by Kirby Hasseman
I was making “sales calls” with Robbie Kehl from Hasseman Brewing yesterday. I use the quotation marks, because these were less about sales and more about checking in. We were popping in to places that are already offering our beer, just to see how it’s going. Obviously, if they are out of beer (or if they want other kinds) we can sell more. But these are hardly the kind of cold calls that we all know and love! As we walked into a place that just recently got our offerings, I got “the vibe” from the owner. It’s the feeling most of us in sales know. It’s the one that says “Oh…these guys again? Weren’t they just here? What do they want?” If you are in sales…you know the feeling. So I took a moment to flip the script. After a few seconds of chit chat, I told him I was here to help him. (Scary words from a salesperson, right?). I told him I wanted to take . his picture (holding our beer of course) and promote his establishment through our social media presence. We wanted to use our influence to send business to him. As you might expect, the tone of the conversation changed. We walked out of the establishment (without asking to sell anything by the way), having created value for a customer. We decided to Give First. I have talked about this concept in detail here. But this is a very real world example of how this can work. And the reality is, you can do this in your business too. The rule is…Sometimes you need to go to your customer when you are NOT asking for money. It’s not about making a sale today. It’s about creating a relationship. This is a tactic and philosophy that creates “20 year customers.” And that, my friends, is how 20 year companies are built. How can we give to you today? Make sure you never miss an update. Sign up for our VIP newsletter today here. We send out a weekly email where you can catch up on all the content we create each week!
by Kirby Hasseman
This is an excerpt from the book Delivering Marketing Joy. You can find that here.
“The person that gives the value first has the leverage.” Gary Vaynerchuk
We are living in a “Give First” economy. That is my belief. I believe that the person, salesperson, entrepreneur or company that has the strength to provide value first, will win…long term. The Give First economy does NOT mean the good old boys network. It does not mean that just because we play golf together you have to buy from me. It’s about value. It’s about providing more than you are paid for. It’s about doing business “the right way.” Push vs. Pull: Why? Because times have changed! Since the beginning of marketing and advertising, we have lived in a “push” world. The company that pushed their message out the strongest and the loudest won. But with the onset of the internet (and social media) that has changed. Consumers have the ability to tune us out. They have the ability to shut us off. The power in the relationship has changed. So we need to pull customers in. We need to “give first.”
“Life is an echo. What you put out you get back. What you give you get.” Zig Ziglar
But here is the great news, when it comes to Promotional Products: this plays right into what our Promo is all about. This medium is built on the idea that we provide something of value first, so that we might be able to earn your business. “Okay,” you might be thinking, “I believe you. I need to give first. But what does that mean?” Great question. We are going to dig into some real things you can start to do today in order to impact your business. But be forewarned, these are going to seem like common sense. They will seem simple. But here is a very important secret: simple is not the same as easy.
“The greatest distance in the world is the distance between “I know” and “I do.”
So let’s dig into the steps for building a business that succeeds in the Give First Economy.
Give Joy: That’s right. Give out Joy. The world needs more of it. Studies will tell you that 89% of everything you see in the world is negative. With social media and the culture today, my guess is that number should be higher. We are a culture that is drowning in the negative. That’s the bad news. But the good news is, it’s pretty simple to stand out. Just be positive. Give out Joy. By being the person that spreads good into the world, you have the ability to not only stand out…but to be the kind of person someone WANTS to be around. You will be different. And in the mind of the customer, better is not better…different is better. Pro-Tip: Do an audit of your personal social media pages. Look at the last 10 posts. If 4 or more can be “perceived” as negative, then you are likely seen as negative. Be on the lookout for ways to push out joy!
Give Praise and Thanks: Here’s a scary statistic: 69% of customers that leave you will do so because of perceived indifference. They will leave because they don’t think you care. Yikes. But you can do something about that. Take the time to send real thank you notes. Stop by when you are not selling something just to say thanks. Be grateful for your clients business. You be pleasantly surprised by the response. Pro-Tip: The best organizations and sales professionals send thank you cards. Most don’t. If you are not, start there. If you have mastered that, gather your client’s birthdays. Send them a birthday card…they will not be expecting that!
Give More Than They Pay For: Seth Godin says that if you want to be remarkable, you need do something worth remarking about! This is a simple, but totally under-used way to make people appreciate and remember you. Simply provide more value than your customer is expecting. When you do this, consistently, your customers will find you remarkable. Pro-Tip: The next time you have a large order, add a little “something extra” to it. Maybe this becomes a future sale…maybe not. But you will have provided more than they paid for…and that WILL pay off.
Give Content: This is a very important piece of the Give First success plan. That is why I post a lot about content creation. Social media and content (creation and curation) are great tools to use to provide value up front to customers and prospects. What does this look like? It might be as simple as sharing an article that would be helpful to your client base. It might be a fun video about your staff. It might be pictures of your team having fun. There are tons of ways that content can help you provide your customers and prospects value. What it is not is selling first. Too many entrepreneurs, sales professionals and organizations try and use social media to “push” their message out. You have likely seen them. They simply say “buy from me, buy from me, buy from me” and never provide value.
Pro-Tip: Think of ways to tell your story and provide value through content. Are you a writer? Do you like to take pictures? Are you a talker? Think about what you most enjoy…and get ready to provide value there. The fact is, there are tons of ways to win in the Give First Economy.
But what about the most obvious? Give Promo Premiums: Are you using promo to help to grow your business? We have been preaching that you need to provide value to your customers and prospects first…and this is the perfect tool. So before you go any further, its time to think about how you will use promo to grow your business. Pro-Tip: Create a quarterly appreciation plan for your Top 20% of customers. This will give you an excuse to reach out and provide value every 3 months. It shows them you appreciate their business and (when done right) provides a long term advertising piece right where they are.
If you need help on any of these topics, let us know. We would love to help you talk through it. And make sure you never miss an update, sign up for our VIP newsletter here. Oh…and if you want to just jump to shopping, you can head here.
by Kirby Hasseman
Want to make the world a better place? You can. Whenever you feel like you, as only one person, can’t make a difference, remember this study. There is a chemical in our bodies called Oxytocin. It’s a good chemical. It makes us feel good, decreases stress and, generally, makes us happy. From Psychology today: When we hug or kiss a loved one, oxytocin levels increase; hence, oxytocin is often called “the love hormone.” Oxytocin is the hormone that underlies trust. It is also an antidote to depressive feelings. A study was done that measured the amount of oxytocin in people that do a random act of kindness to another. As you might expect, the person who receives an act of kindness gets a boost in Oxytocin. Makes sense right? But the person who gave the act of kindness got an equal boost of Oxytocin as well! Very cool. Now here’s the best part. An observer, a person that had nothing to do with the act, but just saw the act of kindness, got an equal boost in Oxytocin as well. That is great. You can make a difference. But how? What can you do? How can you push kindness out into the world? With words. Here are just a few things that you can say to people TODAY that can do that. These are things people never get tired of hearing. 1. Thank you.2. You look nice today.3. You are a hard worker.4. I appreciate your help.5. You make this place better.6. You make me want to be a better (fill in the blank). 7. My day is better when you are in it.8. You make me laugh.9. You make me think.10. You are talented. And these are just a few. Make people feel loved and appreciated and you make the world better. Feel free to give us more. What else can you say each day to make others feel special? Go. Do that. Make sure you never miss an update! Sign up for our VIP newsletter here. We would appreciate that!
by Kirby Hasseman
The Delivering Marketing Joy Podcast is back! Over the next 12 weeks, we are going to attack 2018 with a vengeance! The Delivering Marketing Joy Podcast will provide some inspiration, motivation and education to make it happen! Consider this your 10 minute “kick in the pants” to get your week started off right! In this week’s podcast, we take a look at a proud Papa moment for me. My youngest daughter, Jade, organized a clothing drive in Coshocton. Today on the podcast I tell you about that…and the lessons you and I can learn from her on it! If you want to make sure you never miss an update, a blog, a podcast or a video, make sure you sign up for our VIP newsletter here.
by Kirby Hasseman
Each week Kirby will dig into a word that will help in personal development, sales, and growth. The weekly word is designed to be short and sweet, and provide a quick lesson that will help you grow each week. 
The Hasseman Marketing weekly word this week is VALUE. Maybe you’ve heard Kirby talk about this before, but he believes we live in the give first economy. What does give first economy mean, you say? In this video Kirby explains that give first economy means the people who provide VALUE, give first, these people will succeed long term. What that means is that you have to be willing to provide VALUE. A great example of this is a person who has been providing VALUE for a long time and has pivoted to sell different things. Someone who does this is Gary Vaynerchuk. Gary Vaynerchuk, is an American entrepreneur, four-time New York Times bestselling author, speaker and internet personality. Gary is the CEO of Vayner Media, he started Wine Library TV. His entire career he has provided content and VALUE upfront. Gary has done this in a way where he has not asked for anything in return. He has just done the Ask Gary V Show where he has provided VALUE to entrepreneurs. He has given insight into his life in the Daily V. Gary has done all of this without asking for anything in return. Well…Now…he has launched his own shoe line. Kirby informs us that this shoe line is sold out!!! It’s amazing to Kirby that an entrepreneur, who has nothing to do with the footwear industry, has sold out a footwear line. Why is this you wonder? Kirby explains to us it is because Gary has provided us with so much VALUE that when he finally did “take the swing” everyone wanted to support him. Gary brought everyone in because he has given VALUE. Want to keep up all the time? Make sure to join our VIP List! Our VIP’s get an email with the latest content…and other special offers as well. Join here.
