This was the theme of a recent election. Many of you probably remember the posters, commercials and campaign. The slogan was brilliant. There is a romance in what is new. An appeal to embrace a new path. However, how often do we take that new path? At what point do we not only fall in love with the idea but allow it to drive us to making true change?
Change We Can Believe IN
How does Change occur? What is the impetus for it to happen?
1. Change occurs when the pain to remain the same is too great.
Only you can control the change that can take place. Part of the disenchantment by many is the realization that a slogan and one person’s idea is not enough to change a nation, system or club. You can however, change yourself. You can change the way you act, speak, work and live.
Every year millions of people make new years resolutions and every year by February 1st- one month later they have been cast aside. Why is that? Many times these resolutions are “ifs” and “hope to” not a MUST do. Only when the pain or pending outcome will result in disaster do people truly change.
It seems as though a diet or working out is on everyone’s list each year. Most stop within 60 days. Yet, those with dietary needs or cancer that MUST change their diet DO in order to survive- in order to continue living.
2. You can not change someone else
We see this over and over again in failed relationships and marriages. You genuinely like the person but hope to be able to “change” the way they act, behave or even converse with others.
Let’s make it SIMPLE. You can NOT change them. They must earnestly want to change themselves. People will not change to conform to an ideal that you possess or want.
3. Change happens from within
So how does change occur with someone that wants to change? A lot of it depends on what they are changing but here are some simple steps:
1. Start with the reason you want to change. Understand not just what you are changing but WHY.
2. Uncover the barriers: What has prevented you from changing this before?
3. Eliminate the barriers. Are they physical, emotional, relational barriers? Many times people have surrounded themselves with people that enable them to remain the same and those that will not support a change. You must find a Changer.
4. Find Changers – Find those that are succeeding in the arena you want to change. Contact the Changer and ask them for a plan. Engage them to help you with your new change. It is always amazing to me how many people want to help but never get asked to help. Enlist the help of a Changer today.
5. 1 Change at a Time. Do not start with 10 things you want to change tomorrow. Understand it is a process and to focus on one thing at a time.
4. What will you change today?
So, what will it be? What will you change today that will make a better YOU tomorrow? The only person limiting your potential is yourself. Start with the change within today. 3 months from now you will see a change not only you can BELIEVE in but a change that did occur!!
Recently, James Nellis was requested to come and speak to a Top Brokerage in the Metro DC area on Social Fusion. The integration of multiple forms of media to create social fusion for their small businesses. It is more than just social networking. It is understanding how to make it part of their online strategy for marketing themselves and their businesses.
James Nellis speaking with a Top Real Estate Brokerage
Learning how to identify the target market and keep up with the accessibility of today’s consumer takes a new type of savvy business owner. It must be done through a holistic approach as you leverage your dominance in the local marketplace with a genuine “you” online.
It is fun for me as a speaker when the audience really “gets it”. They start embracing the new concepts and ways of doing marketing so they can better serve their clients and make wise decisions with their marketing dollars.
Spoken Word recently launched their in-house studios in order to provide graphic design, copy writing and print pieces for all businesses. Contact Spoken Word Seminars for more details.
Listen to what some of the Top Brokers & Agents that attended this recent event had to say about James Nellis and Social Fusion:
You must begin with the consumer in mind. How do you take the focus off of your company? Your Brand? What makes you money? This can be difficult for many companies. You need to start assessing what consumers are saying about your industry and gain the consensus from your target market. Most companies are not big enough to hire an outside marketing firm to do polling and research. The average cost for one project could be $20,000.00 to a research firm.
Where does this leave the small business or a larger company looking to reduce their marketing & research budget? It leaves you with an answer we found in doing our own sales. You have the opportunity to use 3 strategies to understand the mind of your consumer: Songbirds, National Research & Success Stories.
Songbirds: A songbird is a past client that “sings” your praises. They had a great experience with your sales team and are interested in seeing your company succeed. A typical songbird will have referred you other friends and coworkers because they believe in your service, company and product.
You will need to gather 5-7 Songbirds and ask them to commit to meeting 3 or 4 times a year. Your songbirds know what is important to the consumer as they were and are a consumer. They are outside of your profession so they have great outside perspective. They are your informal survey, your opportunity to poll them for your marketing campaigns, branding and your current engagement with consumers.
National Research: Many businesses fall under a larger professional group or national organization. It is crucial to “know your numbers.” By reviewing the research conducted by your national organization you gain an understanding of the trends. It is true that all companies are different and function at different levels but by seeing national trends you gain a national perspective. Many of the reports will show you where the consumers are coming from, their buying choices and buying intervals. This can be used as a basic road map for next year.
Compare your sales and consumers with the national research. Do you see the same trends? Are your consumers different? Is there a new segment of consumers you can now go after for sales?
Success Stories: The need to reinvent the wheel. When I was young in the sales arena I had the need to impress others. I wanted to show that I could create all my own systems. I could develop the best scripts. I could make the most sales doing it my way. Why? What a waste of time!!
Thankfully I finally learned it is much more simple to win in sales. The simplicity is to find the “winners” in your industry. Who is a success story? What do they do that works? What makes them different than their competition?
Now not all of your local success stories will be willing to share because you are their competition. Your best resource will be success stories in other parts of the Country that have a similar buying cycle, similar demographics and a similar niche consumer.
Find 3 top companies, 3 success stories this week. Make it your goal to get in contact with the owners and set up a phone conference call. You may not have direct access to the company owner or president so start with whoever you can talk with and begin asking questions.
Many of the successful companies will have been called/asked by others before. Some may give you the opportunity to “shadow” them for a day or come to their office and watch their sales machine in action. I have seen these companies do it for free and others that charge 5,000.00 or more a day. If your current resources do not allow for that type of expense find the 4th success story. One principle I have learned over the years is that many of the successful people at the top love to share and give to others. No one was a complete success on their own. We as people always enjoy the ability to help others. Put yourself and your company in the position to be helped by these successful companies.
*** Stay tuned for more details on the E-BOOK entitled “Social Fusion: The Modern Day Approach to Selling”by James Nellis
I was raised in a family of sales. From an early age I had the opportunity to watch and see the natural sales cycle. My formal education in psychology gave me the insight to look past the basic interactions with a consumer. It instilled within me the desire to seek to understand their behavioral environment, the art of listening and to focus on how to connect with each consumer. This real connection within sales is missing from many companies.
After 15 years of dedicated sales I have learned the advantage of a holistic approach to selling. The answer is to not focus on just one segment or marketing approach but to combine it with the primary goal. I have watched the web and online tools transform the sales industry over the last 10 years and I was forced into adapting a new way of interacting with leads and the consumer. This new philosophy is Social Fusion. It is my hope that by you implementing Social Fusion in your business you will find success beyond your wildest dreams.
This book is dedicated to my family:
My Mother & Father whom continue to be true mentors and examples of selling with a foundation of faith in God. My sister & brother-in-law are inspirations of keeping the client first before the sale. I am thankful most of all to God who has provided me this opportunity to share from a platform and honor Him. Below is a passage that has shaped my life and perspective on sales:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Every consumer that enters my office is viewed in respect to this passage. I will not sell anything to a consumer that I would not purchase if I was in their same situation. I have lost some sales as a result of this mission but it has preserved my company’s integrity and our foundation for doing business.
Chapter 1- Social Confusion:
Many companies focus only on one or two forms of media and miss the opportunity to engage with today’s consumer. In recent times we have seen the major companies begin hiring “Social Media Directors” and Brand Managers in hopes of capturing the new business. Small Business owners have also gotten involved themselves trying to utilize the online tools and networks. The issue for small business owners is time and money. Even though some of the larger organizations have the financial resources to hire positions they are still missing out on the true opportunity to engage. We have also seen many National Speakers and Trainers speak on social media and online selling. Unfortunately, the majority of them are missing the mark.
It is not the lack of resources that prevent companies from making money online it is their approach. They must begin today with a holistic philosophy for their company defined as Social Fusion.
Social Fusion is the layering of multiple forms of media to integrate with the accessibility of today’s consumer. Social Fusion begins with an emphasis on the “whole” or your overall goal as a company. How does your company mission statement correspond with your online brand? Are you marketing your company in a way to attract today’s consumer?
Each business owner or marketing department must understand how to interact with the consumer of today. Many companies are still frozen in the “Grand Marketing Era”… You remember- when big companies got bigger by throwing money at it and heavily marketing how good they were and how elite their product was that you as the consumer were lucky to purchase. During this Grand Marketing Era (GME) the focus was on the brand and on the company not the consumer. It did work, but it will no longer breed success in today’s business market. Perhaps a great example of the GME is Ford, a company that waited too long to adapt to the new consumer. Not only must you have a quality product for the consumer but you must anticipate the next generation buyer’s needs.
The consumer today has more choices. The consumer is more informed. The consumer demands more than ever before. So, what do you do? How do you become profitable and successful in today’s marketplace?
Each company must focus on the 3 basics of Social Fusion: Consumer, Brand & Marketing. All 3 are needed to interact with each other in a layered approach to selling. You must begin with the consumer in mind. Establish a Brand that communicates with the consumer. And market in a way to interact and engage the consumer.
Begin today. Implement Social Fusion & engage today’s consumer.
Social Fusion is defined by James Nellis as “The layering of multiple forms of media to integrate with the accessiblity of today’s consumer.” Each business owner or marketing department must understand how to interact with the consumer of today. Many companies are still frozen in the “Grand Marketing Era”… You remember- when big companies got bigger by throwing money at it and heavily marketing how good they were and how elite their product. During the Grand Marketing Era (GME) the focus was on the brand and on the company not the consumer. It did work, but it will no longer breed success in today’s business market. Below is an image of the FORD logo… Perhaps a great example of the GME: a company that waited too long to adapt to the new consumer.
The consumer has more choices. The consumer is more informed. The consumer demands more today. So, what do you do? How do you become profitable and a success in today’s marketplace?
Each company must focus on their Consumer, Brand & Marketing. All 3 need to interact with each other in a layered marketing approach. You have to present a common theme and speak in the common vernacular in each “sphere”. Sphere is labeled as the online communities. Some examples of spheres would be Facebook, LinkedIN, Twitter… One of the most costly mistakes is taking 1 message to every audience with the same language. Each sphere speaks a different language and part of Social Fusion is learning how to master the language needed for the audience you want to interact with today. Below is a preview of an upcoming Seminar on Social Fusion… Click on the video to learn more and get 2 free tips on how to succeed with an online strategy using Social Fusion:
