate about the merits of your choice. Sounds like a colossal waste of time and energy doesn’t it? It is, so don’t do it.

Instead learn something today. Since the talk around Frank Thinking is about Internet marketing I always encourage people to educate themselves as much as possible regarding this important business discipline. Why do I keep harping on this? Because it’s important for anyone who owns a business, has responsibility for marketing in a company or anyone who is claiming to be an expert in the field to know more than just buzzwords. Here are some thoughts on why.

• Knowledge protects. In the field of Internet marketing and all of its branches (organic and paid search, social media, blog marketing etc etc) there are about 500 suckers born every minute rather than the traditional one. There is SO much bad information, misinformation, outright lies and complete ignorance that if you jump into the fray without even a basic knowledge then you may get taken for a ride. I was asked one time what the difference was between a used car salesman and an SEO salesman. The answer: The used car salesman KNOWS when he is lying. When the going gets tough there will be a lot of snakes in the grass so arm yourself. They may not even be aware that they are not effective so how will you know?

• Knowledge enlightens. I have yet to talk to someone who even cares a little bit about the potential of Internet marketing that doesn’t start to look at their business with a fresh set of eyes. They see more opportunity even if they never knew what a title tag was before we talked. What they see is hope. Despite the rhetoric in the public forum hope is in very short supply these days so it’s refreshing to see people experience it for real.

• Knowledge empowers. This falls in line with protection to some degree. If it is decided that outsourcing is the right choice for a company regarding their Internet marketing then they can hire a partner that is not interested in controlling everything. This helps create a partnership that is focused on success metrics and not hollow victories like search engine rankings and traffic. If it is decided to do it in house then there can’t be enough knowledge to give people the confidence that they are doing the next right thing. Confidence creates action which leads to results.

• Knowledge validates. When things are not going well which is the case for many businesses these days it is important to know that what you are doing to grow your business is the best use of your time. There’s not enough room to do just anything. You better be sure you are doing the right thing as quickly as you can. Internet marketing is measurable and can be monitored to either prove its worth or not. You are in control and you have the evidence.

Study up and arm yourself. Every day is a battle. The war is one of attrition. Give yourself the best chance to get to the other side of this mess by knowing what is going to help you and your business.

FT Takeaway: The message of arming yourself with Internet marketing knowledge will never get old because no one can ever know everything about it. If you know your part though your chances of being ripped off from a rogue provider decrease and your chances of being successful increase exponentially.

Internet marketing and the SMB can be a powerful match. The Internet and its many channels (search, blogs, social media and more) can create opportunity that was not possible for many businesses just a few short years ago. Internet savvy marketers and business owners see the potential to bring leads to their business that would have never been fathomed in the old world of call lists and caffeine.

While this brave new world is made available to any business that has the initiative and patience to make it work for them there is one rather old school principle that has become more important than ever: selling.

While people want to think that lead generation and a strong online presence are the new sales person that is just naiveté at best and stupidity at worst. The Internet definitley is the great new prospector. It can be the sales guy that is always on the phone uncovering opportunities. It can be the tireless cold caller of yesteryear who always felt that each no was just one step closer to the next yes. What it’s not in most cases is a closer.

Ouch. The word closer is so ‘old school’. It has a GlenGarry Glen Ross feel to it. Well, I am here to break the news to you. It’s more important today than ever. Fortunately, the definition has changed significantly. No longer is it the practice of manipulation that gets prospective client to the yes. The need for that kind of tactic is thankfully minimized and not tolerated in today’s business world.

Nowadays, the new closer does just what name says but it’s not about manipulation to a yes. It’s about closing the loop. This loop was started with a strong Internet marketing effort to create interest in your business as a possible solution for another business or individual. That process continued with a strong web site that clearly and concisely made the case that your operation merited further investigation. It then lead to a request for information and hopefully a person to person interaction (in person or on the phone).

It’s here that you have a chance to close. You can now close the loop by being the human voice of assurance and reason that validates the prospective client’s vision of your abilities based on their own investigation. Closing is no longer a game. It’s simply a validation of their decision and a chance to fill in the blanks. Heck, you may even have a chance to get to know someone. Never before in business history has prospects had the chance to come to the close more prepared to say yes. That is of course if you did your job with your Internet marketing.

So if you fear selling then make sure you do everything to make it easy for your customers to say yes. Maybe you should stop even calling it sales. It’s not like it used to be. It’s more like welcoming your new client into their new home that has the solution to their problems. If it feels like more than that then you may need to reassess your Internet marketing efforts or your business as a whole.

FT Takeaway: SMB’s are sales averse for a variety of reasons. Most don’t have the time, confidence or experience to do it well. They fear it. That fear can be alleviated through great Internet marketing that brings prospects to your door that are more prepared to say yes than ever before.

As I speak to more and more SMB (small and medium business) owners I see a very cool thing happening when they are truly interested in marketing on the Internet. Those who really see the value and want to make the commitment of funds and time necessary for success have mini epiphanies of sorts.

Considering Internet marketing in all of its forms including search (organic and paid), blogging, social media, local etc, etc makes the best business folks look at their marketing as a whole. This is a great exercise and can yield incredible value for the business owner or marketer. Even if they don’t use my services I think more often than not people walk away with a new perspective. Sometimes that’s all that is required for change and the success it can create.

Some areas that are ‘enlightened’:

• Wasted marketing dollars identified. When an SMB owner can see the potential that is available online they often cast a more critical eye on how they currently spend valuable marketing dollars. Oftentimes that newspaper ad they have run forever or Yellow Pages money they spend year after year comes under real scrutiny. After being put under a microscope rather than being ‘grandfathered’ into marketing budgets year in and year out the true performers are allowed to continue and the others are eliminated.

• New marketing money found. As a direct result of cutting non performing marketing efforts the SMB can now see how that money can be used in new ways. So the idea of new money is a tad misleading. It is really taking the idea of injecting new life into that existing marketing spend. With all the talk of steroids I need to resist the concept of ‘pumping up your marketing dollar’ but it’s not easy.

• New energy generated. It’s amazing how someone can light up over things that they have known for years. Many business people I talk to about blogging suddenly realize that they are experts in their field and there is so much to put out in the marketplace. The fear of what do I write about is replaced by the thrill of breathing new life into their business.

• Hope is rekindled. It’s no secret that times are tough. It’s also no secret that it is easy to fall into a rut and be dragged down by the constant pounding of bad news. By having the opportunity to see their business in a new light there is a spark of hope and optimism that can be generated. We all need that and many times it requires an outsider to bring a fresh set of eyes to help them see opportunity rather than bleakness.

So is working with me some kind of great awakening? I am chuckling just at the fact that I had the nerve to write that last question. The simple answer is no, it is not. SMB’s, though, live a very cloistered life because of the great responsibility they shoulder daily so anyone that can be of assistance to get them to come up for air can help them see these things. Most SMB’s are passionate people and they just need a little shove in the right direction to get going again. If you work with SMB’s encourage them to keep fighting and they will appreciate the sentiment.
FT Takeaway: Looking seriously at Internet marketing almost always creates a renewing of the mind for small and medium business people. It’s this new angle on their business that can oftentimes be enough to get through some of the rough patches. New thoughts. New energy. New hope. New outlook. All lead to new opportunity.

Merry Christmas. There I said it. Even more importantly, though, I meant it. I wish every person reading this only the best in their life and I hope you find peace, joy and true purpose in your life. I did not write this to be confrontational or controversial, just true to who I am. Despite all the talk of internet marketing and small business my life is not centered on that. It’s important but it’s not the reason to get up in the morning. Tell me about your reason for getting up in the morning. I would love to hear it. Please don’t be shy and know that political correctness is not an endearing quality here .

I am going to take a break until the start of the New Year. I won’t bore you with the reasons. I will start posting again on or around January 2, 2009. My goals for Frank Thinking next year are:

1. To write fewer words but convey more meaning
2. To get to know my readers for real
3. To provide information that can be turned into action
4. To give real life examples of SMB internet marketing success (your suggestions for profiles and / or interview subjects are welcomed)
5. To see a true community grow via my blog as well as through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn

Not real lofty goals, in my opinion. Of course, there are concerns about the economy and many other ‘things’ that are completely out of my control so I choose not to dwell on them. These too shall pass.

Thank you for checking in and paying attention to what’s on my mind. Thank you also to Andy Beal and Mike Moran who let me write for them and share with their audiences. It’s good to have friends.

Well, 2008 has passed for the most part and I can say that I am truly blessed. My prayer is that you can say the same and if you can’t, to know that it is available to everyone regardless of your station in this life.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. May God bless you and yours. See you in January.

In my last few posts, I have started to introduce some of the different areas that my SEMCheck SEO audit tool looks at when assessing the foundational SEO health of a website. This tool is really effective for the SMB site owner who is looking to not get jammed by some search marketer who may prey on their lack of search savvy. This is an important step for ANY business to take before researching providers of search services. Protect yourself!

Enough about that. What I want the SMB (small and medium business) owner or marketer to understand is that search is not a great mystery. It’s not black magic. It’s not voodoo. It actually has a lot more to do with basic business tenets than anything else. Here’s what I mean.

When you talk to a customer do you like a lot of distractions? Do you like to have to deal with interruptions and other things that are not ‘on point’? Well, neither does someone who visits your web site. In other words, keep it simple. Make it look nice but don’t let your visitor get lost in a sea of images and flash components and other distractions that don’t move them toward the conversion point you have established for your site. Keep it simple. Stay with the basic blocking and tackling of business communication.

If you are trying to learn about a potential vendor or service provider do you like a lot of off topic nonsense that may distract you from finding out what you need to know? Of course not, right? Well, neither does Google. In other words, if you want to get found by your potential clients / customers make sure you are clear with your message and you follow the rules of good clean business communication. Google’s algorithm is like you are when it wants to do business; it wants someone who follows the rules and understands that doing the basics is just doing good business.

Don’t over think this internet marketing stuff. If you think you will go from zero to sixty in a month (or several for that matter) you are not attending to the basics.

Looking to cut costs these days? Then look at what you have and determine whether you are doing the basics well. They usually don’t cost a lot to repair, if broken, and they carry the most benefit to your business.

The basics win in most cases. Case in point. I am a New York Giants fan and have been since I could draw air so no bandwagon comments please. Not flashy. In fact, they were a shambles about this time last year. Now they have a Super Bowl win and are considered one of the premier teams in the NFL. Why? Because the coach had an epiphany that he was not attending to the basics of team philosophy; team first, sacrifice etc. Now the Giants block and tackle better than most. They punish opponents because there are few distractions. It’s about blocking and tackling. So is your business. Get back to basics. Get to winning especially in the competitive environment on the horizon.

SMB Takeaway: Search marketing is about basic business communication rules more than anything else. Be direct, be concise and be informative and the Google’s of the world will reward you. Stop thinking and start doing.

Thanks and have a great day!

Ok, it is truly time for the SMB’s of the world to take this internet marketing thing very seriously. If you have been dabbling or have considered dabbling in the past it’s time to get in the game for real.

Why the urgency you ask? Well, the Yellow Page sales people are coming! Run for the hills! Hide the women and children! There will be no prisoners taken because these are desperate times for Yellow Page salespeople and their companies alike. To find out more on the state of the industry check out my post on Marketing Pilgrim today.

As for how to handle the latest push you are likely seeing or hearing from the Yellow Pages? As always it’s for you to decide. If you are looking for advice I certainly have some: Find a better place to spend your money. I still don’t understand the value of having your company listed with ALL of your competition without having a real chance to look different. Is it just to say that you are there? I think there are other places where saying that would be more beneficial, like the SERP’s (search engine result pages) for relevant local keywords and key phrases.

Remember that your web site is your focal point. It is your landing point for all of your advertising efforts. No matter where the SMB advertises (newspapers, radio, magazines etc) the prospect will go to your web site to make a further assessment of your capabilities and may even go to the search engines to see how THEY see you.

Look this is simple. Spend your time, money and effort on optimizing your site. SEO for the SMB market is certainly an investment but one that generates results when done well. Spend money on paid search campaigns. It’s hard to find a more targeted advertising vehicle these days. Do things that will bring you business. Doing something because you have always done it that way is just plain irresponsible and dangerous especially during these times.

SMB Takeaway: Resist the ‘pitch and close’ approach of your Yellow Pages sales attack dogs. They are desperate and need you A LOT more than you need them. Use your marketing dollars wisely by spending on your web site and its presence in the search engines. You’ll thank me later.

Thanks and have a great day!