Entries from January 2012 ↓

In business, sooner or later you will be faced with presenting a pitch.

For some people, that isn’t a problem. But for many, they would rather poke their eyes out with a red hot poker than face a potential new client.

As soon as the date is arranged they go into panic mode – hundreds of ‘what ifs’ pour into their head followed by sleepless nights and the inability to eat without feeling nauseous.

So what can be done to help you prepare for the pitch?

Preparation is the key

If you were hoping for a magic formula or a pill to take your anxiety away, then I’m going to disappoint you.

The only way to be confident is to prepare.

1. The phone call

During the phone call with the potential client, try and find out as much detail as possible about what they’re looking for. As a copywriter, I would ask what the project was, who was their target audience, what will the review process be, what format would it take etc.

But don’t just ask questions about the project, also ask:

•    Who will be at the meeting?
•    Where will it be held?
•    Is there any car parking at the site?
•    Are they meeting with any other copywriters (it’s always good to know if you’re up against any competition)?

Basically, at the end of that call you want to know as much information as possible about the project and the client.

2. A day or two before the meeting

Next is the research.

Take a look at their website. What sort of marketing are they doing? What is the style of their communication?

See what information you can find out about the people you’ll be meeting – not in a creepy stalker kind of way, but take a look at their previous experience.

Work out what you want to ask them – a great way to start your meeting is by asking an open question to get them talking. This will not only unearth a wealth of information for you, it will also give you chance to catch your breath and ease yourself into the meeting.

3. Before you set off

Check to make sure you either know where you’re going, or that your SatNav is charged up and working.

Have the name and phone number of the person you’re meeting in your phone so, should you get held up, you can ring and let them know.

Leave yourself plenty of time so you arrive calm and collected and make sure you have pens, paper etc.

Most importantly, before you leave, tell yourself you are the right person for this project. You are the writer they need.

4. The meeting

Once you’ve arrived (suited and booted), be calm, polite and confident.

Offer a firm handshake (but not one that will leave them with a crushed feeling), make small talk and then get to down to your first open question and let them tell you everything you need to know to show them you’re the right person for them.

5. Close

Often, you’ll meet with someone who is unable to make a decision there and then because it has to go to the board.

But if that’s not the case, close the sale there and then. If you leave them pondering you could be walking away from the money.

Once they say yes and agree to your payment terms, tell them exactly how you will proceed and what they can except to happen – and make sure you stick to it.

6. Yippee!

Congratulations – you got the contract and kept your nerves at bay.

Reflect on how you presented yourself and your business and remember the success for future meetings.

Finally, grab yourself a large glass of champagne – you deserve it.

Client meetings and pitches don’t have to be scary. A few nerves are good for you, but not to the point your stomach is in knots. Preparation is the key – granted, you can’t win them all, but being ready for anything will help your confidence grow.

This one is for all the women out there who are mothers and business owners.

Do you remember when you had your first child?

Months of excited anticipation gave way to sheer terror when you realised the birth was only days away. Then you endured hours of intense pain as you tried desperately to help your new baby find their way into the world.

Then finally, after a monumental and exhausting journey, it was all over and you were handed your new baby, wrapped up tightly, eyes blinking, totally dependent on you.

For a moment you were lost in that moment, but then you gradually began to realise the midwife had handed you your baby, but forgot to give you the instruction manual.

In a way, that’s exactly the same as starting out in business for the first time.

Business gestation

Your business idea was conceived some time ago. Never forgotten about, it gradually began to grow and develop in your mind until you knew it was the right time to bring it forth into the world.

Your mind awash with things to do, you worked your way down that painful list of opening bank accounts, incorporation, insurance, PAYE, stationery and utilities. Not even to mention having to grovel to the bank manager for a loan to get you started.

Eventually, you emerged from your to-do list, exhausted but the proud owner of your brand new business.

There’s just one thing missing – customers.

You’ve been so wrapped up in setting everything up you didn’t have time to get a marketing strategy together. In fact, you’re not entirely sure what it should be.

No one handed you a manual to make your business a success (sound familiar?), so you’re on your own and it’s up to you to bring your business to the market.

Understanding your customers

Before you can decide on your marketing plan, you have to understand your customers because you have to know where to find them.

Local networking is always a great idea (especially if you are a B2B business), but that pool of potential customers will only last so long – even though you hope you will also get other referrals.

Cold calling and direct mail is always an option, but how many people do you know who actually buy from unsolicited approaches (I don’t)?

Getting your presence felt online is a great option as you can reach a much wider audience. But a strategy is vital if you want to ensure your customers can find you through the search engines and social media.

Being prepared

As with parenthood, in business you can only be prepared up to a point. Something is always going to happen that will throw you off kilter if you’re not careful.

The trick is to remain calm and focused on your end goal. It will be a rollercoaster ride, but it will also be rewarding.

Over to you

What are the experiences that you remember most about starting out in business?

Are there any things you would do differently?

Leave a comment below, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Sally Ormond – Copywriter and mother of 2

It’s been like a slow train coming – more and more marketing is being turned over to digital formats, whether that’s websites, emails, e-newsletters, QR codes, video or social media.

Although brochures and leaflets etc., still hold a valid place in your marketing armoury, you do begin to wonder how long that will remain so. After all, if we look at consumer behaviour, it would suggest they will soon become a dim and distant memory like the humble pound note or vinyl.

The consumer leads the way

That’s where it all started (well, in my world anyway) – with music. I started off buying tapes of my favourite bands or vinyl singles. They were the best as far as I was concerned; that was until the CD arrived.

It wasn’t long before I was seduced by those shiny discs and my vinyl and tapes were consigned to the history books (and our loft). I thought CDs were the pinnacle – nothing could surpass their sound quality. But a few years down the line and I was confronted by the iPod and digital music downloads.

So, you guessed it, eventually I converted to downloading my music.

The same is happening to books.

A staunch lover of an actual book, I have vowed never to go over to the digital side. I love the feel and smell of a book; the ability to thumb through pages. I don’t care how cluttered my house gets (I simply can’t part with my books), I love browsing through book shops and buying books.

But, the other day I really wanted to read. Not having a book to hand (one that I hadn’t previously read), unable to wait for Amazon to deliver one, and certainly unwilling to brave the pre-Christmas crush in town, I did the unthinkable.

I reached for my iPad and, yes that’s right, downloaded a book.

Expecting to hate the experience, I have to say it’s not a bad way to read. Granted, I don’t have the physical book to touch or smell, but I can use a digital book mark, turn the pages almost as I would in real life, and enjoy it

That illustrates how consumers are embracing new technology and paving the way for change simply by accepting it.

We’ve already seen more and more people engage in online shopping rather than hitting the High Street, online banking, video calling, and social media – so perhaps the era of print marketing is drawing to a close.

The online way

Perhaps now companies should be investing more into their online presence. With the search boom continuing, their budgets may well be more wisely spent on search engine optimisation, professional copywriters, mobile websites, video and social media.

It would certainly appear that the effectiveness of print adverts is dwindling. So is this the beginning of the end?

What do you think?

Do you think we’re coming to the end of the print advertising era?

Leave a comment below, I’d love to hear your views.