January 2019
7462 Old Hickory Drive, Mechanicsville, VA 23111 • www.sklartechnology.com • 804-730-2628
Stop Yelling Into the Void
3 Steps to Build a List that Works
building. I’ll Google the company later, and if they’d make a good prospect, I add them to my mailing list for my newsletter.Yes, it’s really that simple. Take Advantage of LinkedIn and Sales Navigator If you aren’t using LinkedIn regularly, you are missing out on a huge opportunity.We search LinkedIn to find our target prospects, searching our area for the designed demographics. Once we find a good prospect, we use Sales Navigator to connect with them. Once you have your list, you actually need to do something with it.Those names are worthless unless you make them part of your marketing strategy. Here’s a quick overview of simple ways to put your list into action. Test With a Postcard Before you launch a big campaign, determine which addresses on your list are good or bad. Make this step simple, and work with a company like Vistaprint to send out some postcards. Pull any bad addresses or opt-outs from your list, and focus your efforts on quality leads. Mail Your Newsletter I’ve been doing this newsletter for over two years, and it’s proven to be the best way to keep quality leads warm until they’re ready to convert and keep in touch with current clients. Plus, when I add new people to my list, it’s easy to start mailing them my newsletter that month. Trust me, when you’ve put the time into building a Great! Now What Do I Do?
A few weeks ago, I was down in New Orleans for a mastermind group when a guy told me he spent $2,500 a month on SEO marketing. He insisted this process worked, because he got two leads from it in the previous weeks.When I asked if they were good leads, he shook his head and said, “No, they were total junk.”That doesn’t sound like something that works to me! I told him he needed to ditch that and make a list in order to stop wandering aimlessly and go after the clients he wants.This guy told me he couldn’t do that, which wasn’t surprising.A lot of business owners are intimidated by this idea of making a list.They don’t know where to start! This month, I want to show you how easy it really is to build and use a quality list. You could build a list with services like Salesgenie, but I don’t recommend it. For one, they’re usually only 70 percent accurate.You want to have control over who you are reaching out to, and for that, you need to build your own list. Don’t worry, it’s easier than it sounds. Here are three ways I build mine. Network How many business cards do you get at a networking event or golf tournament? Do they all just end up in a desk drawer?When you get a card from someone you want to work with, put them on your list! 3 Steps to a Great List
great list, you don’t want it to go cold.You can learn the tricks to getting a newsletter like mine out every month at Bit.ly/MakeMyNewsletter. Send Out Invitations to Your Next Event I wholeheartedly believe that holding events is essential to a successful marketing plan. Hosting a great event puts you in the same room as your hottest leads. I recommend hosting a free informational event, complete with dinner and a call to action. This is where the time and money you’ve invested in building your list can really pay off. Russell Brunson, CEO of ClickFunnels, has called lists “your company’s greatest asset.” It doesn’t take much to build this quality asset, so why would you miss out on it? “Once you have your list, you actually need to do something with it.”
Pound the Pavement Sometimes I’ll be driving around in my truck, and I’ll see a really nice office
–Randy Sklar
A REFERRAL IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF FLATTERY. WHEN A CLIENT REFERS FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES TO US, IT REPRESENTS AN APPRECIATION OF A JOB WELL-DONE. IF YOUR FRIENDS OR ASSOCIATES COULD BENEFIT FROM OUR SERVICES, I’D BE HONORED TO HAVE YOUR REFERRAL!
Without Repeating Past Mistakes MARKET TO GEN Z
What’s the best way to fire someone? Is there one? Even in the most well-handled circumstances, firing an employee always leads to tension and hard feelings. Managers dodge awkward questions, morale takes a turn, and other employees start to fear for their own jobs. Seeking to improve the whole process, David Siegel, digital media executive and adjunct professor of management at Columbia University, offers a more humane and perhaps even more successful approach when it comes to firing: transparent separations. “With transparent separations, you don’t blindside an employee or fire him outright,” Siegel explains in an article for the Harvard Book Review. “Instead, you encourage him to leave on his own by letting him know he is going to be let go soon and needs to start looking for a new job ASAP. […] I don’t recommend setting a strict departure deadline at first, but I do provide a time frame for clear progress on the job hunt. […] I also ask that the employee keep the arrangement confidential.” Telling an employee they will be fired weeks in advance feels like it could backfire, but Siegel claims he’s actually been thanked by fired employees for this approach. This is because rather than being caught unaware and seeing their life thrown into uncertainty, fired employees feel supported by the company and have the opportunity to make the transition without fear. Here are the two biggest benefits of transparent separations. Smoother Transition —Your company has the time to find a suitable replacement, and the employee has the benefit of looking for a new job while still employed. Of course, if an employee lets their work suffer during the transition, managers should treat this like a broken deal and accelerate the termination. Improved Company Culture —Abrupt firings make employees nervous and turn managers into villains.With the transparent separation method, the departure is known in advance and the employee being let go is able to talk about their new job rather than let rumors fly about an unexpected termination. Transparent separation isn’t the best option for every situation. For example, if a manager’s bad behavior is creating a toxic work environment for employees, that manager needs to go right away. However, when the reason for the departure is performance-based, taking the time to practice this method can help create a more positive experience at your company. Can Your Company Benefit From Transparent Separations? Time to Say Goodbye
Have you started marketing to Generation Z yet? You should be. The oldest members of this generation — usually defined as people born during the mid- 1990s to early 2000s — are starting to enter the workforce. By 2020, around 40 percent of consumer buying power will come from Generation Z. Companies need to think about how to reach them — preferably without making the same mistakes they made when marketing to millennials.
Learn Where Your Audience Is At and Why
Generation Z grew up in an internet-focused world, but that doesn’t mean you can reach them through Facebook or email. Younger social media users gravitate to video-based platforms like YouTube or TikTok. On these apps, content feels more “real” because it is made by users for users. This preference shapes their buying habits. A survey from Business Insider found that only 49 percent of Gen Zers shop online once a month, a steep decline from the 74 percent of millennials who regularly make online purchases. Fifty-eight percent of the Gen Zers surveyed said they preferred brick-and-mortar shopping because they “wanted to see and feel the product.” There have been countless embarrassing attempts to get “on the level” with millennials, from a pizza company misunderstanding a trending hashtag about domestic violence to a presidential campaign asking people to use emojis to describe how they feel about student loan debt. These disasters produced major backlash because they were inappropriate, condescending, and insincere. Stay true to your brand persona and think twice before you approve an ad that riffs on a popular meme or claims your product is a “big mood.” Many of the mistakes companies made when marketing to millennials came from trying to market to “Millennials”— in other words, they relied on stereotypes to plan campaigns. Don’t make the same mistake with the 61 million Gen Zers about to enter the workforce. As president and founder of Red Fan Communications, Kathleen Lucente, puts it, “It’s more about understanding a set of behaviors, communication preferences, spending habits, brand affinities, and loyalties. Using terms like ‘millennial’ or ‘Gen Z’ might be easy, but they shouldn’t be applied to marketing when there are myriad other ways to understand behavior.” Marketers need to up their game when it comes to reaching this next generation — a generation who spent years watching companies clumsily attempt to connect with their millennial parents or siblings. Gen Zers can spot insincere or manipulative marketing a mile away. Don’t Be ‘Hip’ Remember That ‘Gen Z’ Isn’t a Demographic
Read All About It The news is a mess. In the age of technology, every update is treated like breaking news. Trying to listen to every broadcast or read every article is a fool’s errand, but for business owners, Richmond BizSense Do you run a company in or around Richmond, Virginia? Then you need to be keeping up with
The Best Daily News Feeds for Business Owners
staying ignorant isn’t an option. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution, and it’s waiting in your inbox. Daily news feeds grant you the ability to get caught up with important events without listening to reporters yell at each other. Here are a few of the best daily news feeds you can have delivered right to you today. Forbes’ ‘The Daily Dozen’ The Daily Dozen is best suited for readers who already get news from Forbes, want to save time, and skip digging through their many channels. Caroline Howard, director of editorial operations for Forbes, says “The Daily Dozen” is “a direct window into the stories that matter most to our audience and is the latest entrant in our growing portfolio of newsletters.” Check it out at Bit.ly/ ForbesDailyDozen .
Richmond BizSense. Staying up-to-date on global news is important, but most businesses have local clients. You need to keep informed about what’s going on in your community. The Richmond BizSense website covers everything from marketing and education to retail. After reading up on the local real estate report, you can even check out what’s new in Richmond’s brewery scene. Get in touch with your community at RichmondBizSense.com , where you can subscribe to their free newsletter, “The Daily News Feed.” ‘Morning Brew’ The “Morning Brew” offers readers the opportunity to “become smarter in just five minutes.” Do they deliver? It’s hard to say, but by featuring the latest from Wall Street to Silicon Valley, you’ll certainly be more informed in just
five minutes. This news feed will also help save you time, as each story is condensed to the most important information. Become an expert on the latest news before you finish your coffee at MorningBrew.com. Nobody wants to end up on another email list, but daily news feeds offer more than dog food coupons you’ll never use. There are plenty of news feeds available, so why not look around for one that reports on what’s most important to you? It’s better than getting your news through Facebook.
Citrus and Avocado Salad
Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice • 1 bunch arugula • 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves • 1 avocado, cut into wedges • Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 blood, cara cara, or navel orange, sliced 1/8-inch thick and deseeded • 1 Meyer or regular lemon, sliced 1/8 inch-thick and deseeded • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided • 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
Directions 1. Heat oven to 425 F.
2. In a rimmed baking sheet, toss citrus slices with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast citrus until lightly charred and caramelized, about 10–15 minutes. Let cool. 3. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine onion and lemon juice. Season with salt and let sit for 5 minutes. 4. Add citrus, arugula, and mint to onion mixture. Drizzle with remaining oil, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss thoroughly. 5. Add avocado, combing very gently to not crush avocado.
Inspired by Bon Appétit
7462 Old Hickory Drive Mechanicsville, VA 23111 www.sklartechnology.com 804-730-2628
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Inside This Issue
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You’re Missing Your Greatest Asset Generation Z Is Coming —Are You Ready A Better Approach to Firing Where Do You Get Your News? Citrus and Avocado Salad 3 Ways the Winter Weather Helps You Burn Calories
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Shoveling, Scraping, and Shivering 3 Ways the Winter Weather Helps You Burn Calories
2. Scraping In addition to shoveling snow, you can also get a workout by scraping those layers of ice off your windshield. In fact, you can burn up to 56 calories during a 15-minute scrape session. What’s more, you can’t slack off and skip this activity; it’s a necessary part of your morning routine. 3. Shivering Your body works hard to maintain a healthy temperature, and when that freezing wind rolls in, you’ll likely notice your body start to shiver. Shivering is a physiological response that produces heat through small, rapid muscle movements. It also assists with weight loss; you can burn up to 100 calories in 15 minutes of shivering. Of course, you should never purposefully make yourself chilly just to shed a few pounds, but if you have to be outside for a prolonged period of time this winter, know that your body is helping you out in more ways than one.
Winter can make it hard to stay physically fit. Between the aversion to stepping outside onto your ice-covered porch and the urge to drink that third cup of hot chocolate, these winter months can lead to unwanted weight gain. Nowadays, people will try almost anything to get rid of those extra pounds — yoga with goats, hula hoop fitness routines, and even underwater spinning classes. Believe it or not, you’re already working harder than you think this time of year. Here are three ways the winter weather helps you burn calories. 1. Shoveling Love it or hate it, if you live in an area with a lot of snowfall, shoveling is a necessary chore every time it snows. While the repetition associated with this task bothers a lot of people, according to a Harvard study, you actually burn approximately 230 calories for every 30 minutes you shovel.
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