Jon Carson Consulting - February 2022

Jon Carson Consulting - February 2022

FEBRUARY 2022

WHO IS YOUR SECOND-BEST FRIEND?

“Man’s best friend is dog.” First uttered by Fredrick the Great of Prussia, and later popularized by the poet Ogden Nash in 1941 in “An Introduction to Dogs,” he says: “The dog is man’s best friend. He has a tail on one end.” I’d like to remind you that your second-best friend is your client or future client. What are you doing in the month of Cupid to love your client or prospect? In the book “Gift-Ology,” John Ruhlin shares about perfecting the art of gifting. Gifting is not a tool where you should expect anything in return or build up reciprocity. Instead, giving gifts is a way to show up in uncommon ways to build relationships. A Kansas University study reveals it takes 40–60 hours to establish a casual friendship, 80–100 hours to transition to being a friend, and more than 200 hours together to become

good friends. In this day of instant gratification, Facebook, Twitter, and texts, it’s not likely that one gift will get you past a casual friendship, but it can help as a delivery vehicle for emotion. Warning: Please don’t give gifts of peanut brittle, T-shirts with your logo, or gift cards. Ruhlin says it’s a big no- no to add your branding to a gift. He adds, “Worst yet is to gift on Christmas, anniversaries, and holidays (unless it is to a family member or spouse). If you give gifts on A, B, and C (anniversary, birthdays, and Christmas holidays), you get lost in the pile.” Gifting will not land or keep a client for you. However, it can enhance your process, and it will force you to stand out and be different. Your mission should be to show up in uncommon ways. As you build a gifting strategy for 2022, remember that nobody needs more stuff, especially not your client who can more than likely purchase anything they want. The goal is to come up with a thoughtful artifact that provides a story of relationship. Don’t buy gifts that you like; have someone help you select a gift that is memorable specifically for your individual client. All of this starts by asking your client questions and learning about who their mentors are, what tragedies or hardships they have overcome to get to where they are, and what core convictions undergird their view of life and business. Take time to learn about their family and their unique interests and hobbies. Don’t try to be interesting when you talk to them. Instead, be interested in them. The best way to start gifting is with a handwritten thank-you card. Honestly, the bar is set so low with most people these days that gifting can prove very successful with just a little bit of creativity and effort. Rally your team this month and build a plan to “love-bomb” your top clients and prospects. P.S. Don’t forget your clients, support team and favorite dog. Gifting can be your second-best friend. For some helpful strategies on gifting, please feel free to reach out to me at GoDaveTester.com . Click on Connect and request my Top Five Gifting Strategies.

-Dave Tester

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5. Reaching Customers With Content

influencers on Instagram and TikTok. A TopRank Marketing survey found most B2B marketers believe this strategy changes minds, improves the brand experience, and yields better campaign results.

Content marketing through blog posts and newsletters was touted as a vital piece of every B2B brand’s marketing puzzle this year. Statistics gathered by Convince & Convert found 71% of B2B respondents reviewed a blog during their buying journey, 65% of them prioritized credible content from industry influencers more than the previous year, and content marketing cost 41% less than paid search and generated three times more leads per dollar than other channels. All five of these B2B marketing strategies were hot in 2021, and if you had a positive experience with one or more of them, do yourself a favor and keep that strategy in place for 2022. Do the same with any other trends that worked for you, and you’ll have a head start on next year’s playbook.

2. Advertising on Podcasts

Apple Podcasts crossed the one million show mark in April 2021, and in 2020, 37% of Americans ages 12 and up listened to at least one podcast each month. These factors made podcast advertising a major trend in 2021, especially for B2B marketers aiming to reach a younger audience.

3. Automating Everything

COVID-19 forced us all to reevaluate how we spend our time, and it turns out many of us don’t want to put those minutes toward sending texts and emails! Still, text and email marketing are both vital B2B channels. The trendy way to get the best of both worlds in 2021 was through automation. Within those messages, Odden called out a trend for a “greater focus on storytelling, personalization, and more informal content versus explicit sales offers.”

4. Leveraging AI

The importance of artificial intelligence (AI) for B2B marketing became crystal clear recently when a Salesforce study reported that 80% of business buyers expect the companies they reach out to will talk to them “in real time,” regardless of the hour. This statistic highlights how important chatbots and other AI solutions are for customer conversion.

TESTER-

MONIALS Are you ready to better yourself and your business? Have Dave secret-shop your front desk today! Call 208-707-9807 or visit GoDaveTester.com for more details.

“I have used ‘Who do you know that I should know?’ a couple of times, and it has gone from a customer all the way in Sun Valley, Idaho, to a customer in Elko, Nevada. That is how far the ‘Who do you know that I should know?’ conversation works, and it provided the connections for me to make multiple sales.”

Brian Burgess Commercial Tire Twin Falls, Idaho

“Dave, I can’t stress enough how thankful I was to listen to you yesterday! Very thankful for your influence! Thank you!” Daniel Bostic Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Broker-Sales Executive

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FEEL CONFIDENT IN BUSINESS! 3 STEPS TO IDENTIFY YOUR VALUE

We’ve all been taught that bragging is annoying, but when you’re afraid to identify your worth, it can really hurt your confidence and success in business. To prevent that from happening, here are three tips to make it easy to name your price! No. 1: Get to know your value. How do we figure out our value? Specifically, how do we come up with a quantifiable method to reach an exact, irrefutable number? Well, we don’t. The best place to start is deciding who you want to be in your business and industry and building from there. With a solid mission statement and concrete affirmations that support your value in the business, you’ll gain more confidence in arriving at a price point. No. 2: Be open to receiving — and giving — love. Accepting compliments can be tough, but in business, compliments can be powerful catapults to your continued success. When you take time to notice all the people you’ve helped, the accomplishments you’ve achieved, and the difference you’ve made, the motivation it fosters is monumental. Keep your happy emails, texts, and reviews from clients and create an easy reference for instant, uplifting support. If a client seems happy, never be afraid

to ask for a testimonial. Many people simply need to be asked, and they’ll be happy to provide one.

In the same stride, consider the people who help you and your business every day and find ways to show appreciation. Passing that love around can make a huge difference in energizing the way you perceive your value. No. 3: Make the final game plan. After considering what your offerings are likely worth, whom you’re looking to serve, and what they’d be willing to pay, you can name your final price. After all, prices don’t fall from the sky. Without obsessing over it, look at what kind of value your competitors have set for themselves. That’ll give you a great starting point.

Take good care of yourself, friends — and don’t forget that a confident price tag is a great way to do just that in your business.

We’re looking forward to connecting with you soon! Visit our website or call or email us today!

Beef Bourguignon GG Gretchen’s Kitchen (My Mom’s Secret Recipes)

Email Us: [email protected] Call Us:

208-707-9807 Learn More: GoDaveTester.com Office Locations: Boise, Idaho, and Las Vegas, Nevada

Ingredients

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1 1/2 lbs boneless beef (chuck roast) cut into 1/2-inch pieces

• 1/2 cup red wine • 10 1/2 oz Campbell’s Condensed French Onion Soup • 8 oz carrots • 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

• 4 strips bacon cut into 1-inch pieces • 8 oz sliced mushrooms • 1 tbsp tomato paste

Corner Post MINISTRY

If you would like to listen to Dave’s spiritual podcast, visit CornerPostMinistry.com.

1. Season beef as desired. 2. In a 6-quart saucepan over medium heat, cook bacon for 2 minutes. 3. Add beef and cook until well-browned. 4. Add mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomato paste and wine, and cook for 1 minute. 5. Add soup and carrots and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 35 minutes or until the beef is fork-tender. 6. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. Directions

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22–23

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PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

6700 N. Linder Rd., Ste. 156 #297 Meridian, ID 83646 208-707-9807 GoDaveTester.com

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Who Is Your Second-Best Friend?

Testimonials

3 Steps to Identify Your Business Value

Beef Bourguignon

Make 2021’s B2B Marketing Trends Work in 2022

YES, IT WAS TRENDY — BUT DID IT WORK? How to Harness 2021’s B2B Marketing Trends in 2022

What do you think of when you hear the word “trend”? Depending on your age, it could be anything from big hair to avocado toast. The word itself has more definitions than you might think, including these four from Merriam-Webster:

1. A prevailing tendency or inclination

2. A general movement

3. A current style or preference

With that in mind, as you plan your B2B marketing strategy for 2022, you shouldn’t throw out your 2021 playbook. The tactics you tried this year might not be on the 2022 trend lists that are starting to pop up on marketing websites, but that doesn’t matter. If the marketing strategy successfully worked for you in any capacity, roll it into your 2022 plan.

4. A line of development

When people say something is “trendy,” they usually mean the third definition. But trends aren’t always fleeting. Sometimes, as you can see from definitions 1, 2, and 4, they’re useful predictors of what’s to come. If something trendy is truly awesome, it sticks around and becomes part of the culture. At one time, people thought cellphones, texting, and computers were just trendy, but decades later, they’re still here because they made our lives better! Trends in marketing are the same way. Sometimes a fresh marketing strategy will pop up, everyone will try it, and it will disappear. But if a marketing trend works , it sticks around and becomes a mainstay.

Not sure what 2021 B2B marketing trends means? Here are just a few called out by B2B marketing expert Lee Odden.

1. Using Influencers

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people are spending, on average, 30% more time on smartphone apps this year than they did in 2019. Early statistics lead to the 2021 trend of marketing through

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