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I blog on Monday, am asked to do a radio interview on Tuesday

June 27th, 2011 by Michael

Many people complain that they don’t get any juice from their blogging activity.

The problem is usually related to one of two issues.

1) Not enough people are seeing the blog.
2) The blog topic isn’t interesting enough.

By “interesting,” I mean relevant and by “relevant,” I mean something that is in the news. Extra points, if the blog topic is related to what you’re marketing.

Never forget that the Internet works on keywords, so your blog has a better chance of being read if it contains the most popular keywords of that particular day. A good place to get your daily keywords is from news sites, such as www.CNN.com.

Here’s how this formula worked to a tee for me this week.

Peter Falk, TV’s Lt. Columbo, died late last week. I posted a blog about how Columbo’s famous “just one more thing” line became an effective selling tactic and pushed it out to my social media platforms.

Radio show morning host, Michael Patrick Shiels, a connection in my vast social media network, read the blog and had his producer contact me for an interview.

(By the way, another author/speaker in my city also had the idea to post about Columbo, but he incorrectly spelled the name “Colombo,” which no doubt reduced his number of original views. Spelling counts, people.)

You can hear the interview tomorrow morning, Tuesday, June 28 at 6:45 AM ET at MichiganTalkNetwork.com.

Of course, once the interview was booked, I reposted the same topic along with the new development to squeeze extra juice out of the topic. I might even create an “epilogue post” after the interview is completed.

Good luck with blogging and all your marketing efforts!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anyone can blog. Listen to Michael Angelo Caruso interview with Paula Parisot, a soccer mom and paid blogger. The 60-minute audio CD is titled, Blogging for Profit.

Tags: blog, blogging, blogging for profit, columbo, michael Angelo Caruso, michael patrick shiels, michigan talk network, paula parisot, peter falk, Social Media
Posted in Blogging, Career development, Communication, Creativity, Entertainment, Entreprenuers, Growing Your Business, Internet marketing, Marketing, Personal Development, Problem Solving, Selling, Social Media, Success, Weblogs, Writing and Publishing | No Comments »

Valuable sales lesson from Lt. Columbo

June 26th, 2011 by Michael

Peter Falk, who played one of television’s greatest characters, passed away last week, but not before giving salespeople one of the greatest closing techniques of all time. Tweet

Falk played Lt. Columbo, a bumbling police detective so unusual, he didn’t need a first name. Columbo was a true original, a slow-moving, hunched over man wearing a rumpled raincoat and carrying a stogie.

Columbo never seemed to know which way was up—until he solved the crime, usually by tricking the perpetrator into talking too much.

The TV detective used what we now refer to as “Doorknob Close.” His patented “close” was to turn around as he headed out the door and say something disarming like, “Just one more thing.” [Watch the 5:02 mark in the above video.]

The Doorknob Close, also known as the “Reverse Close,” works best when the detective/seller has given up and is literally saying “goodbye” to the perpetrator/prospect.

No seller ever plans to use the Doorknob Close, but it can be very useful because it contains the element of surprise. Here’s how it works.

Let’s say a sales presentation does not go well and the prospect has not been forthcoming regarding his reasons for not buying. Perhaps the prospect has ended the presentation by saying something such as, “I need more time to think about it.”

The salesperson thanks the prospect for his time and slowly walks to the door. The seller places her hand on the doorknob and then suddenly turns around and says, “Now that the presentation is over, may I just ask . . . why didn’t buy from me today?”

Peter Falk

The timing of this question makes it much more effective than if it’s asked earlier in the presentation because the prospect, thinking the presentation is over, begins to relax.

The Doorknob Close is powerful because it catches the prospect in an unguarded moment. The question, when posed from the doorway, almost always results in new information, which the seller can then use as an opportunity to reopen the discussion.

Caveat: Do not reward an honest answer by re-entering the room, taking your coat off and asking for another cup of coffee. The Doorknob close is an extra opportunity to close, but don’t try to force the prospect into immediately reversing his decision.

The Doorknob Close in Action

As with all the closes, there are many variations. One of my clients, a national retailer of automobile tires, uses what they refer to as a “second effort” to convert the sale as the prospect is walking out the door.

A person who is leaving the store without making a purchase may not return, so the employee tries to re-engage the prospect before he leaves the premises. This technique can be used on the telephone, too.

Thanks, Lt. Columbo!

The Doorknob Close has rescued countless sales through the years. Never give up on asking one more question and keeping dialog open. Sometimes that “one more thing” is the sale. RIP, Peter Falk and Lt. Columbo.

Every seller should know about 22 ways to close

Want to close more sales and make more money? Learn more sales closes from 22 Sales Closes That Work, a one-hour audio program and 30-page e-book that will help you improve your sales numbers almost overnight.

As with all of Michael Angelo Caruso’s offerings, this product comes with an unconditional money-back guarantee.

Tags: closing, just one more thing, lt. columbo, michael Angelo Caruso, peter falk, sales trainer, sales training
Posted in Career development, Communication, Creativity, Customer Service, Entreprenuers, Growing Your Business, Marketing, Personal Development, Problem Solving, Sales and Marketing, Self improvement, Selling, Speaking, Success, Training | No Comments »

Social media tips galore

June 23rd, 2011 by Michael

There are two types of people using social media.

The first type likes to mosey through a do-it-yourself program. It’s a comfortable pace and they have a lot of fun.

The second type is always thirsty for ways to get practical tips that save time and produce revenue. This group also has a lot of fun, but they also find ways to build brands and make money.

The latter group likes to “Facebook with purpose” and these are the folks who tend to seek me out for help.

Here’s a partial list of what I teach in my social media sessions, which will help you improve your business almost immediately. This program includes dozens of proven strategies for securing a stronger Internet presence using Facebook (FB), Linkedin (LI), Twitter (TW), and YouTube (YT). Tweet

This is non-technical content:

Facebook is the New White Pages

- Learn how social media will help your biz when you use it as a system
- Appreciate how FB, LI and TW are alike and different
- Grow your friend list without getting slapped by the “Facebook police”
- Use Michael’s “3K Klub” trick to get FB friends to help you sell
- Protect your name online; learn valuable image marketing tips
- Discover the single best way to engage Facebook friends
- Add 100 additional connections in a flash
- Arrange for your FB posts to go to Twitter at the same time
- Use the “Notes” tab to provide more content
- Get Michael’s proven strategies for micro-blogging
- Improve dialog 0n FB, so you’re getting more biz and less small talk

Linkedin is the New Yellow Pages

- Get the most from cyber-introductions
- Learn LI’s best (hidden) feature
- Build a highly qualified list of prospects on Linkedin within 30 days
- Get a secret way to direct message groups of Linkedin contacts
- Arrange five more key Recommendations on Linkedin
- Learn clever ways to re-purpose those testimonials
- Leverage the power of LI groups
- Use LI polls to test-market ideas
- Market targeted messages to Linkedin sub-lists
- Why you should post .pdfs, even though Google can’t read’em
- Use Linkedin to push your competition off the first page search results

Twitter, Video Marketing and How They Work Together

- Use Twitter as early warning system for customer service issues
- Connect your social media platforms
- Harness the awesome power of video marketing
- Learn why Twitter is more important than FB and LI combined
- Establish a Twitter presence by making 100 your firs day
- Improve your Twitter page background and readability
- Integrate your social media marketing with your regular distribution list
- Schedule your Tweets to occur 24×7
- Learn Video production secrets to save you tons of time and money
- Keep YT from recommending your competition in “related” vids
- Use video marketing to get happy customers to sell for you

Let’s talk!

Your first consultation is free! Just give my office a call at 248-224-9667. Let’s get the word out.

Tags: California, facebook, Florida, Internet marketing, linked, michael Angelo Caruso, michigan, oakland county, Social Media, tips, twitter, youtube
Posted in Blogging, Career development, Communication, Creativity, Customer Service, Entreprenuers, Growing Your Business, Internet marketing, Leadership, Marketing, Personal Development, Problem Solving, Social Media, Success, Training, Writing and Publishing | No Comments »

Funny joke – a guy gets pulled over by a cop

June 22nd, 2011 by Michael

I’ve given over 2,000 paid presentations on leadership, team building, and give lots of sales training. Have delivered a ton of keynote speeches at conventions and dinners, too.

Humor is an important part of what I do. Funny jokes and stories keep audiences engaged and relaxed. Relaxed audiences learn more.

Here’s a funny bit about a guy that gets pulled over by a cop. Tweet it

A driver gets stopped by a cop who asks him to take a breathalyzer test.

“I can’t,” says the driver. “I have terminal asthma and can’t risk having an attack.”

The cop says, “Well, then I’ll need you to come down to the station so we can draw your blood.”

“No, that won’t work,” says the driver. “I’m a hemophiliac.”

“Okay,” says the cop, “I’ll need you to give me a urine sample then.”

“Sorry,” the man says. “I’m a diabetic.”

Now the cop grows impatient. “Sir, I’ll need you to get out of the car and walk a straight line.”

“That won’t work, either, officer.”

“Why, not?”

“I’m drunk.”

-Michael Angelo Caruso, Royal Oak, Michigan

Tags: funny, humor, joke, Keynote, michael Angelo Caruso, public speaking, speech
Posted in Communication, Creativity, Entertainment, Funny, Sales and Marketing, Success | No Comments »

The second most important web site for your business

June 19th, 2011 by Michael

Internet marketers and business owners always ask me where they should be putting their marketing efforts. Of course, your company Web site is a critical place for you to spend time and money.

But what’s the second most important Web site for your business? I’ll give you a hint.

It’s not Linkedin. And it’s not your Linkedin business page, although you should have one.

It’s not your Facebook page. And it’s not your Facebook business page. You should have one of those, too.

The second most important Web site for your business is not YouTube.

It’s not even Google.

These are all valuable sites for marketing your products and services, but the one site that should be a part of every online business in 2009 is …

Twitter.

Here’s why in one sentence–Google crawls individual Tweets. Tweet this article.

You can post Facebook status updates all day and night, but Google will not see them. The same is true for your Linkedin status updates.

But, Google indexes your individual messages on Twitter and makes them available to people doing Web searches forever. Of course, you’ll be putting key words in your Tweets, but imagine what will happen when you’re putting your Web site address (or an abbreviated version of it) in 80% of your Tweets.

This is probably hard to imagine because Facebook and Linkedin don’t work like this. Twitter is more powerful than Facebook and Linkedin combined!

That’s why, if you aren’t using Twitter, you are missing out on the greatest opportunity for building relationships with your customers and prospects. You are missing out on the best free branding tool on the web.

And you are missing out on huge amounts of free traffic and increased sales!

There’s just no excuse for any business, large or small, to not be using Twitter, which has improved my reach immensely. I’m on Twitter at @MichaelACaruso

Learn more about using Twitter and other social media platforms from my four CD program–a home or work study course titled, Social Media for Work. For a limited time, I am including a free 30-page, social media e-book with all orders, so click today!

Best of luck on all your marketing efforts. I you want training or other types of help, let me know. Let’s get the word out!