#Smallbizchat podcast live is a monthly video interview show where small business owners can answer questions.
The focus of #Smallbizchat is to end small business failure by helping participants succeed as their own bosses.
Join us live on the 3rd Wednesday of every month from 8-9pm ET. SmallBizLady Facebook pageYouTube channel, LIVE twitter.
M. Shannon Hernandez is all about life and business that joy. She is the founder of her Joyful Business Revolution™. Joyful Business Revolution™ is a business growth strategy and consulting firm that works with brick-and-mortar or online service-based business owners. Shannon and her team specialize in fun business growth solutions and organic her marketing that help clients grow their matched audience and deepen community relationships. She is especially known around the world for her The Content Personality® Wheel. Shannon has been featured on CBS, ABC, FOX, and she’s on NBC. She has worked in both the NFL and the U.S. Army and has been involved in designing award-winning curriculum for over 25 years. She is a master trainer and teacher. When she’s not teaching, she spreads her joy and funds projects that impact the world and its people.For more information: https://joyfulbusinessrevolution.com/
SmallBizLady: Why do I find marketing difficult?
M. Shannon Hernandez: I hear this question often. There are usually two factors that make marketing difficult.
First, your message is weak. cloudy. Inconsistent. It hasn’t been “proven” to be effective, but I keep publishing content and hoping for different results.
It’s important that your message focuses on who, what, and what you win.
- WHO: Who are you aiming to reach? Whatever answer you provide, we can assure you that we can make it even smaller. You may have heard that wealth is in a niche? This is absolutely true! If you are talking to everyone, you are not talking to anyone.
- what: What is your target customer’s most pressing problem? Note: This is not what you think about their problem. Or that you know their problem. This is what they think their problem is. As professionals, we know that what they often think is their problem is not theirs.
New clients often tell my colleagues and me, “We need more clients.” They think that’s their problem. We now know that there are many factors behind the decline in customer numbers. First, they are usually not well nicheized. Second, they don’t know how to talk (get the message across) about what the client thinks about their problem. So instead of speaking in the client’s language, they market by saying what they think the ideal client needs.
- win: What’s the fastest win you can give a potential new client? They have a problem. you have a solution. Don’t let the water get murky here. Bring them victories and keep building relationships with them! They trust you and sing your praises!
Second, you must be doing too many things in too many places. Did you know that understanding your Content Personalities® can simplify everything? It’s the innate way of communicating and marketing. Your Content Personality® type also gives clues as to which one social media platform is best for you..
SmallBizLady: How can you simplify all things marketing, get results, and get your life back?
M. Shannon Hernandez: We will teach you a super simple 3 step process to grow your business.
- Learn how to use Content Personalities® to get your message across. This includes choosing one social media platform that matches your content personality® and building deep relationships with your community.
- Make the most of your email marketing. Long-term thinking business owners know that owning their contact data is a true measure of sustainability. That means aggressively growing our mailing list as part of our quarterly plan.
- Use blogs to publish long-form content that provides insight and showcases your expertise. Blogging is a big part of SEO and business success.
SmallBizLady: What is mission-driven marketing and why is it more important than ever in business?
M. Shannon Hernandez: Mission-driven marketing is rooted in engaging creative campaigns that help grow your matched audience and build deeper community relationships.We define an attuned audience as those prospects who align with your message and want to be part of your community! More often than not, they love what you stand for and I have a problem you can solve.
This type of marketing is extremely rare and helps set you apart. We can engage deeply with you on what is important to your work.
These multi-week campaigns help you position your mission and what you stand for in ways that resonate with your community, allowing you to build and deepen long-lasting relationships. Targeted and mission-oriented campaigns re-engage your list/community, often shortening the buying cycle and putting the causes that are important to you and your mission at the center.
Financial Planning for Small Business Owners
Curtis May has been a financial planner for over 35 years. He is the creator and owner of Practical Wealth Advisors (PWA) and host of The Practical Wealth Show Podcast. The primary focus of his financial planning firm is to help individuals and families become financially free by following centuries-old principles of wealth creation around the world. , believes that while long-term planning is important, everyone has current financial needs that require assistance. It helps people find money often and apply it to long-term goals and wealth building strategies that complement their current lifestyle needs. Curtis tells people that the most important financial asset is knowledge. is teaching. The more you know, the lower your risk and the more likely you are to succeed over time. For more information: https://www.practicalwealthsolutions.net/
SmallBizLady: Why is traditional financial planning advice bad for small business owners?
Curtis May: Traditional financial planning advice teaches you to send money away from your business, away from what you know, own and control. You risk your money in the hope that the stock market will rise.
SmallBizLady: What’s the Best Retirement Plan for Small Businesses?
Curtis May: i don’t like any of them. They are all government-based plans. We don’t tell people to retire. We want them to be financially free. Not working is voluntary because financial freedom is the ability to earn passive income from business assets or income-matching assets. So it’s a separate focus from determining whether you should fund a SEP, an IRA, or a stand-alone 401k. This is all bad financial planning designed for ordinary people, not business owners.
SmallBizLady: Why is liquidity important for small business owners?
Curtis May: Investing in top assets requires access to capital. And your number one asset is your business. If you invest $1 in your business and get $2 in return, that’s a 100% return. As such, I encourage my clients to have liquidity so they can use and manage their capital. If you have the ability to buy or build cash flow assets, you are always looking to protect your business. COVID has proven this. My business owner is so underfunded that he must have more money than he thinks he needs, both personally and professionally. That’s why we teach people to have 6 to 12 months of liquidity.
High-touch sales in a high-tech world
Phil Gerbyshak is a sales professional, keynote speaker, and author with over 20 years of experience in sales and marketing roles. Throughout his career, Phil has worked for a variety of companies including BNP Paribas, BambooHR, Morgan Stanley, UBS, Strong Investments and Robert W. Baird. Phil has worked in sales as his consultant and sales coach, and has a deep understanding of sales strategies and techniques to drive recruitment and top-line revenue. While also understanding the importance of technology in modern selling, he emphasizes the importance of high-touch selling, building strong client relationships and providing personalized service. For more information: www.philgerbyshak.com
SmallBizlady: Isn’t high-touch sales contradictory in the tech world? Don’t you have to be one or the other?
Phil Garvey Shack: no. They are actually free. Use technology to create a higher touch and deeper meaning.
SmallBizlady: Send hundreds of messages a day, dozens of social media posts every day, or send out email newsletters every day?
Phil Garvey Shack: Absolutely not. It’s all about quality over quantity. By focusing on who you serve best, what problems you solve, why they want or should work with you, and why they shouldn’t. You can focus your outreach on those who have already bought from you and the most. may purchase from you.
SmallBizlady: You coach and teach service over sales. How does it make money in today’s high-tech world?
Phil Garvey Shack: People who do nothing will never sell. You have to show up every day to the person you want to serve and be of value, then make an offer. It should be fun and entertaining. See all emails on App Sumo. They are all aimed at buying software at low prices. But their emails are fun. they are attractive. they are educational. and they sell. You can do the same thing, but you don’t have to do it every day.
Were these interviews helpful? Tell us how they were helpful.
Would you like to be a guest on #Smallbizchat Live?
If you’re a small business owner, author, or subject matter expert, we’d love to have you as a guest on #Smallbizchat LIVE. Submit your name, headshot, Twitter handle, bio, website, topic, and 3 questions and answers in paragraph format to demonstrate your expertise. How to submit materials as a guest on #Smallbizchat click here.
