Top Ten Marketing Tips by Denisse Michaels

by Denisse Michaels

1. Know Your Market Many entrepreneurs have no clue who their customers are and why they really buy their product. If you say, "Everyone is my market," unfortunately no one will be your market. The more specific you get about the kind of person who buys your products or services - the more you can zero in on the perfect message and venue for that message that will make those people stand up and take notice.

2. Create Your Product or Service Around Their Needs Some people come up with something they believe is a great product but they never take the time to determine what needs it fills and what problems their product solves. They talk about features and gizmos no one really cares about. That's an expensive mistake. Find out what problems your customers have that are in need of a solution. Not the other way around.

3. Offer Real Value Ask yourself, "Would you buy it?" And, "Would you recommend it to your best friend?" Make it a value that's too good to pass up. Don't undercut yourself. You deserve to cover your costs and make a fair profit. If people aren't biting, don't assume the price is too high. Instead assume you're not doing an effective job of communicating the value.

4. Be Passionate Your enthusiasm, positive energy and problem-solving skills are sometimes exactly what it takes to save the day and the deal. Also, chances are what you offer is something you'll be offering for a long time. Be passionate first about serving the customer, not just from a customer service standpoint but also in the marketing message you create.

5. Love Your Customer Not Your Product It's easy to love your product. Perhaps you use it personally. Maybe you enjoy the features and benefits. But, cash flow doesn't come from the product. Your product can't love you back. It also can't reject you the way you might feel a customer can, either. Learn everything you can about customers and potential customers. Ask questions. Let that caring reflect back to your customers in your marketing. They will "get it" and want to do business with you.

6. Don't Rely on Word-of-Mouth Advertising When I ask new entrepreneurs how they plan to market their business they frequently reply, "word-of-mouth." Yes, it's one of the strongest forms of "advertising", but you could starve waiting along the way. To me it means they have no marketing budget and no clue. There are free and inexpensive options out there. Create joint venture partnerships, network online, get articles in ezines. Do something!

7. Build a Clear Marketing Message A confused mind always says, "no." As you create your marketing message ask several people to read through what you've written to see if it's clear. Listen with an open mind. If they have to ask you questions, your message is unclear. If you must explain something, that's information that should go in your sales letter. If they're ready to buy, you've got a winner.

8. Make Cause and Effect Links Don't just tell them a feature or benefit about the product. Tell them how that feature or benefit will make their life better. People are busy and stressed these days. They often don't have time to make the connection. If you don't show them how your product or service will improve their life in a real way, who will? Don't expect them to sell themselves.

9. Create Joint Venture Partners Team up with people who have something you want and you can offer value to them. Look for ways that you can help each other building BOTH of your businesses and customer base. Always look for joint venture partners who provide products or services that are complimentary and not competitive. You can help your customer or client more by pointing them to people who have things they need but you don't offer.

10. Test, Test, and Test some More Find out in a small way if people will nibble at your idea before you spend a lot of time or money on it. Talk up your idea. Many people will give you surprisingly good input. Gauge their reactions. Post clues about your idea on a message board in an appropriate way with people who you think might be your customers. Ask, ask, ask and then listen openly.

About the Author

Denise Michaels is a successful marketer, speaker, trainer and mentor. She's helped thousands of entrepreneurs and people who want to be business owners succeed and build cash flow. She wrote the myth-shattering, "Testosterone-Free Marketing." Discover Denise at http://www.MentoringwithDenise.com

TYPES OF INTERVIEW

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1.The Screening Interview

Companies use screening tools to ensure that candidates meet minimum qualification requirements. Computer programs are among the tools used to weed out unqualified candidates. (This is why you need a digital resume that is screening-friendly. See our resume center for help.) Sometimes human professionals are the gatekeepers. Screening interviewers often have honed skills to determine whether there is anything that might disqualify you for the position. Remember-they do not need to know whether you are the best fit for the position, only whether you are not a match. For this reason, screeners tend to dig for dirt. Screeners will hone in on gaps in your employment history or pieces of information that look inconsistent. They also will want to know from the outset whether you will be too expensive for the company.

Some tips for maintaining confidence during screening interviews:

Highlight your accomplishments and qualifications.
Get into the straightforward groove. Personality is not as important to the screener as verifying your qualifications. Answer questions directly and succinctly. Save your winning personality for the person making hiring decisions!
Be tactful about addressing income requirements. Give a range, and try to avoid giving specifics by replying, "I would be willing to consider your best offer."
If the interview is conducted by phone, it is helpful to have note cards with your vital information sitting next to the phone. That way, whether the interviewer catches you sleeping or vacuuming the floor, you will be able to switch gears quickly.

2.The Informational Interview

On the opposite end of the stress spectrum from screening interviews is the informational interview. A meeting that you initiate, the informational interview is underutilized by job-seekers who might otherwise consider themselves savvy to the merits of networking. Job seekers ostensibly secure informational meetings in order to seek the advice of someone in their current or desired field as well as to gain further references to people who can lend insight. Employers that like to stay apprised of available talent even when they do not have current job openings, are often open to informational interviews, especially if they like to share their knowledge, feel flattered by your interest, or esteem the mutual friend that connected you to them. During an informational interview, the jobseeker and employer exchange information and get to know one another better without reference to a specific job opening.

This takes off some of the performance pressure, but be intentional nonetheless:

Come prepared with thoughtful questions about the field and the company.
Gain references to other people and make sure that the interviewer would be comfortable if you contact other people and use his or her name.
Give the interviewer your card, contact information and resume.
Write a thank you note to the interviewer.

3.The Directive Style

In this style of interview, the interviewer has a clear agenda that he or she follows unflinchingly. Sometimes companies use this rigid format to ensure parity between interviews; when interviewers ask each candidate the same series of questions, they can more readily compare the results. Directive interviewers rely upon their own questions and methods to tease from you what they wish to know. You might feel like you are being steam-rolled, or you might find the conversation develops naturally. Their style does not necessarily mean that they have dominance issues, although you should keep an eye open for these if the interviewer would be your supervisor.

Either way, remember:

Flex with the interviewer, following his or her lead.
Do not relinquish complete control of the interview. If the interviewer does not ask you for information that you think is important to proving your superiority as a candidate, politely interject it.

4.The Meandering Style

This interview type, usually used by inexperienced interviewers, relies on you to lead the discussion. It might begin with a statement like "tell me about yourself," which you can use to your advantage. The interviewer might ask you another broad, open-ended question before falling into silence. This interview style allows you tactfully to guide the discussion in a way that best serves you.

The following strategies, which are helpful for any interview, are particularly important when interviewers use a non-directive approach:

Come to the interview prepared with highlights and anecdotes of your skills, qualities and experiences. Do not rely on the interviewer to spark your memory-jot down some notes that you can reference throughout the interview.
Remain alert to the interviewer. Even if you feel like you can take the driver's seat and go in any direction you wish, remain respectful of the interviewer's role. If he or she becomes more directive during the interview, adjust.
Ask well-placed questions. Although the open format allows you significantly to shape the interview, running with your own agenda and dominating the conversation means that you run the risk of missing important information about the company and its needs.

5.The Stress Interview

Astounding as this is, the Greek hazing system has made its way into professional interviews. Either employers view the stress interview as a legitimate way of determining candidates' aptness for a position or someone has latent maniacal tendencies. You might be held in the waiting room for an hour before the interviewer greets you. You might face long silences or cold stares. The interviewer might openly challenge your believes or judgment. You might be called upon to perform an impossible task on the fly-like convincing the interviewer to exchange shoes with you. Insults and miscommunication are common. All this is designed to see whether you have the mettle to withstand the company culture, the clients or other potential stress.

Besides wearing a strong anti-perspirant, you will do well to:

Remember that this is a game. It is not personal. View it as the surreal interaction that it is.
Prepare and memorize your main message before walking through the door. If you are flustered, you will better maintain clarity of mind if you do not have to wing your responses.
Even if the interviewer is rude, remain calm and tactful.
Go into the interview relaxed and rested. If you go into it feeling stressed, you will have a more difficult time keeping a cool perspective.

6.The Behavioral Interview

Many companies increasingly rely on behavior interviews since they use your previous behavior to indicate your future performance. In these interviews, employers use standardized methods to mine information relevant to your competency in a particular area or position. Depending upon the responsibilities of the job and the working environment, you might be asked to describe a time that required problem-solving skills, adaptability, leadership, conflict resolution, multi-tasking, initiative or stress management. You will be asked how you dealt with the situations.

Your responses require not only reflection, but also organization. To maximize your responses in the behavioral format:

Anticipate the transferable skills and personal qualities that are required for the job.
Review your resume. Any of the qualities and skills you have included in your resume are fair game for an interviewer to press.
Reflect on your own professional, volunteer, educational and personal experience to develop brief stories that highlight these skills and qualities in you. You should have a story for each of the competencies on your resume as well as those you anticipate the job requires.
Prepare stories by identifying the context, logically highlighting your actions in the situation, and identifying the results of your actions. Keep your responses concise and present them in less than two minutes.

7.The Audition

For some positions, such as computer programmers or trainers, companies want to see you in action before they make their decision. For this reason, they might take you through a simulation or brief exercise in order to evaluate your skills. An audition can be enormously useful to you as well, since it allows you to demonstrate your abilities in interactive ways that are likely familiar to you. The simulations and exercises should also give you a simplified sense of what the job would be like. If you sense that other candidates have an edge on you in terms of experience or other qualifications, requesting an audition can help level the playing field.

To maximize on auditions, remember to:

Clearly understand the instructions and expectations for the exercise. Communication is half the battle in real life, and you should demonstrate to the prospective employer that you make the effort to do things right the first time by minimizing confusion.
Treat the situation as if you are a professional with responsibility for the task laid before you. Take ownership of your work.
Brush up on your skills before an interview if you think they might be tested.

8.The Group Interview

Interviewing simultaneously with other candidates can be disconcerting, but it provides the company with a sense of your leadership potential and style. The group interview helps the company get a glimpse of how you interact with peers-are you timid or bossy, are you attentive or do you seek attention, do others turn to you instinctively, or do you compete for authority? The interviewer also wants to view what your tools of persuasion are: do you use argumentation and careful reasoning to gain support or do you divide and conquer? The interviewer might call on you to discuss an issue with the other candidates, solve a problem collectively, or discuss your peculiar qualifications in front of the other candidates.

This environment might seem overwhelming or hard to control, but there are a few tips that will help you navigate the group interview successfully:

Observe to determine the dynamics the interviewer establishes and try to discern the rules of the game. If you are unsure of what is expected from you, ask for clarification from the interviewer.
Treat others with respect while exerting influence over others.
Avoid overt power conflicts, which will make you look uncooperative and immature.
Keep an eye on the interviewer throughout the process so that you do not miss important cues.

9.The Tag-Team Interview

Expecting to meet with Ms. Glenn, you might find yourself in a room with four other people: Ms. Glenn, two of her staff, and the Sales Director. Companies often want to gain the insights of various people when interviewing candidates. This method of interviewing is often attractive for companies that rely heavily on team cooperation. Not only does the company want to know whether your skills balance that of the company, but also whether you can get along with the other workers. In some companies, multiple people will interview you simultaneously. In other companies, you will proceed through a series of one-on-one interviews.

Some helpful tips for maximizing on this interview format:

Treat each person as an important individual. Gain each person's business card at the beginning of the meeting, if possible, and refer to each person by name. If there are several people in the room at once, you might wish to scribble down their names on a sheet of paper according to where each is sitting. Make eye contact with each person and speak directly to the person asking each question.
Use the opportunity to gain as much information about the company as you can. Just as each interviewer has a different function in the company, they each have a unique perspective. When asking questions, be sensitive not to place anyone in a position that invites him to compromise confidentiality or loyalty.
Bring at least double the anecdotes and sound-bites to the interview as you would for a traditional one-on-one interview. Be ready to illustrate your main message in a variety of ways to a variety of people.
Prepare psychologically to expend more energy and be more alert than you would in a one-on-one interview. Stay focused and adjustable.

10.The Mealtime Interview

For many, interviewing over a meal sounds like a professional and digestive catastrophe in the making. If you have difficulty chewing gum while walking, this could be a challenge. With some preparation and psychological readjustment, you can enjoy the process. Meals often have a cementing social effect-breaking bread together tends to facilitate deals, marriages, friendships, and religious communion. Mealtime interviews rely on this logic, and expand it.

Particularly when your job requires interpersonal acuity, companies want to know what you are like in a social setting. Are you relaxed and charming or awkward and evasive? Companies want to observe not only how you handle a fork, but also how you treat your host, any other guests, and the serving staff.

Some basic social tips help ease the complexity of mixing food with business:

Take cues from your interviewer, remembering that you are the guest. Do not sit down until your host does. Order something slightly less extravagant than your interviewer. If he badly wants you to try a particular dish, oblige him. If he recommends an appetizer to you, he likely intends to order one himself. Do not begin eating until he does. If he orders coffee and dessert, do not leave him eating alone.
If your interviewer wants to talk business, do so. If she and the other guests discuss their upcoming travel plans or their families, do not launch into business.
Try to set aside dietary restrictions and preferences. Remember, the interviewer is your host. It is rude to be finicky unless you absolutely must. If you must, be as tactful as you can. Avoid phrases like: "I do not eat mammals," or "Shrimp makes my eyes swell and water."
Choose manageable food items, if possible. Avoid barbeque ribs and spaghetti.
Find a discrete way to check your teeth after eating. Excuse yourself from the table for a moment.
Practice eating and discussing something important simultaneously.
Thank your interviewer for the meal.

11.The Follow-up Interview

Companies bring candidates back for second and sometimes third or fourth interviews for a number of reasons. Sometimes they just want to confirm that you are the amazing worker they first thought you to be. Sometimes they are having difficulty deciding between a short-list of candidates. Other times, the interviewer's supervisor or other decision makers in the company want to gain a sense of you before signing a hiring decision.

The second interview could go in a variety of directions, and you must prepare for each of them. When meeting with the same person again, you do not need to be as assertive in your communication of your skills. You can focus on cementing rapport, understanding where the company is going and how your skills mesh with the company vision and culture. Still, the interviewer should view you as the answer to their needs. You might find yourself negotiating a compensation package. Alternatively, you might find that you are starting from the beginning with a new person.

Some tips for managing second interviews:

Be confident. Accentuate what you have to offer and your interest in the position.
Probe tactfully to discover more information about the internal company dynamics and culture.
Walk through the front door with a plan for negotiating a salary.
Be prepared for anything: to relax with an employer or to address the company's qualms about you.

JOB INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Standard Questions
Standard interview questions might not seem difficult, but your answer to each should be polished and sharp. Craft responses and practice them before your interview so that they roll off your tongue when you face the interviewer. Effective responses answer questions honestly, positively, and briefly, highlighting important qualities and accomplishments that are relevant to the position at hand. Give examples to illustrate and corroborate your statements when possible. Your responses should work together, making connections between what you have previously done, the available position, and your goals.

1.Tell me about yourself.
Ineffective:
I am a hard-worker who is good with numbers. After I worked as a financial analyst for a few years, I decided to go to law school. I just finished and now am looking for a new challenge.
Effective:
I began developing skills relevant to financial planning when I worked as a financial analyst for three years. In that role, I succeeded in multiplying the wealth of my clients by carefully analyzing the market for trends. The return on the portfolios I managed was generally 2% more than most of the portfolios managed by my company. My initiative, planning, and analytic skills were rewarded by two promotions. As the manager of a team, I successfully led them to develop a more efficient and profitable strategy for dealing with new accounts. My subsequent training in the law, including tax law and estate law, gives me an informed view of what types of investments and charitable gifts would be most advantageous for your clients.

2.What did you most enjoy about your last job?

Ineffective:
I liked lots of things-the people, the challenge, the rewards. Sometimes we had to work long hours, but it always seemed to pay off.
Effective:
Of the many things that I enjoyed, I would say that the strategic aspects of my job most energized me. I liked setting concrete performance goals for myself and finding ways to meet them. I similarly enjoyed analyzing markets for trends and identifying when would be the most beneficial time to enter or withdraw from certain funds. When I was a manager, my team and I developed a new approach to accounts that became a standard for the company. Strategizing gave my work a sense of tangible direction and accomplishment.

3.How would your colleagues or supervisor describe you?
Ineffective:
I guess they would say that I am a hard worker who is successful.
Effective:
My supervisor and colleagues have described me as a dependable worker. My supervisor has appreciated that I prioritize tasks and manage my responsibilities so that she can rely on me. My bosses tell me I have a sixth sense for markets and I learn new information and procedures quickly. These skills account for my two promotions in three years. My boss was also impressed by how I was able to lead my team.

4.What can you offer us that other people cannot?
Ineffective:
I have a unique combination of skills. I also really want the job.
Effective:
I have a track-record of multiplying wealth through investments and developing strategies with teams. Since I have a JD, I also know what legal parameters and loopholes affect families and individuals planning their finances. My CFA training not only shows that I will succeed in the CFP courses, but also gives me a broader view of why financial plans work as they do. Since I am organized and self-motivated, I will add value to the company without requiring much tending and supervision.

5.What about this job attracts you? What is unattractive?
Ineffective:
I like that it is in the field I am targeting. I don't like the commute that it will require.
Effective:
As I evaluate my skills and goals, this job maximizes on both. I will be able to merge my knowledge of law and markets while strategizing for the sound financial future of clients. Since this is a small company, I imagine that there will be opportunity for increased responsibilities and challenges. I share the values of the company. I am not eager to do much data processing, but the position is very attractive.

6.How long do you see yourself with us?
Ineffective:
I don't want to make any hasty commitments, and I like to keep my options open. Maybe I will be here for one year, maybe for five. It depends.
Effective:
I see myself here as long as we both think that I am contributing to the vitality of the company while still being grown through challenges.

7.How would you describe an ideal working environment?
Ineffective:
A laptop and cell phone on a beach sound ideal to me. Short of that, I would like an environment in which I am able to work as I please, without much supervision.
Effective:
It is important to me that my company has clear objectives and strives for success. Similarly, I like having colleagues whom I admire for their skills and perspectives. When communication is clear between colleagues, our energy becomes synergy. In addition, I find that I flourish when given discretion after having gained the trust of my supervisor.

Difficult Questions
You think the interview is going well. You knew the meeting location ahead of time, and you arrived ten minutes early. You are dressed sharp and your teeth are clean. You came prepared in every way-you have three copies of your resume, a few business cards, two pens and a note pad. You turned off your cell-phone. You managed to find out before the interview that your interviewer held the position for which you are now applying and that you were in choir at the same college. You know the company's mission statement and have a sense of their structure. Your interviewer nodded and smiled when you spoke about your previous accomplishments and your management style. You seem to have connected with the company culture.
Your reflection, research, and practice have served you so well that you wonder whether you should become a professional interviewee rather than a Financial Planner. Then the interviewer lifts her head from her notes and, pen in hand, asks: what are your weaknesses?
You have two options: you can squirm and stammer through a response you develop on the fly, or you can look your interviewer in the eye and provide a thoughtful response that still helps you present yourself strongly. When asked difficult questions, you feel instinctively that they are probing and that you are under great scrutiny. As you prepare responses before the interview, consider what information the questions seek: are there ways in which you would be a liability to the company? If the company invests in you, what kinds of things would it need to overcome? Are you the kind of person who can deal with things when they get rough, or are you pure gloss?
In answering sensitive questions, make sure that your answers are honest, but reassuring. Use tact and choose your words carefully so that you show respect for other people in your responses. You should usually use understatement in your reply to sensitive questions. When people hear something bad, they tend to focus on it in a way that is out of proportion to its significance in everyday life. If you say that you are not always organized, the interviewer could imagine your desk with papers strewn everywhere and deadlines missed. But in reality your conception of disorganization might look a lot like the interviewer's conception of organization. In addition, most of the interviewer's questions could be answered honestly in a variety of ways. You want to choose the version of the truth that is most appealing and sensitive--the version that helps support your main message.
Examples:

8.What are your weaknesses?
Overemphasized:
I am not a good manager.
Avoidant:
I always get my work done on time. When other people drop the ball, sometimes I get frustrated with them.
Effective:
I prioritize continual growth and improvement. An area on which I would like to focus is managing others who have different expectations from me. What needs to be done in order to complete responsibilities is intuitive for me, so I am learning how to give better direction to others who are not self-motivated.

9.Why did you leave your last job?
Vague and negative:
Law always interested me, and I was looking for a new challenge. I thought it would be a good time to go to law school. Besides, I had gotten frustrated with the lack of support I felt at work.
Dangerous:
In the end, my manager and I could not get along. He was driving me crazy and I needed to leave.
Effective:
As I succeeded in financial analysis, I became increasingly interested in broader issues of managing money. I wanted to understand how legal regulations and individuals' goals affect decisions about how to manage money. When I gained entrance to my top choice in law school, I seized the opportunity to infuse my financial training with legal knowledge.

10.How do you deal with criticism?
Disrespectful:
When I remember the source, I usually realize that the other person is in no position to criticize me.
Unbelievable:
Criticism does not bother me at all.
Effective:
Criticism is vital to my continued growth, and I welcome constructive criticism that helps a team operate better together or produce better results. It is important to me to understand where my critic is coming from so that I know how to apply the feedback.

11.Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Dismissive:
Living in a boat off the coast of Bermuda.
Exploitative:
I hope to have gained enough skills here to start my own company.
Scattered:
In ten years, I imagine that I will want a change of scene. One of my long-term interests has been ecological protection, and I can see myself working as a spokesman for a lobbyist organization. First, though, I need to make some money and I want to contribute to your company.
Effective:
In ten years, I endeavor to have refined my strategic and client relations skills. I intend to be a leading expert in estate planning. After having proven myself as a senior manager, I hope to help shape the strategic direction of estate planning services. I could do this in any number of official roles. The important thing is that I will continue contributing my abilities in a challenging and rewarding environment.

12.How do you deal with authority?
Concerning:
I think it is important to question authority from time to time.
Frightening:
In my last job, there was a time when my boss made a financial decision that I knew would be abysmal. I went directly to his superior to explain the problem. His superior agreed that I was right, and my boss had to alter his plan.
Effective:
Respect is very important to me. As an employee, I try to respect my boss not only by following her guidance, but also by seeking her guidance. When a trusting relationship is formed, I have often found that my bosses have appreciated concerns or options that I raised to them. They know that I support them, and I know that they respect me.

13.What do you think of your previous manager?
Evasive:
She did her job fine. She was a pretty nice person.
Disrespectful:
She knew her stuff, but she did not give my colleagues or me any real guidance. It is like we were fending for ourselves. She rarely stood up for us either. I do not really think she should be a manager.
Effective:
My previous manager had excellent technical skills and was very agreeable as a colleague. I would have liked more support from her at times, but her hands-off style meant that I had to become resourceful in problem solving and negotiating with colleagues.

14.What is the riskiest thing you have ever done?
Too much information:
My wife and I conceived our first child in front of the police department.
Dangerous judgment:
I play chicken with trains.
Effective:
The greatest calculated risk that I have taken was to launch my own internet company. My idea was solid, but I knew the market was volatile. Even though the venture ended, my investment of time and money paid off in terms of the skills, perspectives, and contacts that I made through the process. I feel like I matured-rather than aged-ten years during that time.